The study was carried out among teens taking part in National Defence Day activities, under a protocol established by the Intervention Service for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD), between the National Defence Ministry and the Health Ministry.

And based on conclusions from other similar studies regarding the behaviour of youths in Portugal, these findings have been widely deemed as unsurprising, and confirm the high prevalence of drinking, smoking and drug taking among the country’s teens.
It was found that among the drugs the teens admitted to taking were also tranquilizers and sedatives, without the necessary prescription.
With regard to experimenting with different substances throughout their lifetimes, 88 percent of the youths involved in the survey said they had tried alcohol, 62 percent admitted to having tried cigarettes, 31 percent said they had tried illegal drugs, and seven percent said they had taken tranquilisers or sedatives.
When it came to recent consumption, within the past 12 months, 83 percent said they had had a drink, 52 percent had smoked, 24 percent had taken illegal drugs at some point within the past year, and five percent had taken sedatives or tranquilisers.
Cannabis was found to be the most widely-consumed drug, with 23 percent of those surveyed admitting to having tried it, although seven percent said they had also dabbled with other illegal substances.
The figures dropped slighting concerning consumption within the past month, with 65 percent of the teens saying they had drunk alcohol within the past 30 days, 43 percent had smoked, 15 percent had taken drugs and three percent had taken tranquilisers.
Consumption of the substances was found to be more widespread among boys than girls, but more so regarding drugs than alcohol or smoking.
Regionally, the highest consumption of alcohol and cigarettes is in the Alentejo, while drug-taking is most prevalent in the Algarve, and the Azores has the greatest number of teens taking tranquilisers and sedatives, both in terms of experimentation and recent consumption.
Madeira has the fewest teenage daily drinkers, the Azores has the fewest smokers, the Alentejo is the region where the least amount of cannabis is consumed, and the Algarve has the fewest teen tranquiliser-takers.
Drinking was frequently linked to problems involving driving, violence or disorderly conduct, and unprotected sex, while drug-taking was most associated with financial problems, behavioural issues in the home, or success at work or in school.
The survey was carried out among teens who turned 18 during 2015 and who were summoned as part of National Defence Day activities, allowing researchers to profile some 70,646 youths in terms of addictive behaviour.
National Defence Day (DDN) aims to raise awareness among young people to the issue of national defence and the role and mission of the Portuguese Armed Forces. Activities are based in military units of the three branches of the Armed Forces.