Young people now are being exposed to alcohol and drugs at an early age. Having as much information possible can help you make more healthy choices.
Because nicotine significantly affects the structural and chemical changes in the developing brains of adolescents, smoking cigarettes makes teens more vulnerable to alcohol and drug addiction and to mental illness.
The risk that teens will smoke, drink, get drunk and use illegal drugs increases sharply if they are highly stressed, frequently bored or have substantial amounts of spending money.
Only 10% of teens who need help for alcohol and drug problems actually enter treatment programs due in part to a lack of adolescent-only services and the poor quality of the teen treatment services that are available.
Teens who use alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana while they are alone are more likely to experience health and behavioral problems as young adults, even more so than their peers who also used the same substances, but did so in social settings.
Two-thirds of parents say that seeing and hearing alcohol ads make teens more likely to drink alcohol, and almost three-quarters of parents say that alcohol companies are not doing enough to limit the amount of alcohol advertising that teens see.
In 2002, underage youth saw more alcohol advertising than adults in magazines, and girls were even more exposed to this advertising than boys.
Children who have older brothers or sisters who smoke and drink are three to five times more likely to use tobacco and alcohol, because siblings are a more powerful role model than friends or parents, research has found.
Teens who have friends who drink are more likely to drink themselves, many studies have found, but this influence may be especially strong for girls, a study of 4,700 twins has revealed.
A large decline in the use of marijuana by 8th, 10th and 12th grade students last year highlighted an overall decline of illicit drug use among students participating in the 2005 Monitoring the Future survey.
The focus of Alcohol Awareness Month observance is underage drinking, a problem that shatters young lives and communities.
Adolescents are more vulnerable than any other age group to developing nicotine, alcohol and other drug addictions because the regions of the brain that govern impulse and motivation are not yet fully formed.
Underage drinkers account for 11 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the U.S., according to a new report released by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
Heavy drinking can not only get adolescents into trouble through behavior such as risk taking or drinking and driving, but it can also make the brain less able to learn important life skills that can help one avoid trouble as an adult.
Almost 8.6 million youths ages 12 to 17, over one third of this age group, used alcohol in the past year, more than 650,000 (2.6 percent) reported heavy alcohol use, and nine million engaged in at least one delinquent behavior in the past year.
Researchers have found that the earlier people begin drinking the more likely they will develop alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence problems later in adulthood.
Teens who use even small doses of amphetamines run the risk of later drug addiction and heart attacks in their adult years, according to a study at Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne.
The annual Monitoring the Future survey for 2004 indicated an overall decline in teen drug use in the past year, but inhalant abuse by eight graders increased significantly.
The American Medical Association released the results of two nationwide polls that revealed the extent of underage consumption and marketing exposure to alcopops or so-called girlie drinks.
Adolescents who have problems with substance use often aren't identified during routine pediatric visits, according to a study by the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research.
Persons reporting they first used alcohol before age 15 are more than five times as likely to report past year alcohol dependence or abuse as adults than persons who first used alcohol at age 21 or older.
Four of every five children and teen arrestees in state juvenile justice systems have some involvement with drugs and alcohol, but only 3.6 percent receive treatment, a new CASA study reveals.
Teens who engage in high-risk behaviors involving sex and drugs have significantly higher odds of depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than teens who say no to sex and drugs, according to a study.
Despite decling trends in drug use among all American youth, drug use among Hispanic youth remains alarmingly high, according to research at the Institute for Social Research at Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The number of admissions to substance abuse treatment for adolescents ages 12 to 17 increased again in 2002, continuing a ten-year trend.
Uncertainty and withdrawal draws negative feedback from other students, prompting even more withdrawal and leaving them with few chances to have close friends and as targets for teasing or bullying,study finds.
Heavy drinking during the teenage years begins taking a serious health toll by the time people are 24 years old.
Most underage drinkers get their alcohol from family and friends according to a recent survey commissioned by The Century Council, which is funded by alcohol distillers. The survey indicated only seven percent purchase alcohol themselves illegally from retailers.
A study of adolescent rodents revealed that a binge pattern of alcohol consumption can significantly hamper normal growth and alter brain function and lead to alcohol problems later in life.
Understanding adolescent motivation is critical for understanding why so many young people drink alcohol and engage in associated behaviors such as drinking and driving and sexual risk-taking.
Cheap beer prices may account for increases in sexually transmitted diseases among young people, according to a report from the CDC.
Interpersonal aggression and vandalism in high school are directly related to alcohol use during school hours, according to researchers at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions and Canisius College.
Teenage boys who infrequently use marijuana but occasionally binge on the drug may face a greater risk of stroke than their peers, according to a study in Pediatrics by a Saint Louis University associate professor of neurology.
Binge drinking when mixed with depression and stressful events may predict suicidal behavior among teens, according to a new findings based on a survey of Buffalo, N.Y., high schoolers.
Adolescents, age 12 to 17, who use alcohol are more likely to report behavioral problems, especially aggressive, delinquent and criminal behaviors.
The proportion of children and teenagers in treatment for marijuana dependence and abuse jumped 142 percent since 1992.
The younger people are when they begin drinking the more likely they are to be injured later in life when under the influence of alcohol.
Individuals with severe problems of inattention as children were more likely than their peers to report alcohol-related problems, a greater frequency of getting drunk, and heavier and earlier use of tobacco and other drugs.
Teens who binge drink run the chance of becoming alcohol dependent later in life -- as early as their mid-20s -- according to a 10-year study of 2,000 teenagers in Australia.
A study by Northwestern University researchers shows that about half of teens in juvenile detention have two or more psychiatric disorders and substance abuse disorders. The most common combination was substance abuse disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
There was a 49 percent increase in adolescent admissions to treatment between 1992 and 2001, with 141,403 children aged 12-17 admitted to treatment in 2001 compared to 95,000 in 1992.
Teenage girls who have sex with more than one partner in a short period of time are likely to engage in other risk behaviors such as fighting, binge drinking, smoking cigarettes, using cocaine or sniffing glue.
Research has shown that adolescents with substance use disorders are most likely to attempt suicide when they also have a co-occurring mood disorder.
As Mexican-American teens become more "Americanized," their alcohol, tobacco and drug use increases to match that of white teens, many studies have shown. New research suggests that this acculturation may indirectly influence substance use by contributing to family conflict and making teens more emotionally distant from their parents.
A study of America's adolescents finds that roughly 16 percent of boys and 19 percent of girls met the criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode and substance abuse.
Distilled Spirits Council President Peter Cressy claims the distilled spirits industry is and has been a leader in working with communities to stop illegal drinking by those under the legal purchase age.
Alcoholism is an illness. It can hit anyone. Young, old. Rich, poor. Black, white.
Growing up is hard enough without having to do so in an alcoholic home. These questions might help you determine if alcohol has affected
your life.
Substance abuse significantly predicts the later occurrence of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), alcohol dependence, and substance use disorders (SUDs).
Saying no is often part of the solution, but "just saying no" is seldom enough for teens facing peer pressure.
Teen Help Adolescent Resources provides a national toll free hotline to assist parents, child care professionals, and others in locating appropriate resources.
Alcohol is the drug most frequently used by American teenagers. It is consumed more frequently than all other illicit drugs combined.
