Dutch teenagers are heavy drinkers in European terms but less likely to get into drink-related fights, according to new research published in Criminology magazine.

Some 84,000 youngsters aged 15 and 16 in 30 European countries were interviewed for the research, which looks at the links between alcohol and teenage violence.
Dutch teenagers are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe, alongside Germany, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Austria, the research, quoted in the NRC, found. Here, some 80% of 15 and 16-year-olds claim to drink regularly. The European average is 60%.
The youngsters were also asked about their propensity to violence when both sober and after they had been drinking. The researchers found a strong link between alcohol and violence in Scandinavian countries, Britain and some parts of eastern Europe but not the Netherlands, the NRC said.