Young people, young adults and binge drinking.

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The consumption of alcohol among young people and young adults has undergone, in recent decades, a sharp upsurge with the increasingly frequent intake of large quantities of alcohol. The aim of our study was to investigate socio-demographic, economic and behavioural factors that have a major impact on the voluntary alcohol habit in young people.

METHODS

The survey was conducted via administration of an anonymous questionnaire based on "the WHO Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test", disseminated on-line, to young people and young adults (aged 18 to 35).

RESULTS

We examined a sample of 365 subjects. Consumption of wine and beer were predominant followed by super-alcohol mixes. We found correlations between alcohol use and the following variables: marital status (p < 0.001), parental education (mother p < 0.05; father p < 0.001), income level (p < 0.05), physical activity (p < 0.05) and voluptuous habits (smoke and coffee: p < 0.001.The 5% of men and 1% of women had car accidents during the previous year due to alcohol use and 15% said they did not remember what happened in an alcoholic evening once or twice a month.

CONCLUSIONS

The phenomenon of alcohol consummation is deeply ingrained in our reality, with dangerous episodes of binge drinking in young adults with a higher prevalence in the female sex.