English summary: ALCOHOL USE AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

Methods: Information about substance use was obtained with a self-administered questionnaire from 497 first- to fifth-year medical students at Tampere University. 468 students were included in the study and the response rate was 94%. More than half of the students were women.

Results: The prevalence of alcohol use was 95% in men and 91% in women. There was no significant difference in alcohol use between students in different courses. A quarter of the men using alcohol drank at least twice a week. This was four times more compared with the subgroup of alcohol-using female students. One third of the students drank above the daily risk limits, men as often as women. More than ten per cent drank heavily at least once a week, men significantly more often than women. The self-reported amount of drinking increased in the first year of study in almost half of the students. After the first year most of the students decreased their drinking or kept it at the previous level, but almost ten per cent further increased their drinking. About ten per cent were smokers and five per cent used snuff. A quarter of the students had experimented with drugs. Cannabis was the most commonly used drug.

Conclusions: Alcohol use among medical students in Finland is common. Heavy episodic drinking is the prevalent drinking pattern. Drinking increases during the first study year but diminishes thereafter. Experiments with drugs are relatively rare.