Alcohol Consumption and Harm among Adolescents in Sweden: Is Smuggled Alcohol More Harmful?

• NCJ Number: 239060
• Journal: Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: April - June 2012 Pages: 167-180
• Author(s): Johan Svensson
• Date Published: April 2012
• Length: 14 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between consumption of smuggled alcohol and alcohol-related harm among adolescents in Sweden.

Abstract

As a consequence of Sweden joining the European Union, privately imported alcohol is increasingly sold within illegal contexts (i.e., smuggled alcohol). One implication of the smuggled alcohol is that alcohol becomes more available to underage drinkers. In the Swedish debate, smuggled alcohol has been formulated as a youth problem. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between consumption of smuggled alcohol and alcohol-related harm among adolescents in Sweden. Data on consumption of smuggled alcohol were obtained from monthly surveys, and data on harm originates from the National Board of Health and Welfare. The analysis was made by means of time-series analysis (ARIMA models). The results highlight the importance of overall consumption per se and not the type of alcohol (illegal or not) consumed. (Published Abstract)