54 boys and girls, mainly 15 to 16 year-olds, from secondary vocational (VBO) and scientific educational schools (VWO), spread all over the Netherlands, have participated in 9 group discussions. These groups freely discussed topics such as: a) going out; b) alcohol consumption at home and outside the home; c) driving under the influence of alcohol; d) smoking and drug use in relation to road safety; and e) the role played by parents, police and schools in this regard. The policy of the schools as included in this study is to combat the use of alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, as far as possible. Many parents take this fact into account, when selecting a school for their child. Both aspects will exert an influence on the opinion offered by children attending these schools. The main findings of the study can be summarised as follows: (1) Male adults are most likely to drink alcohol; (2) Sixteen year-olds already consider themselves as persons who are quite grown up. They also drink alcohol and realize that they are not hold responsible for all their actions at this age, when going out. Therefore, this is the ideal age at which to experiment; and (3) 18 year-olds are expected to know their limits and needs, otherwise they get into trouble.
Abstract