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)