Substance Use and Abuse in Relationships

Substance Use and the Social Network

There is often substantial similarity between an individual's substance use and the use by his or her friends and intimate partners. There are two broad explanations for this similarity: influence and selection. Influence refers to substance-using friends and partners leading the individual to change his or her substance use. This may involve peer pressure, in which peers actively encourage substance use, although this is not as common as one might expect. However, influence may encompass other processes, such as associating with peers who use substances, which may lead to changes in norms or expectations about these substances. Influence may also occur because some adolescents view a substance user in a positive light and may use substances to be like that person or because they believe they will be more accepted by their peer group. It is important to recognize that influence may decrease use, rather than only increase use. The second broad explanation—selection—suggests that similarity exists because individuals choose to affiliate with similar types of individuals. Selection may not necessarily be based on substance use per se, but may be based on other risk factors associated with substance use, such as sensation-seeking or tolerance of deviance.

Peer and Own Use of Substances in Adolescence

Much of the early research demonstrating similarity in substance use with peers was interpreted as peer influence. In the mid-1980s, researchers argued that the impact of peer selection had been underestimated. They noted that research was cross-sectional and could be interpreted as peer selection or peer influence. They also noted that research usually assessed the participant's perception of the peers' substance use, rather than a direct assessment of the peers. Consequently, it was argued that some of the similarity with peers' substance use may have been due to “assumed similarity,” in which the adolescent's substance use influenced the perception that his or her peers were using substances.

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