A startling eight per cent of 13-year-olds said they had been drunk at one point during their lives in a study conducted in 2015, Sedqa operations director Charles Scerri said.

It was also concerning that youngsters could more easily turn to synthetic drugs since they can be bought online, he added.

Statistics published by the EU’s drug agency in 2016 show that teenagers find it “very easy” to obtain alcohol in Malta.

The data had also revealed that more than half of all students younger than 13 had tried alcohol, with boys especially likely to have drunk alcohol before entering their teens (62 per cent). For girls, the figure was 48 per cent.

The operations director was speaking at the inauguration of the revamped premises of Kommunità Santa Marija, a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Ħal Farruġ.

Rehabilitation programmes can last up to six months

Some 18 beds have now been included in the facility, where rehabilitation programmes can last up to six months. The programme in Kommunità Santa Marija is the third in a number of rehabilitation programmes people with severe drug or alcohol problems follow, Mr Scerri said.

Those following a drug rehabilitation course would first undergo detoxification at a separate facility and then follow an eight-week programme prior to moving to the Kommunità Santa Marija, he added.

The eight-week programme would prepare clients for the long-term treatment at Kommunità Santa Marija, he said. The revamp of the facility was necessary because the place was “practically a shell”, Social Solidarity Minister Michael Farrugia said during a press conference. Works had started from scratch, with new facilities, a new water and electricity system and revamped bedrooms, he added.

This was also accompanied by new facilities for staff, who will be living with the residents 24 hours a day, Dr Farrugia said.