The 2016 edition of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) has been released unto the world, once again painting a national portrait of how, why and how often Aussie teens and adults are using their favourite substances.
At face value I’ve got to say the results look quite positive, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering the growing transparency, acceptance and sheer amount of information relating to alcohol, pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs over the last few years.
Last year’s results from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey are here, showing the world that Aussie teens are slowly saying no to naughty substances.
Where ciggies are concerned, the study showed that the proportion of teenagers who had never smoked more than 100 cigarettes significantly increased between 2013 and 2016, from 95 to 98 percent. Younger people were also waiting longer to take up smoking, the age at which 14-24 year olds smoked their first full cigarette increasing from 14.2 years in 1995 to 16.3 in 2016.
A significantly lower number of 18-24 year olds consumed five or more standard drinks on a monthly basis, going from 47 percent in 2013 to 42 percent in 2017. Way, way less 12-17 are knocking back drinks too early as well, with the amount of teens straight up saying no to booze increasing from 72 to 82 percent over the three year gap.
Meanwhile the proportion of people in their 40s who had used illicit drugs in the last 12 months rose from 14% to 16%. Why should they miss out, anyway?
While you’re here, I’m sure you’ll love to know that magic mushrooms were recently confirmed as the world’s safest illicit drug. Have a nice trip!
Check out the rest of the survey results here.
Via Vice Australia.
