the essential
The Lot committee of the League against Cancer carried out a study among Lot schoolchildren on their alcohol consumption. Christine Foulon, retired psychiatrist, accompanied by Yves Botreau, former oncologist, deciphers the results.
Flash, no limit, loss of control, alcoholism, vomit, aperitif, drunk, violence… Here is an overview of the first words that come to mind for middle school students when they are told about alcohol. As part of their prevention-oriented policy, the Lot committee of the League against cancer visited two Lot middle schools where it conducted a survey of around a hundred third-year students regarding their alcohol consumption. Christine Foulon, a retired psychiatrist, worked for many years at Sainte-Anne hospital in Paris. As part of her work, she supported several people suffering from alcohol addiction. Assisted by Yves Botreau, president of the Lot committee of the League against cancer, she deciphers the results of this study.
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Answers… without surprises
Of the 103 middle school students who participated in this anonymous study (48 girls and 46 boys), more than half revealed that they had their first drink… With their family. “It’s quite counterintuitive,” emphasizes Christine Foulon before continuing: “Afterwards, alcohol is more accessible with family whereas with friends, you have to go and buy it. It’s obviously more difficult!” When the Lot committee of the League Against Cancer asked them about the age at which they had their first drink, some of the answers were striking. Even though most had consumed it between the ages of 13 and 14, for 36 of them, it happened (well) before. Yves Botreau puts things into perspective all the same: “It’s not a survey that brings up very worrying data. There are no surprises. It’s rather normal to experiment at the age of 14 as long as it remains casual. “
“The culture of the aperitif”, a French habit that would explain these answers? For Christine Foulon, it is indeed one of the factors. “The results are quite significant of certain habits. In France, the aperitif is a very convivial moment and in ceremonies, alcohol is almost always present. We are all caught up in that.” An observation shared by Yves Botreau. He concludes: “There is a real social acceptance of the phenomenon.”
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A remark that is again evident in the responses. More than half of the young people questioned revealed that they consumed alcohol once a month. And sixteen of the 103 middle school students who participated in the study revealed that they had consumed alcohol with the intention of reaching a state of drunkenness. “This result is not insignificant. At 14, if they are looking for a state of drunkenness, it means that they are going to go there in quantity,” says Christine Foulon. But are these middle school students from Lot aware of the dangers?
Lack of awareness of the risks
Binge drinking or heavy occasional drinking (BID) is defined as drinking a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time and… It is not without risks. Alcoholic coma, respiratory arrest, car accidents… The dangers are numerous. However, not all of them are known to these fourteen-year-olds. Yves Botreau emphasizes: “What we note above all in this study is that they lack information on the risks that alcohol consumption can cause. There is a real need for training and prevention.”
A lack of awareness of the risks, but not only that. “People often have the impression that there is less alcohol in beer. And the same goes for cocktails!”, notes the psychiatrist. In any case, for Christine Foulon as for Yves Botreau, this study proves to them that prevention actions must increase in all colleges in the Lot.
