Lisbon, Nov. 27, 2024 (Lusa) - The Alentejo region leads the way in alcohol and tobacco consumption among young people in Portugal, the Algarve stands out for its use of cannabis, the Azores for its consumption of other illicit drugs and Lisbon for internet-related problems, an official study reveals.
The data is released in the study promoted by the Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD), which recently released national data on addictive behaviours in 18-year-olds who took part in National Defence Day in 2023, and on Wednesday presents the results by region.
"As has been seen in previous reports, the regions of Alentejo, the Azores and the Algarve stand out with higher prevalence rates than the national total, while the North and Madeira recorded generally lower figures" in terms of addictive behaviours, it concludes.
Among those surveyed, the experience of problems related to drinking alcohol is highest in the Azores and Alentejo and lowest 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 highest in Lisbon.
According to the study, problems related to emotional distress associated with addictive behaviours are the most reported in all regions As for 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 the other regions.
Carried out 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 stood out for its higher consumption of illicit drugs in general and cannabis in particular, a trend that is reinforced in this study.
"Although there has been a decrease in the consumption of illicit drugs in the Algarve compared to the previous edition of the study, the drop was less significant in the region than in the others (with the exception of the Azores), again increasing the gap with the national total," it emphasises.
Analysing the use of other illicit drugs (other than cannabis), "the picture is very different", with the Azores recording the highest prevalence rates, around two to three times higher than the country's total.
Madeira also stands out for its lower consumption of cannabis among young people, and with regard to other illicit drugs, "the prevalence rates are lower and very similar in the mainland regions".
"However, compared to 2022, the decrease in illicit drug use as a whole was more significant in the North and Lisbon regions," notes ICAS.
By type of illicit substance, between 2022 and 2023, recent cannabis consumption rose most in the Azores and fell most significantly in the North.
The Azores also stands out for the biggest increase in consumption in the last 12 months of amphetamines/methamphetamines, new psychoactive substances, hallucinogens, cocaine and heroin, while the Alentejo stands out in the opposite direction, registering the biggest decrease in the prevalence of consumption of all these substances, along with the Centre region, only in the case of amphetamines/methamphetamines).
The consumption of sedatives without a doctor's prescription is highest in the Azores, but also in Madeira, and is less prevalent in the Algarve and Lisbon, although the discrepancy between the regions is not particularly marked.
The Alentejo is once again the region where multiple consumption is most prevalent, while this practice is less prevalent in Madeira.
With regard to Internet use, the study points out that the percentage of respondents who declared that they play video games online is highest in Lisbon, a region where online gaming starts earlier, while the practice of online gambling is more prevalent in the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores.
The percentage of Internet users who spend six or more hours a day on social networks is highest in the Azores and lowest in the Centre and Algarve.
HN/AYLS // AYLS
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