Articles Index

More Are Beginning to Use Drugs Before Age 13
The number of people, being treated for drug abuse, who report that they began using at least one drug before age of 13 is increasing significantly according to a study of treatment patients between 1993 and 2003.

Teens Turn to Pot After Parental Break-Ups
Parents who split up and move in with new partners can unwittingly push their children towards marijuana use, according to a study of 3,008 mothers and their children conducted in Brisbane, Australia.

Pre-Teen Low Self-Esteem Linked to Drug Use
Parents who have boys with low self-esteem at age 11, and have friends who approve of drug and alcohol use, should be concerned that self-derogation could turn into drug dependency by age 20, according to researchers at Florida State University.

How Will Your Child Drink?
Children learn their attitudes about drinking from those around them, especially from parents or other adults, but also from their peers.

Parents Influence How Teens Think About Substance Abuse
Research shows that involved parenting actually affects teenagers' thought processes when it comes to such substances, giving teens a negative view of people who drink or smoke cigarettes or marijuana, and insuring the teens won't use such substances even when they're easily available.

Sex, Drug Use Increase Teen Depression, Suicide
Teens who engage in sexual intercourse and/or drug abuse, including abuse of alcohol and tobacco, are significantly more likely than youth who abstain from such activities to become depressed, have suicidal thoughts, and attempt suicide.

Scientists Uncover Risk Factors for Teen Marijuana Use
Involvement with other substances, delinquency and school problems have been established as the three most important risk factors in identifying teenagers at risk of continued involvement with marijuana.

Is My Child Using Drugs or Alcohol?
This screening quiz for parents can help determine if your child is exhibiting some of the tell-tell signs of substance abuse.

Parents Seeking Help Signal Youth Drinking Problems
Al-Anon Family Groups are traditionally considered a mutual support group for the spouses of alcoholics, but the latest membership survey shows that 31 percent of Al-Anon members have a child with a drinking problem.

Youth Alcohol Consumption Remains High
Although the prevalence of underage drinking has decreased since its peak in the late 1970s, drinking by youth has stabilized over the past decade at disturbingly high levels.

Normal Teens Not 'Ticking Time Bombs'
Contrary to the psychoanalytic theory that children who appear to be well adjusted as adolescents are actually ticking time bombs, most normal teenagers adapt to and benefit from life experiences.

Signals of Teen Substance Abuse Risk
The more sexually active friends a teen has and the more time a teen spends with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the greater the risk that teen will smoke, drink, get drunk or use illegal drugs, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

Religious Activity Equals Less Sex, Drugs For Some Teens
High levels of church attendance in the ninth grade may protect some African-American teenagers from getting involved in risky behaviors throughout the rest of their high school career, a new study suggests.