Adolescent Drug Abuse Facts & Myths

Adolescent Drug Abuse Facts & Myths

The epidemic of adolescent drug abuse represents a phenomenon of a normal (albeit undesirable) adolescent rite of passage

(Borvin, G., Bakere, E., Dusenbury, L (1990) Preventing adolescent drug abuse through a multimodal cognitivebehavioral approach: Results of a 3-year study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58:4, 437-446)
(Shedler, J. & Block, J. (1990) Adolescent drug use and psychological health, American Psychologist, 45:5, 612-630)
(Newcomb, M. & Ligman, L. (1988) Conseguences of adolescent drug use: Impact on the lives of young adults, Newbury Park, CA: Sage)

For the majority of adolescents experimentation with drugs represents a brief period of testing limits followed by conventional lifestyles

(Lamarine, R. (1993) School drug education programming: In search of a new direction. Journal of Drug Education, 23:4, 325-331)
Adolescents already psychologically distressed are more prone to develop prolonged drug dependency
(Mayer, J. & Ligman, J. (1989) Personality characteristics of adolescent marijuana users, Adolescence, 24:96, 965-976)
(Botvin, G., Bakere, E., Dusenbury, L (1990) Preventing adolescent drug abuse through a multimodal cognitivebehavioral approach: Results of a 3-year study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58:4, 437-446)
(Shedler, J. & Block, J. (1990) Adolescent drug use and psychological health, American Psychologist, 45:5, 612-630)

Unsolicited peer pressure is not the major variable contributing to adolescent drug abuse. Psychologically disturbed adolescents, wanting drugs, actively seek out peer groups that will support drug use

(Sheppard, M., Wright, D., & Goodstadt, M. (1985) Peer pressure and drug use: Exploding the myth, Adolescence, 20:80, 949-958)

The current assumption that a few hours of drug education in the classroom setting can somehow be translated into significant alterations in problem behaviors (which are rooted in deep-seated psychological dysfunction) is based on misguided and fanciful thinking

(Lamarine, R. (1993) School drug education programming: In search of a new direction. Journal of Drug Education, 23:4, 325-331)

Behaviors and value orientations of substance abusers are connected to the following predictors evident in early childhood prior to drug problem: - exhibition of antisocial behaviors (cheating, lying, stealing) - seldom involved in extra curricular school activities - achieve poor grades

(Botvin, J. (1988) Preventing adolescent substance abuse through life skills training, in Fourteen Ounces of Prevention, Price, R., Cowen, E., Lorion, R. & Ramos-McKay, J. (eds.), American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C, 98-110)
(Botvin, G., Bakerd, E., Dusenbury, L (1990) Preventing adolescent drug abuse through a multimodal cognitivebehavioral approach: Results of a 3-year study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58:4, 437-446)
(Board of Trustees Report, (1991) Drug abuse in the U.S., Journal of the American Medical Association, 265:16, 2102-2107)

A rational approach to combating drug abuse includes targeting high risk youth with the following strategies:

encourage sensitive and empathetic parenting

build childhood self-esteem

develop sound interpersonal skills/relationships

promote involvement and commitment to meaningful goals

(Shedler, J. & Block, J. (1990) Adolescent drug use and psychological health, American Psychologist, 45:5, 612-630)