Armenian teenagers are the 'winners' of the latest European survey on alcohol, smoking and drug use

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) is being conducted each 4 years from 1995. For the first time, Armenia participated in this survey in 2007, which was the latest round of it. The ESPAD has just published its results.

They are pretty encouraging for Armenia, which reportedly has the lowest prevalence of alcohol consumption, smoking and drug use among teenagers of 35 European countries participating in the survey. However...

As much as I am pleasantly surprised, say, with the low smoking rates, this apparently does not get transformed into the life style changes. One recent data suggest that "with more than 70% of the population smoking, Armenia ranks sixth in the number of smokers in the world and number one in Europe." Truly, a gigantic transformation to the worse. The question is what makes no smoking teenagers become heavy smoking adults?

Below are key ESPAD results for Armenia (plus Figure, above):

Overall, alcohol and drug use in Armenia is very limited in comparison with other ESPAD countries. The key variables are all well below average, making Armenia the lowest-prevalence country in this study. Although about two-thirds (66%) of the students had been drinking alcohol during the past 12 months, less than one-tenth of them (8%) reported that they had been drunk in that period. The consumption volumes on the latest drinking day are very moderate (1.6 cl alc. 100%). Smoking is also rare, with low 30-days prevalence (7%), and the lifetime prevalence of cannabis use is low (3%). Moreover, very few (2%) of the Armenian students had used any drug other than cannabis, and non-prescription use of tranquillisers or sedatives is almost non-existent, as is use of pills in combination with alcohol.

For full comparative results of all participating countries, visit the ESPAD website.

Pro-government youth in ‘anti-smoking campaign'… Well, kind of…

When in Yerevan, I came across with this march (on 12 September 2008) by pro-government youth group Miasin [‘Together’]. As far as I learned, they are a product of pro-government MIAK party.

It seems to me they desperately try ‘playing cool’, to take up the initiative from other, more pro-opposition or independent youth groups currently on the horizon (making headlines from time to time, with certainly more creative actions - e.g., here, here and here). Fine. But...

Miasin’s march was poorly organised. They were walking along Opera and nearby areas shouting “Don’t smoke!” There was nothing creative in posters they held or the ways this supposedly ‘anti-smoking campaign’ is being carried on. In fact, they looked more like posters from a Soviet time anti-smoking campaigns, which no one was paying attention to. It looked more like an action to tick off before their sponsors that they do something than anything else.

Funnily enough, at least some of the most active girls marching ‘don’t smoke’ are pretty heavy smokers themselves…

Verdict: Not cool.

P.S. Apparently, they march pretty regularly. Below is Onnik Krikorian’s photo made on 5 September, a week before.

Ads of the past

*Thanks N. for info!

"NO SMOKING" in England

Sign of the times: Pub smokers have to stay outside (picture via BBC)

There were farewell 'smoking' parties last night in many London pubs to say au revoir to smoking a cigarette inside the venues. Formally, law came into force at 6 am Sunday. No smoking is allowed in enclosed public places - cafes, bars, pubs, restaurants, clubs, cinemas, theatres, offices etc. England followed suite of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, where similar regulations were in place for quite some time. Now London is on the same level as New York having total ban of smoking in enclosed public places. However, similar moves towards anti-smoking regulations did not have noticable effect in Paris, with its traditionally smoke-filled cafes and bars. As my French friend said, no one is taking seriously anti-smoking regulations in Paris. I am not even mentioning Yerevan here, since limited public smoking ban adopted couple of years ago was not enforced in practice, as expected. Just like in Paris...

I completely agree with England's Health Secretary Alan Johnson who hailed the initiative as the "single most important public health legislation for a generation", as it intends to cut the deaths from second-hand smoking and curb the rates of cancer. I am not a smoker, and as one may imagine, without even considering public health benefits, on personal level only, I am more than happy with the prospect of spending my evenings out in smoke-free bars. In fact, some of my heavy smoking friends also agreed, in principle, that it's a good measure and it may make them consider cutting down the number of cigarettes per day or even quit smoking for good. On the other hand, government must do more to help people quit smoking.

However, with all my strong opinion in favour of this regulations, I must admit something which I am not proud of, but that's how I feel. Well, I must admit that smoking creates some sort of environment, atmosphere - difficult to describe - shall I say arty, creative, underground, sexy... Yes, I know how bad it sounds, but I find the process of cigarette smoking may be sexy too. And I want to remind that I am a non-smoker and I hated the taste of nicotine when I tried smoking couple of times, just to see what/if I am missing, and I never wanted starting smoking afterwards. But the process of it, the whole aura is a different thing... Who knows, may be in time, we will watch films of current generation, where smoking parties would be considered 'underground' in the same way as drug-using in Warhol's films, and appeal to many people.

Back to the law, there are some smokers' rights campaigners that want to challenge it, but it is clear that they will not have success, battle for smoking is lost. There are hefty fines in place to enforce the regulations: £50 for individual smokers and £ 2500 for owners or managers of the venues. Even though the recent survey showed that British are not as law-abiding as it was assumed ("law-abiding majority is a myth"), London is not a Yerevan, it's not a Paris, and I do not anticipate major problems with the implementation, people will abide the rules (regardless that survey, in my opinion, they are still much more rule-abiding than in many other places, if not the most), and the rules will be enforced.

*Source of pictures: Getty Images