In a recent study, a research group led by UT Professor Jaanus Harro came to a stunning conclusion. They researched how early girls with a certain gene variant tried their first booze. The researchers discovered a dividing line between the girls born in 1982-83 versus those born in 1988-89: the younger girls started drinking alcohol three years earlier than the older ones.
Overall, the study was in line with the generally known fact that boys try alcohol earlier than girls and that in many European countries the first encounter with alcohol occurs at an increasingly earlier age. In this research, however, the younger girls with the high risk genotype tried alcohol even before the boys of their age, whereas girls just six years older who shared the same genotype were the last ones to try booze in their age group.
Professor Jaanus Harro commented that to his knowledge their research group was the first in psychiatry and behavioural sciences to show that the effect of a gene variant influencing brain activity (in this case a serotonin transporter gene) can depend on the birth cohort. This study demonstrates how, given the same genetic predisposition, the environment effectively enters the equation.
So where does the dividing line lie? Professor Harro refers to the 1990s: Estonia became independent in 1991 and freedom in everything ruled the country. Alcohol became more readily available and drinking evolved into a social norm.
In the following decades, Estonia moved in the direction of restricting alcohol advertising and sales. A sudden step in the opposite direction was a national law allowing the consumption of alcohol in public places that came into effect as of July 1, 2014. In the next few months, several municipalities including Tallinn overrode this law via local regulations that ban public drinking.
Pirogov park in Tartu has traditionally enjoyed a special status: public drinking is allowed here. Photo by Andres Tennus.
