Drug and Alcohol Abuse Minimization

Abusing and misusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) remains problematic, particularly among adolescents and young adults. There are several personal, interpersonal, and environmental factors that influence their ATOD use. Understanding these precursors not only advances theory but, in addition, is the basis for prevention interventions.

The trend in lifetime prevalence of adolescence and young adults' substance use demonstrates a decrease over recent decades for most substances. However, a significant portion of these groups continues to abuse and/or misuse substances. For instance, approximately two-fifths of young adults between the ages of 19 and 28 reported that they had five or more alcoholic drinks in a row over the last two weeks, and almost half of 12th graders reported that they used at least one illegal drug ...