Underaged Drinkers Outpace 11 European Countries
A study commissioned by the European Commission found that Tallinn schoolchildren consume more alcohol, are more often drunk and have more often been hungover than youth in 10 other European countries.
Seventy percent of the 14-and-15-year-olds surveyed said they have tried alcohol; 24 percent drink regularly, at least twice a month. More than half of students have been drunk in their lifetime; 16 percent have been drunk more than three times; and 38 percent have been hungover, reported Postimees.
Around a fifth of those surveyed are problematic drinkers, regularly having three or more drinks in one sitting.
Generally, the consumption habits of boys and girls are similar, although boys tend to consume slightly larger amounts. The habits of parents were also a reliable probability indicator for how much their children drink.
On the other hand, the number of Estonians who have tried drinking alcohol is close to the study's average. The number of regular drinkers was even below the average.
Ott Tammik