Data released after a study promoted by the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD), shows Algarve at the top of cannabis consumption by youngsters.
Alentejo leads the consumption of alcohol and tobacco among young people in Portugal, the Algarve stands out for the use of cannabis, the Azores for the consumption of other illicit drugs and Lisbon for problems related to the internet, reveals an official study.
The study used national data on addictive behaviours in 18 year olds who participated in National Defense Day, in 2023.
“Similar to what has been seen in previous reports, the regions of Alentejo, the Azores and the Algarve stand out for higher prevalence rates than the national total, while the North and Madeira generally record lower values” in terms of addictive behaviours, say the ICAD.
Among those surveyed, the experience of problems related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages is greater in the Azores and Alentejo and less in the North, while problems related to the consumption of illicit drugs “are clearly more significant in the Azores,” and those related to Internet use are greater in Lisbon.
According to the study, problems related to emotional distress associated with addictive behaviours are the most reported in all regions.
Regarding tobacco consumption among young people, the study concludes that, in recent years, it has shown “a clear downward trend” in all regions.
Madeira stands out for its lower consumption of alcohol and tobacco, with prevalence rates considerably lower than in other regions.
Conducted annually since 2015, with an interruption in 2020 due to the pandemic, the study also reveals that cannabis is the most consumed illicit substance in all regions.
In recent years, the Algarve has been notable for its increased consumption of illicit drugs in general and cannabis in particular, a trend that is reinforced in this study.
“Although there was a decrease in the consumption of illicit drugs in the Algarve, compared to the previous edition of the study, the decrease was less significant in the region than in the others (with the exception of the Azores)."
Analyzing the consumption of other illicit drugs (other than cannabis), “the panorama is very different”, with the Azores recording the highest prevalence, around two to three times higher than the country's total.
Madeira also stands out for having lower cannabis consumption among young people, and in relation to other illicit drugs, "the prevalence is lower and quite similar in the mainland regions".
“However, compared to 2022, the decrease in the consumption of illicit drugs as a whole was more significant in the North and Lisbon regions”, observes ICAD.
The Azores also stand out for the greatest increase in consumption over the last 12 months of amphetamines/methamphetamines, new psychoactive substances, hallucinogens, cocaine and heroin, while the Alentejo stands out in the opposite direction, recording the greatest decrease in the prevalence of consumption of all these substances, together with the Central region, only in the case of amphetamines/methamphetamines).
The consumption of sedatives without a prescription is higher in the Azores, but also in Madeira, and is less prevalent in the Algarve and Lisbon, although the discrepancy between regions is not particularly marked.
Regarding Internet use, the study indicates that the percentage of respondents who declared playing online video games is higher in Lisbon, a region where initiation is earlier, while the practice of online gambling is more prevalent in the autonomous regions.
The percentage of Internet users who spend six or more hours a day on social networks is higher in the Azores, and lower in the Center and Algarve.
Source https://www.algarveprimeiro.com/ - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
