Legal drugs and their use by students at secondary schools in the of Tábor district.

Legal drugs and their use by students at secondary schools in the Tábor district Drugs currently represent a major problem worldwide, affecting each of us. The Czech Republic ranks among the countries with the increasing trend of excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption in this society is considered an absolutely normal and tolerated phenomenon, equally as smoking of tobacco products and excessive use of non-prescription drugs. Alcohol and drugs are not only legal but their consumption is offered practically wherever you go. The period of adolescence involves experimenting as its natural part. Legal drugs are the first things the adolescents experiment with and for this reason my bachelor thesis focuses on the use of alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and medicinal drugs. The theoretical part of the thesis summarizes facts about the individual legal drugs (alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, medicinal drugs) and analyzes related issues. The purpose of my bachelor thesis was to find out facts about the use of legal drugs at secondary schools in the district of Tábor and I have used some partial goals and previously established hypotheses to achieve it. The partial goals included identification of the first experience with legal drugs and quantities consumed by secondary school students. In order to verify the established hypotheses I have used quantitative research and the method of interviewing by questionnaires. The research group consisted of 290 respondents, from which 108 boys and 101 girls. 7 hypotheses were formulated for the research. The hypothesis H1 assumed that boys consume alcohol more often than girls. The hypothesis H2 assumed that boys consume tobacco more often than girls. The hypothesis H3 assumed that boys have the first experience with alcohol earlier than girls. The hypothesis H4 assumed that boys have the first experience with tobacco earlier than girls. The hypothesis H5 assumed girls consume more caffeine than boys. The hypothesis H6 assumed that girls consume more medical drugs than boys. The hypothesis H7 assumed that students of secondary vocational schools consume more alcohol than students of secondary comprehensive schools. All those previously established hypotheses have been confirmed. This bachelor thesis may be used by the general public and by professionals in the Czech Republic to increase the level of awareness about the use of legal drugs. The thesis has brought some new findings and it has mapped the situation in consumption of legal drugs by students of secondary schools in the district of Tábor. Therefore the thesis may contribute to an effective prevention among this group of adolescent youth