Teen Drinking, Smoking and Drug Use Declines – But Alarming Rise in Vaping, Gambling and Prescription Misuse Among Irish Teens

Teen Drinking, Smoking and Drug Use Declines – But Alarming Rise in Vaping, Gambling and Prescription Misuse Among Irish Teens

A sweeping European study has revealed a promising decline in traditional substance use among teenagers across Ireland — but the good news is tempered by rising concerns around vaping, gambling, and the misuse of prescription medication.

Published by the EU Drugs Agency, the latest edition of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) gathered data from nearly 114,000 students aged 15 and 16 across 37 European countries, including Ireland. While alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use are falling, other modern risks are rapidly taking their place.

Alcohol and Cigarettes in Decline

Ireland has seen one of the sharpest drops in underage alcohol use in Europe. Lifetime alcohol consumption among Irish teens has dropped from a staggering 91% in 1995 to 67% in 2024. Recent use — measured by drinking in the past month — has more than halved, from 66% to just 35%.

Binge drinking is also down, with only 23% of Irish teens reporting five or more drinks on one occasion in the past month, down from 32% in 2019. The European average now stands at 30% — the lowest in three decades.

The same pattern holds true for cigarette smoking. Back in 1995, nearly three-quarters of Irish teens had tried smoking. That number has plummeted to 24% as of last year. Daily smoking has become relatively rare, with just 9% of Irish students lighting up in the past 30 days.

Vaping Surges – Especially Among Girls

While traditional smoking is waning, e-cigarettes are filling the void. Across Europe, teen vaping rates climbed from 14% in 2019 to 22% in 2024. In Ireland, the trend is especially pronounced among girls — 18% admitted to trying e-cigarettes at age 13 or younger, compared to 12% of boys.

The trend has alarmed health advocates who say vaping is being normalized among youth and marketed with appealing flavours, despite growing evidence of its harmful effects.

Cannabis and Illicit Drug Use Drop, But Prescription Misuse Emerges

Teen use of illicit drugs is also declining. In Ireland, just 13% of 15-16-year-olds reported ever using an illegal drug in 2024 — down from 20% in 2019. Excluding cannabis, the figure drops further to 4%.

Cannabis use in the past 30 days has halved, from 9% in 2019 to just 5% last year.

But the data uncovers a growing new threat: non-medical use of prescription drugs. Across Europe, 14% of teens reported using pharmaceutical drugs recreationally. Although Irish figures are lower at 3%, the trend is worth monitoring. Girls are more likely to misuse medications like tranquilisers, sedatives, painkillers, and ADHD drugs — a pattern that researchers say needs urgent attention.

Online Gambling Spikes Despite Regulations

While overall gambling rates among teens have remained relatively steady, online gambling is exploding. In Ireland, 29% of teens said they gambled in the past year, up from 24% in 2019. That’s well above the 22% European average.

Boys are more likely to gamble and are twice as likely to do so online. Concerningly, harmful gambling behaviours among European teens have almost doubled to 9%.

Gaming Addiction and Social Media Concerns

Gaming is nearly universal among Irish teens today. In 2024, 87% said they played video games in the previous year, compared to 56% in 2019. The gender gap is closing, with 93% of boys and 80% of girls reporting regular gaming.

One in five teens in Europe believes they have a gaming addiction, while nearly half admitted to problematic use of social media — another area flagged by the report as a growing risk to mental well-being.

Well-Being Gap Between Boys and Girls

Perhaps most concerning, the study revealed a stark divide in how boys and girls perceive their mental health. In Ireland, 71% of boys reported good well-being, compared to just 50% of girls — a statistic that reflects broader concerns about the mental health crisis among young women.

Through reading and gathering some of this information to share I have to say I do question some of the figures shown and areas mentioned to be some way off of actual representation of the reality of such issues in Ireland today.

What do you think ?