Fewer teens smoking but binge drinking, driving while high, a concern:survey
Posted Nov 29, 2011 03:29:11 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Students in Ontario are smoking fewer cigarettes, but binge drinking is a growing health concern, especially among teenagers who drink when they are upset.
A new report by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health says alcohol is the substance used by the largest number of students, with 55 per cent saying they’d had a drink in the past year.
Binge drinking has dropped a little in the last decade, but there are still thousands of high school students downing five or more drinks on a single occasion at least once a month.
The report’s author says one of the main concerns is that one in 10 of the students reported binge drinking at times of psychological distress.
There are also concerns about teens smoking pot and then driving, as well as their heavy consumption of high-caffeine energy drinks.
The survey included 9,288 students across the province in Grades 7 to 12.
