Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Use

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews several studies looking at the causes of adolescent drug and alcohol use. The paper explains that the studies revealed that factors related adolescent drug use fell into two major categories: external, or environmental, and internal, which are the qualities of the individual. The paper then explains and examines these two categories and the implications of the studies. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for children to bond to peers, parents, and others who have drug-resistant attitudes. A successful bond to wholesome individuals will yield adolescents with good habits, and possibly an invulnerability to drug and alcohol use. The paper also concludes that a strong positive relationship between parents and their children will lead to low drug and alcohol use. It also comes down to the internal cues of the individual. A person with low self-esteem is at a higher risk of being an alcohol or drug abuser.

From the Paper:

"Parental attitudes and substance use also have been linked with adolescent drug use. Several studies indicate that when adolescents perceive that their parents' attitude toward substance use is favorable, they also tend to use substances at a higher rate. Previous studies have found that parental drinking patterns were predictors of frequent and heavy drinking in adolescent offspring. This link was backed up several years later when a team of researchers found that youths whose parents had drinking problems also tended to be heavier drinkers in high school."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bentler, P. M. (1987). Drug use and personality in adolescence and young adulthood. Child Development, 58, 65-79.
• Blau, G. M., Gillespie, J. F., Felner, R. D., & Evans, E. G. (1988). Predisposition to drug use in rural adolescents: Preliminary relationships and methodological considerations. Journal of Drug Education, 18, 13-22.
• Bloom, M. D., & Greenwald, M. A. (1984). Alcohol and cigarette use among early adolescents. Journal of Drug Education, 14, 195-203.
• Chassin, L., Tetzloff, C., & Hershey, M. (1985). Self-image and social-image factors in adolescent alcohol use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 46, 39-47.
• Forney, M., Forney, P., Davis, H., Van Hoose, J., Cafferty, T., & Allen, H. (1984). A discriminant analysis of adolescent problem drinking. Journal of Drug Education, 14, 347-355.

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