Adolescents’ alcohol use after liberalisation of alcohol sales in Finland in 2018

Abstract Background Adolescents’ alcohol use and binge drinking decreased in Finland since 2001 while the proportion of those who did not drink, increased until 2017. The 2018 Alcohol Act (entered 1 March) allowed retail stores sell all alcoholic beverages containing up to 5.5% alcohol by volume (previously 4.7%, beer and cider). Alcopops, assumed popular among adolescents, are now available in retail stores for those ≥18 years. We study changes in adolescents’ alcohol use and type of alcohol beverages until 2019. Methods Data from Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey (AHLS) has been collected biennially from nationally representative samples of 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-year-old Finnish adolescents. The data collection of the 2019 survey is going on and continues until June. Approximately two thirds of the expected responses (N = 2666) has arrived by the end April. Results According to our preliminary results, among girls abstinence slightly decreased from 2017 to 2019 and the increasing trend levelled off. Among boys, abstinence stayed at the same level from 2017 to 2019 among 12- and 14-year olds, decreased among 16-year-olds and increased among 18-year-olds. The decrease in monthly alcohol use had levelled off in 2017 and the use stayed approximately on the same level in 2019 as in 2017. Changes in type of alcoholic beverages will be ready in June and will be presented in the conference. Conclusions One year after the liberalisation of the Alcohol Act, no increase in adolescent alcohol use was observed, but the decreasing trend seems to have levelled off, while a small decrease in the proportion of those who do not drink at all seems likely. Key messages In a short run under-aged alcohol use has not increased after the liberalisation of the Alcohol Act. However, abstinence has slightly decreased.