Wine is bumped off le menu by cocktail of drugs

Paris. The average French undergraduate drinks little alcohol, doesn't smoke, but might pop a few pills during the course of studies, according to research.

Only 2.8 per cent of interviewees said they drank alcohol daily, while just over a third consumed alcohol at least once a week. In the UK, a 2005 Unite survey found that a third of students drink more than the safe limit.

Overall, 73 per cent of French students do not smoke. There is almost an even split between men and women among those who have taken up the habit.

Those studying social sciences, arts subjects and male-dominated technical courses smoke most.

The study, by the Observatoire National de la Vie Etudiante (OVE), found that women are more likely than men to use stimulants, sedatives and alternative medicines such as homeopathy.

Overall, 17.1 per cent of those surveyed said they took stimulants before exams, and 16.9 per cent regularly used antidepressants, tranquillisers or sleeping pills.

The 25,000 respondents included school-leavers and postgraduates. They ranged from students with high baccalaureat scores attending preparatory classes for the elite grandes écoles , who typically hail from senior professional backgrounds, to those taking courses such as sports science or vocational economic and social administration, whose parents tend to be less well qualified.

Students have a monthly average income of €582 (£388). Nearly half take paid employment at least occasionally, and a fifth work full time throughout the year.

Sixteen per cent spend at least one study tour abroad, of whom three quarters choose a European destination.

The report relates to 2003 and is the latest in a series that the OVE publishes every three years.

Details: www.ove-national.education.fr