Cozumel Reports Alcohol and Drug Use Starting at Age 11

Cozumel, Quintana Roo — Health officials in Cozumel have recorded alcohol, tobacco and other substance use among adolescents as young as 11 and 12, according to local data that aligns with Mexico’s National Health and Nutrition Survey.

Authorities also registered an estimated 30 percent increase in alcohol consumption among residents aged 10 to 19 during the July and August vacation period. The findings have prompted a push to strengthen prevention efforts in schools and other public spaces on the island.

Fabiola Ruiz Gallardo, director of the Youth Integration Center (CIJ) in Cozumel, said family and social conditions — along with the normalization of alcohol and tobacco among minors — are among the factors behind early experimentation.

Among the cases the center has handled, marijuana shows an incidence of 58.5 percent, followed by alcohol at 56.6 percent and tobacco at 39.6 percent. The center noted that those figures reflect its own care records and do not represent a measurement of Cozumel’s entire adolescent population.

Ruiz Gallardo identified a lack of family supervision, conflict within the home and peer pressure as factors that can draw adolescents toward substances. She also pointed to the availability of alcohol and drugs as an issue requiring attention.

The CIJ has expanded prevention activities through talks at schools, workplaces and unions. The sessions cover dependence, the effects of substance use on school and work performance, health consequences, and the risks of consuming at an early age.

Carmen Huchim, a mother, said prevention must begin when children are young. “Knowing who they spend time with and detecting changes in behavior can help identify risk situations,” she said.

Mario Colli, a middle school teacher, said schools can spot shifts in students’ performance, conduct or attendance. “Coordination with families makes it possible to address cases before consumption becomes a bigger problem,” he said.

Psychologist Karla Interian said early onset of substance use increases the need for preventive intervention. “Strategies must involve the family, schools and specialized services,” she said.

Officials said involving parents and guardians is central to the strategy, since early detection allows minors to be referred to specialized services before use becomes recurrent. The CIJ also stressed the importance of reporting the illegal sale of alcohol to minors and any activity tied to the distribution of illicit substances.