Alcohol, tobacco, and psychoactive medicine consumption among high school students of 10 Italian towns.

Consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and psychoactive medicine among 8,276 high school students of 10 Italian towns was studied. Wine was the most widely used alcoholic beverage and was consumed daily by 16-41% of students. Alcohol use increased with age and was higher among males. Occasional or current smokers were 24-47%. Nine percent to 12% of the students admitted to having taken psychoactive medicine during the 12 months prior to the interview. Females showed the heaviest use. Relationships were found among the use of these three licit drugs.