[Frequency of smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol and using drugs by the junior high school youth].

There is systematic decrease in the age of tobacco, alcohol and drug initiation in Poland among children and adolescents. Education concerning damage caused by smoking tobacco drinking alcohol and taking drugs, if started in due course, is of essence when it comes to the inhibition of these unfavourable phenomena. The aim of this work was to recognise the participation of smokers, people who drink alcohol and take drugs among students of junior high school as well as checking the dependency between early tobacco initiation and taking to drugs and alcohol among the youth. In March 2014, 288 students of 1-3 grades were included in the study of some selected junior high schools from the Moniecki region in Podlaskie voivodeship. While collecting empirical material, anonymous survey was carried out including 35 questions. Students were asked to fill it in freely during a lesson. In order to elaborate the collected data, descriptive meth, ods were used as well as methods of statistical interference. 163 women (56.6%) and 125 men (43.4%) were included in the survey. The most numerous group consisted of respondents at the age of 15 (40.1%) In the surveyed group, 100 students (34.7%) admitted to smoking at least one cigarette in their life. 6.3% of the respondents (18 people) smoked daily, whereas 9.0% (26 people) claimed they smoked occasionally. Majority of the surveyed people (51%, 147 people) answered that they had already drunk alcohol. 2.4% of the respondents (7 people) declared drinking daily whereas 18.4% (53 people) claimed to be drinking occasionally. Every tenth junior high school student stated the had used drugs at least once in their life (10.1%, 29 people). Despite the law in Poland prohibiting drug possession and trade as well as alcohol and tobacco purchase and consumption among minors, frequency of drinking alcohol, smoking cigarette, and using drugs was high among the junior high school students.