Introduction. Alcoholism may affect every person, both young and old. Over the years, we have seen an increase in the amount of alcohol consumed by children and youths coupled with a lowering of the initiation age. Place, time, easy access to alcoholic beverages, absence of campaigns showing the harm caused by excessive drinking and bad attitudes of radio, television and the Internet do not help making the young generation aware of the health, social and economic consequences. The lack of this awareness also extends to the effect alcohol has on physical and mental health, contributing to physical violence (fights, aggression, assaults) and is becoming a serious problem of the 21st century. Aim. The aim of the paper was to present the phenomenon of alcoholism among school goers. Materials and methods. The diagnostic survey method was used in the study. The research tool was a proprietary survey consisting of 37 questions. Respondents were school goers aged between 17 and 21. The surveys were filled in by a total of 130 persons (93 girls and 37 boys). Results. The average age of the respondents was 18.2 ± 0.6 years (the average age of girls was 18.2 ± 0.5 years and boys 18.4 ± 0.8 years). Forty-three persons (33.1%) came from cities with a population exceeding 500,000 inhabitants, 9 (6.9%) from cities with between 100,000 and 500,000 inhabitants, 18 (13.8%) from towns with a population of 50,000–100,000 inhabitants and 35 (26.9%) from towns with up to 50,000 inhabitants. The remaining 25 (19.2) came from villages. Young people consumed alcohol most frequently during social meetings with friends – 113 (86.9%), at a bonfire or a discotheque – 70 (53.8%), in a bar or pub – 62 (47.7%), during family meetings – 55 (42.3%). A significant majority of the young people thought that alcoholics should be subjected to compulsory treatment – 108 respondents (83.1%). The opposite view was held by 10 (7.7%) respondents. Conclusions. Efforts are needed to help develop the correct attitude of the young generation towards the threat posed by alcohol and self-assessment, especially in situations where young people use alcohol to improve their mood. A large majority of youth is of the opinion that alcoholics should be treated involuntarily.

Key words: youth, school, alcohol, addiction.