Booze biggest risk for teens

CONCERNS that alcohol is a bigger issue than illicit drugs among Tasmania’s young have been confirmed by academic analysis from Western Sydney University.

Teen Challenge Tasmania, which runs a high school drug prevention program in schools across the state, recently commissioned the university to evaluate its success.

The report found the NotEvenOnce program, which has been running in some Tasmanian high schools since 2016, increased the likelihood of those involved steering clear of drugs.

It found that last year, of those who had completed the program, 76 per cent said they would never smoke cigarettes, 75 per cent resolved to never take drugs and 58 per cent indicated they would never binge drink.

However, it found only 22 per cent of the young people involved were determined to stay off the booze.

“The likelihood of engaging with drugs was considerably lower at both pre and post program levels compared to the likelihood of consuming alcohol,” the report said.

Since its inception, almost 6000 students in Tasmania and NSW have been involved in the program offered by Teen Challenge Tasmania, which was last week named as Agfest’s charity patron for 2018.

“Students across all high schools at which the seminar was presented were significantly less likely to use drugs following the program,” the university reported.

But Teen Challenge Tasmania said its findings on attitudes towards alcohol were of major concern.

“With scientific and medical evidence showing the serious impacts of alcohol use on the adolescent developing brain, this is not good enough at all,” executive director Tanya Cavanagh said.

“Young people are not educated enough on the serious health issues around alcohol consumption and, to be honest, neither are their parents ... It’s time to turn the tide on this.”

The latest National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program report revealed alcohol and nicotine were the highest consumed substances in Hobart.

In January, the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council called for a “reinvigorated approach” to addressing alcohol harm which it said was a bigger challenge for the state than ice.

And alcohol remains the biggest drug issue among Holyoake clients.