How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers


Iceland used to be one of the worst countries in Europe for underage teenage drinking. The country’s government realized they needed to change that. Each year, students fill out an anonymous survey about their drinking and lifestyle habits that gives the government data to inform programs and interventions. Since 1998, the number of 16 year olds who drank in the last month decreased from 42% to only 5%. The government has helped fund after school sports programs, implemented a curfew, and created a successful model that has now been applied to 30 European countries.

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