Zone 5 to 19 Children and Young people's health and wellbeing service

Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use and sexual risk taking are among the major problems affecting the health and wellbeing of young adults in England.

Advice for young people

it is recommended that you don’t drink at all if under the age of 15, as this is harmful
the best advice is not to drink alcohol until you’re 18
if you do choose to drink before then, remember to make sure you’re with a responsible adult who will stop you doing anything that could be dangerous

there are always risks involved taking any kind of drug
even taking prescribed drugs from your doctor or bought in shops can have side effects which should be explained to you
illegal drugs may be mixed with other substances and you never know exactly how they will affect you
if you are unsure or worried about anything, you might feel better to talk to someone about it

More information on drugs and alcohol:

if you don't smoke but are thinking of starting then please don’t: smoking causes too much damage to your health not to mention the fact that it shortens your life expectancy
if you are currently smoking then the best advice is to quit - we know that this is a hard thing to do as smoking is extremely addictive - it can often take more than one attempt to do so but those who do give up are thankful that they did

Get some help to quit smoking by:

many young people engage in unprotected sex that can result in unintended health outcomes
sexual risk behaviours can place young people at risk of unintended pregnancies, HIV infection, other Sexually Transmitted Diseases such Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea and Syphilis

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Last updated: 30 June 2023 08:18:20