Text Box: ALCOHOLISM AND ADOLESCENCE Vesna Macic Bacanovic Materna Medic, Pediatrics Out-patient Clinic, Kotor, Yugoslavia Introduction: through numerous media (newspapers, radio, TV, internet, symposiums) we are being offered information on alcohol as "teenagers’ companion“ today, but is that cognition sufficient to help in understanding what challenge our children are exposed to? Goal of Work: to point on the tested sample to high percentage of alcoholism among secondary school students and to rather high percentage of those unwilling to quit consumption of alcoholic drinks. The quoted data, themselves, are not sufficient to help these young people choose the right way on their own. Material And Method: the sample consisted of 300 students of the Secondary School Center in Kotor, age 15-18. Questions were put in the following order: 1. Do you consume alcohol? 2. What do you mostly drink? 3. When do you drink most? 4. When did you start drinking? 5. Is alcohol consumed in your family? 6. Are your parents familiar with your consumption of alcohol? 7. Why do you consume alcohol? 8. Do you feel uneasy when alcohol is out of your reach? 9. Do you get upset when alcoholism is discussed in the family? 10. Do you consider quitting consumption of alcohol? Results: of 300 examined students there were 160 girls (53.33%) and 140 boys (46.70%). Of the total number of examined students, 111 (37.00%) reported consumption of alcoholic drinks. The results show that beer is most frequently consumed by boys (33-50%) and wine by girls (20-44.45%). They enjoy alcoholic drinks mostly at weekends (girls-35-77.78%, boys 48-72.73%). Both boys (48-72.73%) and girls (25-55.56%) start drinking alcohol at the age of 15. In a great many cases parents are familiar with their consumption of alcohol and they themselves do not consider it that harmful (girls 22-48.89%, boys 35-53.03%). Asked why they take alcoholic drinks girls reply they do not know (18-40%) while boys do it for pleasure (50-75.76%). Both groups show high percentage of intolerance when alcoholism is discussed in the family (girls 38-84.44%, boys 48-72.73%). When asked whether they considered quitting consumption of alcohol, both groups gave negative answer (girls 30-66.67%, boys 46-69.70%). Conclusion: the results show high percentage of alcoholism among secondary school students who do not know why they consume alcohol or where it can lead them to, but do not consider quitting it. By this work we want to initiate establishment of a counselling institution for adolescents in Kotor, Montenegro, F. R. Yugoslavia, to help them solve their problems in an easier way. 1109