Oviedo (EFE).- The consumption of alcohol and tobacco continues to decrease among young Asturians, as does that of anxiolytics, while the experimental use of cannabis increases, especially among boys, and the risk of Internet addiction, above all between the ages of 15 and 24.
These are some of the most outstanding conclusions of the latest Survey on the Use of Drugs in Secondary Education in Spain, which was announced today by the General Director of Public Health, Lidia Clara Rodríguez; the head of Population Health, José María Blanco, and Antón González, a Public Health technician.
According to Rodríguez, there is a decrease in the consumption of alcohol and tobacco among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 compared to generations born before the year 2000 because they perceive that they are harmful to health and because, according to González, campaigns of sensitization.
Less tobacco and alcohol
Alcohol consumption begins in Asturias at the age of 16.1 -this survey does not take into account those under 15 years of age- and nine out of ten young people between the ages of 15 and 34 have tried it at some time in their lives, while almost seven out of ten acknowledged having done so in the last month before the survey.
22.5 percent of the boys in that group also admit to having gotten drunk in the last year, 13 points below the national average, while 22 percent among women did so, two points lower than the national average, which , according to González reflects that there is a change towards lower consumption.
According to this study, some 48,800 people in Asturias are consuming risky alcohol, more among women (27,800) than among men.
The start of smoking is also maintained at around 16 years of age, although daily consumption has been on the downward line for five or six years, with which there are now 12 percent fewer habitual smokers in the population as a whole. .
Anxiolytics and illegal drugs
However, seven out of ten young people have tried it at some time, although the percentage drops to 33.1 percent among those who do it daily.
Regarding psychosedatives (anxiolytics), their consumption is between two and three times higher in the case of women, although in this group, contrary to the trend observed at the national level, there has been a decrease and registered the lowest prevalence of the last decade, when 10.7 percent of the population object of the survey did so.
The use of opioid analgesics has also decreased compared to the survey carried out two years ago, both the experimental one and the sporadic and habitual one, while the experimental one of cannabis -continues to be the most common illegal drug- has not stopped to increase, especially among younger men.
There are many who try it and who do not continue consuming it throughout their lives, according to González, who has indicated that the levels remain more or less stable among regular users compared to 2020.
In the case of cocaine, the sample indicates that its consumption is basically experimental and preferably among men and among the groups over 35 years of age, although 8.6 percent of those under that age admit to having tried it and 0 .4 percent having done so in the last month.
Regarding amphetamines, González has indicated that they are usually consumed experimentally by very low percentages of the population, so it cannot be said that young people are continuously taking pills because it is an image “that does not obey reality.”
Compulsive use of the Internet
Regarding the compulsive use of the Internet, some 8,400 people are in a situation of potential addiction, of which 4,457 are men.
In this case, addiction is greater among the population between 15 and 24 years of age, a range in which the risk is multiplied by two compared to those between 25 and 34 years of age, according to González, who has recognized that the consequences have yet to be seen. of compulsive use of the Internet and that he does not know if the increase in this addiction can be related to the decrease in tobacco and alcohol consumption among young people.
mental health and suicide
The survey also shows that 17 percent of the Asturian population, some 109,255 people, have been diagnosed at some point in their lives with compulsive gambling, depression, anxiety, insomnia or drug addiction, pathologies suffered by three times more women than men. , and double among those over 35 years of age.
One in ten people have had anxiety, 7.6 percent depression and 6.1 addiction to drugs and gambling, with a higher prevalence always among women.
Suicide has also been analyzed for the first time in this survey, in which 1.2 percent of the population under study, 7,700 people, have had suicidal ideas in the last twelve months, mostly women (5,500 ) so, according to González, “being a woman increases the risk”. EFE