The use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs is having a substantial influence on youths in France aged 16 to 18. So finds a survey by the French Institute of Health and Medical Research.

“Fifty-two percent of the boys and 21 percent of the girls regularly drink alcohol. The same proportion get drunk three times a year.”

Researchers at the institute have established a connection between alcohol dependence and the use of drugs by young people. They state that a “repeated desire to get drunk at an early age is an important sign that illicit drugs will be used later.”