The lure of the bottle is not as strong as it once was for teenagers. Researchers who conducted the Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health say that new hobbies and ways of spending time have emerged, including games and the internet. Immigration has also affected drinking culture, with many young Finns now from cultures where alcohol plays less of a role.
17-year-old Samu does not touch alcohol, even though his friends do occasionally drink.
“My view of alcohol has been quite negative, because it affected my family’s life throughout my childhood,” explains Samu.
The latest research shows Samu is not alone: underage drinking has already been falling for 15 years. There are more teetotal 12-16-year-olds now than at any time since the turn of the century. There is no unanimity on the causes for the decline.
“One view if that young people’s free time is now occupied by other things than drinking beer, for example digital media,” says Tomi Lintonen, head of research at the Alcohol research foundation.
Most of Samu’s free time is spent on the computer.
Not big or clever?
“Alcohol and tobacco are no longer symbols of adulthood as they were before,” says professor Arja Rimpelä of Tampere University.
Rimpelä has conducted the survey each year since 1977. According to the professor the fall in underage boozing could also be caused by diligent campaign work and more active parenting.
Anki Pulliainen, who works for the temperance organisation Kännikapina, says that immigration might also be a factor.
“Half of the world is actually teetotal,” points out Pulliainen.
The survey’s recommendations include limits on alcohol advertising and increased taxes on alcohol, so that young people’s access to alcohol is restricted still further. Lintonen is not fully convinced.
“”There have been strong attempts among us adults to protect children from intoxicants, but the practical results have been in my opinion quite thin,” noted the researcher, who also dismissed notions that young people might have switched to other drugs such as cannabis.
“It is a very small group of young people that use cannabis more often than on an experimental basis,” notes Lintonen.
