ADOLESCENT BOYS IN IRELAND: ALCOHOL, CANNABIS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND MOOD

A questionnaire survey of 303 adolescent boys in years 4 (Transition Year), 5 and 6 in secondary schools in counties in the east, southeast and south of Ireland was conducted during the first term of the 2017-18 academic year. It was found that 72% of the boys had tried alcohol, with 36% of these drinking at least once a month. Seven boys recorded drinking on several days a week, including two who drank every day. The most common age to start drinking alcohol was 14, with three boys starting by the age of 10. Drunkenness and hangovers were statistically most likely to occur in pupils in fifth year (α = 0.01 in each case). Common side-effects of drinking included getting into a heated argument or damaging something, again significantly more so in fifth year. There was strong support for the statements that boys drink to fit in and because they like getting drunk. More than one in four boys (26.7%) had used cannabis, almost two-thirds of whom smoked it only occasionally. Use of other drugs was very small. Tests of the pupils? mood showed a definite trend for higher mood disorder with higher consumption of both alcohol and cannabis. This was significant at the 99% level. Those who gave their sexual orientation as other than heterosexual had higher mood disturbances. This was significant at the 90% test level.