Pupils who take drugs, drink and smoke more likely to be unhappy

Children in England aged 11 to 15 who have recently drunk, smoked cigarettes and taken drugs are more than twice as likely to say they feel low levels of happiness than their peers who have done none of those things, a large NHS Digital survey has found.

Fifty-one percent of children who had recently drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes and taken drugs said they had experienced low levels of happiness, compared with 22% who had done none of those things. Among those who had done one of those things, 36% reported having had a low level of happiness the previous day.

The pattern was repeated when pupils were asked about levels of life satisfaction, with the greater the number of substances tried, the lower the level of life satisfaction reported.

Individually, smoking was most likely to be linked with low levels of happiness, followed by taking drugs and then drinking, with the same order maintained in answers to the question on life satisfaction. It was the first time the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People report, conducted every two years, had investigated the link between such behaviours and wellbeing.

It also found anxiety levels to be higher among those who had recently smoked, drunk alcohol or taken drugs.

Tom Madders, the director of campaigns at the charity YoungMinds, said some children could be turning to substances because they were unhappy, while in other cases it could be the substances that were adversely affecting their mood.

“Young people may drink alcohol, smoke or take drugs for all kinds of different reasons – to try something new, to fit in with a group, to do something they think will be fun, or to help them cope with difficult experiences and emotions,” said Madders. “While experimentation and risk-taking are a normal part of life for many teenagers, it’s important to look for help if you’re using drugs, alcohol or cigarettes to deal with painful feelings or if they’re affecting your mood or your health.”

Levels of drinking and drug taking were at similar levels to the last survey in 2016. This time pupils were asked about their family background and children from more affluent families were found to be almost twice as likely to have drunk alcohol in the last week than those from the least affluent families (13% to 7%).

Forty-seven percent of 15-year-olds thought it was OK to drink alcohol once a week, while 19% thought it was OK to get drunk once a week. Pupils were more likely to drink if family members or others they lived with did so.

The proportion of pupils that reported having ever smoked continued to fall, from 19% in 2016 to 16% last year, the lowest level on record, reflecting a downward trend since 1996.

Dr Penny Woods, the chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, welcomed the drop but said children must be given more help to quit. “Many young people smoke to cope with stress and as reported, 40% of young people who have smoked recently reported being unhappy,” she said. “This shows it’s more important than ever that young people can access the best support available to quit.”

The survey of 13,664 year 7 to 11 pupils from across England found that 2% of those questioned had recently smoked, drunk alcohol and taken drugs, 11% had done only one of these things and 84% had done none of them.

While youth smoking rates fell, the proportion of pupils who said they had ever vaped was the same (25%) as in 2016.