Use of alcohol and drugs in the transitional phase from adolescence to young adulthood

The results are based on a prospective longitudinal national survey of 2000 young adults, 19-22 years old, who participated in a postal survey in 1985 and 1987; 68 per cent answered both questionnaires. This paper is mainly based on the cross-sectional analysis of the data from 1987. The transitional period from adolescence to young adulthood had a significant impact on both alcohol consumption and use of cannabis. There was a higher alcohol consumption among those who had left their parental home. The consumption was lower among those who had established an adult social role with a partner. This effect was more important than occupation, income and age. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood also implies a high risk of unemployment, since this period involves leaving school and establishing a work role. We found that unemployment was positively related to alcohol consumption and the use of cannabis among men; while among women there was a negative relationship, which was found to be insignificant. Previously unemployed women consumed less alcohol than other women in education or in paid work. This could not be explained by unemployed women working as housewives - a social role associated with a low consumption of alcohol. The significant interaction effect between unemployment and gender, with respect to alcohol consumption, could probably be explained by selection to unemployment.