Alcohol use among adolescents
DO WE condone or condemn adolescent alcohol use? What does the average Jamaican household teach adolescent members about alcohol? And, more importantly, what do we teach them by our actions?
Drug prevalence surveys and qualitative studies conducted by the National Council on Drug Abuse among the Jamaican secondary school population provide evidence on the drug situation that exists among inschool adolescents in relation to trends in drug use, their perception on the harm of these drugs to their health, access to and availability of various substances, as well as other risk and protective factors that influence use. While numbers are important, qualitative data provide a deeper understanding of the context faced by Jamaicans and allow for the articulation of unique and shared experiences that cannot be captured by numbers.
Studies have shown that as is the case with the general population, alcohol is the drug most widely used by secondary school students, with significantly more males than females reporting use of alcohol.
The 2017 Global School Health Survey conducted among 1,667 secondary school students revealed that four in 10 adolescents report current use of alcohol, compared to five in 10 who reported current use when this survey was conducted in 2010, indicating a slight decline over the period. Of this group of current users, 82 per cent had their first drink before age 14.
This suggests that the majority of Jamaican adolescents are introduced to alcohol at an early age. It must be noted that the earlier one is introduced to a psychoactive substance, the higher the likelihood of problematic use and dependence later in life. The 2013 Secondary School Survey showed that the average age of first use of alcohol was 12 years old. This survey also showed that one in every five adolescents who used alcohol was at risk for misuse.
While it is undeniable that the peer group is a significant influence at this stage of life, a significant proportion of adolescents have indicated that their first introduction to alcohol is at home - by parents, older siblings and other relatives. Adolescent males, in particular, have outlined situations where they have had to consume either strong alcoholic beverages or large volumes of alcohol (or both) in order to prove to relatives and friends that they are able to ‘hold their liquor’. Is this a rite of passage for some of our boys to become men? We have heard these accounts from adolescent females as well.
PRESENT SUBSTANCE
The fact is that alcohol is a very present substance in times of joy, celebration, sorrow and mourning in several households in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region. Equally common in some households are expressions of ‘needing a drink’ to cope with life’s stressors and adversities, made in the presence of young children and adolescents, or youngsters seeing their parents entertaining friends and family, having a good time while consuming alcohol. The translation over time becomes that this beverage helps people to feel better, have more fun, get more girls (or boys), and become more confident. Are these the lessons we wish to teach?
Coupled with these cultural sentiments is the largely unencumbered access that adolescents have to alcohol in an environment where laws against underage drinking are not enforced.
So all-inclusive parties, supermarkets, shops, bars etc, are sources of access and availability. In a recent focus group conducted among secondary school students, a participant noted “It all comes back to the society being very lenient. Nobody is following the law. The policy is there, but it isn’t enforced. No consequence is there.
You know a little boy in your lane, and he comes to buy liquor, and you sell them.” So, what are the lessons we are teaching our adolescent population?
Among 1,667 secondary school students revealed that four in 10 adolescents report current use of alcohol, compared to five in 10 who reported current use when this survey was conducted in 2010, indicating a slight decline over the period. Of this group of current users, 82 per cent had their first drink before age 14.