From NCCP - Because heightened peer influence and a tendency towards risk taking are normal developmental changes in adolescence, experimentation with substances during this period is common. However, using drugs and alcohol at a young age increases the risk of dependency and addiction, 3 and early onset of drinking increases the likelihood of alcohol-related injuries, motor vehicle crash involvement, unprotected intercourse, and interpersonal violence. 4
The more risk an adolescent is exposed to, the more likely it is he or she will abuse substances. 5 Some risk factors, such as peer influence, may be more powerful during adolescence, and likewise some protective factors, such as a strong sense of school belonging and a meaningful positive adult presence, can have a greater positive impact during this period. An important goal of substance abuse prevention is to reduce risk and increase protective factors in the lives of all adolescents, and particularly among disadvantaged youth. 6
Facts about Adolescent Substance Use 7
Figure 1: Illicit Drug Usage for Youth 12-17 in 2009
- In 2009, 10 percent of youth aged 12 to 17 were current illicit drug users. See Figure 1 for a breakdown by drug type.
- In 2009, rates of current alcohol use were 3.5 percent among persons aged 12 or 13, 13 percent of persons aged 14 or 15, and 26 percent for 16 or 17 year olds.
- An estimated six percent of 16 or 17 year olds and nearly 17 percent of 18 to 20 year olds reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the past year.
- Rates of current cigarette smokers also climbed steadily by age, with one percent of youth aged 12 and 13, seven percent of 14 and 15 year olds, and 17 percent of those 16 and 17 years of age reporting current usage.
Access/Risk Factors
- In 2009, half (49.9 percent) of youths aged 12 to 17 reported that it would be “fairly easy” or “very easy” for them to obtain drugs if they wanted some. Fourteen percent indicated that they had been approached by someone selling drugs in the past month.
- In 2009, 55.9 percent of underage drinkers reported that their last use of alcohol occurred in someone else’s home.
- Thirty percent of underage drinkers paid for the alcohol the last time they drank. Among those who did not pay, 37.1 percent obtained the alcohol from an unrelated person of legal drinking age, 19.9 percent received it from other underage persons, and 20.6 percent were provided alcohol by their parents, guardians or adult family members.
- Among persons aged 12 or older (2008 to 2009) who used pain relievers non-medically, 55.3 percent got the drug they most recently used from a friend or relative for free.
- Homelessness is a significant risk factor for substance use. The majority of homeless youth on the streets use substances such as tobacco (81 percent), alcohol (80 percent), or marijuana (75 percent). 10
Protective Factors
- Youths aged 12 to 17 who had heard drug or alcohol prevention messages in the last year from a source inside and/or outside of school had a lower prevalence of illicit drug use than those who had not heard such messages (9.2 and 9.7 versus 12.7 and 11.3 percent).
- In 2009, past month use of illicit drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol was lower among youths aged 12 to 17 who reported that their parents always or sometimes engaged in monitoring behaviors.
- Parent-family connectedness (feelings of warmth, love, and caring) and school connectedness and engagement (perceived caring from teachers and high expectations for student performance) have been associated with lower levels of cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use. 11
- According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, a child that reaches the age of 21 without smoking, using illicit drugs, or abusing alcohol is virtually certain never to do so. 12
