Consumption of any alcohol during the last 12 months is as common among Italian students as the average of all ESPAD countries (82 versus 83%). However there are fewer Italian students who had been drunk during the same period (37 versus 53%). Lifetime smoking is as common as the average (64 versus 66%), and the same is true regarding the proportion of students who have been smoking during the last 30 days (38 versus 35%).

The proportion of students who have used marijuana or hashish is higher than average (27 versus 21%), while the use of illicit drugs other than cannabis is broadly the same (8 versus 6%). The use of inhalants is lower than average (6 compared to 10%) and the use of tranquillisers or sedatives without a doctor’s prescription is the same as average (6%). Use of alcohol in combination with pills is less common in Italy than in many other ESPAD countries (3% in comparison with 7% as the average).