Thursday, December 6, 2007
Predictors of Adolescent Substance Abuse - Introduction
It is hard to predict who will become addicted to drugs. Once addicted, it remains difficult to predict who will stay sober. Not every teenager or adolescent who experiments with drugs will become addicted and of those who do become addicted, only a few will successfully respond to treatment. Of those adolescents who experiment with illicit drug use, only a small percentage become severely addicted to drugs. There are different categories of adolescent drug users. There are those who experiment briefly then quit. There are those who experiment for a longer period of time, then stop because they recognize their drug use is becoming a problem; commonly referred to as “problem users.” Finally, there are those who begin to use drugs around the age of 12 or 13 years of age, the most common age of onset for illicit drug use according to research (Alexander & Bickley, 2004; Steinberg, 2002), and their using progresses until they become severely addicted. The severely addicted individual is someone who requires primary addiction treatment and/or hospitalization as a result of their drug abuse.
The severely addicted individual is the one who warrants the most concern for therapists and society in general. Severely addicted individuals commit crimes to support their addictions, make-up the bulk of the prison population in this country, and cause the most harm to themselves and others. For this reason, there is a focus in research to identify and predict those at risk for becoming severely addicted to illicit drugs and discern the risk-factors associated with attrition and/or relapse. Since illicit drug use begins in adolescence, most researchers tend to focus on this period of human development.
There are commonly held predictors, or risk-factors, associated the onset of adolescent substance abuse and many theories that attempt to explain the reasons behind initial adolescent drug experimentation. It is assumed that once more is known about the “why” of drug use, then we will know more about how to prevent initial drug use, treat advanced stage addiction, and decrease risk-factors that promote relapse.
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The severely addicted individual is the one who warrants the most concern for therapists and society in general. Severely addicted individuals commit crimes to support their addictions, make-up the bulk of the prison population in this country, and cause the most harm to themselves and others. For this reason, there is a focus in research to identify and predict those at risk for becoming severely addicted to illicit drugs and discern the risk-factors associated with attrition and/or relapse. Since illicit drug use begins in adolescence, most researchers tend to focus on this period of human development.
There are commonly held predictors, or risk-factors, associated the onset of adolescent substance abuse and many theories that attempt to explain the reasons behind initial adolescent drug experimentation. It is assumed that once more is known about the “why” of drug use, then we will know more about how to prevent initial drug use, treat advanced stage addiction, and decrease risk-factors that promote relapse.
Questions? or Comments? Click here
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If your child is showing any signs of drug abuse, please GET INVOLVED. Many people dont have any idea how much they can influence a loved one with a drug problem.
This is why the A&E show Intervention is so important. It demonstrates how difficult addiction can be and uses a highly qualified team of specialists to address the core issues. check out http://www.aetv.com/intervention The show really does a great job of showing what it takes to get on the road to recovery for some of the most difficult addictions and how it affects everyone around the addict. I’m working to help promote the show because I believe that helping others with their addictions is an important issue. See for yourself when a new episode airs every Monday night at 8:00pm/9:00central
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This is why the A&E show Intervention is so important. It demonstrates how difficult addiction can be and uses a highly qualified team of specialists to address the core issues. check out http://www.aetv.com/intervention The show really does a great job of showing what it takes to get on the road to recovery for some of the most difficult addictions and how it affects everyone around the addict. I’m working to help promote the show because I believe that helping others with their addictions is an important issue. See for yourself when a new episode airs every Monday night at 8:00pm/9:00central
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: December 7, 2007 4:55 PM
: December 7, 2007 4:55 PM << Home
