ArticlesAlcohol and drug use in UK university students
Introduction
One of the aims of the UK governnent's health-strategy paper1 is to reduce alcohol and recreational drug use, especially among the young. Yet drinking and drug-taking are increasing in schoolchildren and university students.26 Surveys7, 8 of second-year medical students at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1983–84 and 1993–94 indicated that drinking, cannabis use, and use of other illicit drugs had increased considerably. It seemed unlikely that this change was confined to medical students or one university, and a need for a nationwide study was suggested.8 We report the results of a survey on lifestyles in university students across the UK.
Section snippets
Recruitment
The survey was on second-year students from ten UK universities. Deans and heads of faculties of fourteen universities in England, Scotland, and Wales that had a medical school were initially approached by letter. Ten universities in which several faculties were willing to participate took part. Approval from local ethical committees was obtained when requested. Several universities agreed to participate only if not identified; hence none is named. Of the students surveyed, 3075 were randomly
Alcohol drinking
11% of both men and women did not drink (table 2). Among drinkers, “sensible” levels (1–14 units per week for women, and 1–21 for men11, 12 were exceeded by 61% of men and 48% of women. Hazardous drinking (36 or more units per week for women and 51 or more for men) were reported by 15% of drinkers (20% of the men, 10% of the women). “Binge drinking”, defined as drinking over half the “sensible” number of units per week in one session,13 was reported by 31% of men and 24% of women. The most
Discussion
Our main finding was that many university students, across faculties and throughout the UK, are drinking alcohol above sensible limits,11, 12 taking cannabis, and experimenting with other illicit drugs. The same trend has been observed among young people generally in the UK.2“6 Our sample of university students also had high levels of anxiety which did not relate to drinking or drug-taking, which was also reported in a more limited survey of Newcastle upon Tyne medical students.8
As with all
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