The influence of ethanol consumption on social dynamics among high school students and university students

Introduction. Ethanol dependence can have genetic or social causes and is considered a chronic condition. So­­cial anxiety is a common issue among young people, and alcohol is often used as a means of reducing social an­­xie­ty. Objective. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between ethanol consumption and levels of social anxiety, sociability and disinhibition among high school and university students. Methodology. The asses­­sment of alcohol consumption (AUDIT), social an­xiety le­vels (SIAS), and expectations related to ethanol use (CEOA). Results. The tests showed a statistically sig­ni­fi­cant correlation between social anxiety and alcohol con­sump­tion (χ²=4.29; p=0.038). There is a statistically cor­re­la­tion between alcohol use and positive perceptions of sociability (ρ=0.350; p<0.001), tension reduction (ρ=0.320; p<0.001), and disinhibition (ρ=0.370; p<0.001). Con­clu­sions. The study demonstrated an association bet­ween social anxiety and alcohol consumption. Family phy­si­cians play an important role in educating young peo­ple about the negative effects of alcohol use.