The adolescent drinking amount self-reports seem reasonably reliable and valid both on a population and individual level. A set of closed questions may capture the amount drunk even better than an open question.

Aims: To determine the relationships between the different patterns of drinking and drug use in the general population. Design: The data from three nationwide surveys conducted in Finland in 1998, 2002 and 2004 were pooled into one dataset (n = 7,227). Participants: Population aged 15–69. Measurements: Use of illicit drugs was analyzed in relation to annual alcohol consumption, heavy episodic drinking, frequenting of pubs and restaurants, and the misuse of prescribed drugs. Respondents were divided into five different groups according to their involvement in drug cultures, i.e. ‘no contact with drug cultures’, ‘some contact with drug cultures’, ‘drug experimenters and ex-users’, ‘cannabis users’ and ‘multidrug users’. Findings: The prevalence of drug use increased along with the annual alcohol consumption, and polysubstance use was most prevalent among heavy drinkers. Heavy episodic drinking and frequenting of pubs and restaurants increased in parallel with involvement in drug cultures. Misuse of prescribed drugs was most prevalent among multidrug users. Conclusions: Polysubstance use patterns reveal an interlacing of alcohol and drug cultures. However, standard measures employed in alcohol and drug research are insufficient to capture the phenomenon in detail, and more research and the development of new approaches are needed.

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Aims: To assess the relationship between negative experiences and frequency of alcohol drinking and drunkenness among 15- to 16-year-old adolescents in Finland. Methods: A school-based survey as part of the European School Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) conducted in Finland in 2003. Nationally representative sample of Finnish adolescents, aged 15–16 (n = 3,321). Response rate 92%. Negative experiences, alcohol use and drunkenness were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between negative experiences and drinking experience. Results: Prevalence of negative experiences increased with increased frequency of drinking and drunkenness. Certain harms (troubles with the police, engaging in regretted and unprotected sexual intercourse) were experienced primarily with frequent drinking and drunkenness (>20 occasions). Logistic regression analysis indicated that only the drunkenness-related drinking style was significantly related to troubles with the police and engaging in sexual intercourse regretted the next day. Conclusions: While under-aged youths experience many problems in relationship to their alcohol use, certain problems are highly associated with frequent and heavy drinking, especially with drunkenness-related drinking style. These findings should be acknowledged when implementing effective alcohol education and alcohol-related policies to reduce under-aged alcohol use and related harms.

Belief in differential health risks for different alcoholic beverages continues despite a relative lack of supporting evidence, and continues to influence alcohol policy debate both in Finland and elsewhere. The present data from a survey of Finnish drinking habits conducted in 1992 suggest that the central issue is not the actual strength of the beverage itself but rather the solution at intake and the amount of alcohol imbibed. The results are based on a one week survey of all occasions on which alcohol was consumed from a general population survey of drinking habits. Spirits are diluted almost two times out of three when spirits are taken. The data indicate that the median alcohol content of spirits at intake was about 13 percent of volume: i.e. on half of the occasions when spirits were imbibed, the actual alcohol content was not higher than that of unfortified wines. Beer and wine were rarely diluted, white spirits and rum were almost always diluted, whereas cognac and liqueurs were taken unmixed. The data also provide a basis for estimating the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reached on each drinking occasion. There was hardly any correlation between the BAC and the actual alcohol concentration of the beverages imbibed. More detailed analyses showed mixed results. Drinking to intoxication (estimated BAC < 20 mM) was more likely with those spirits that are typically diluted than those drunk straight, but a higher percentage of the spirit intake in general occurred on such intoxicating occasions than was reported for other beverages. Older respondents reported that the primary beverage used when drinking to intoxication was spirits, but younger ones said beer. The results are only for Finland, but show little basis here for the traditional tripartite (beer, wine, spirits) division of beverages in prevention of alcohol-related harm.