Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2003
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA)
Copyright: 2003 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Contact:  http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/28
Author: Patricia Guthrie
Cited: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse www.casacolumbia.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Joseph+Califano 

BORED, STRESSED TEENS MOST LIKELY TO TURN TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Bored, stressed or overindulged kids are much more likely to smoke,
get drunk and use drugs, a new national survey of teenagers reveals.

Teens who show two of those traits are three times more likely to turn
to substance abuse.

"It's a catastrophic combination," said Joseph Califano Jr., chairman
and president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
at Columbia University. The group annually gauges adolescents'
attitudes about drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

The national survey of 1,987 teenagers, ages 12 to 17, posed a series
of questions about their behavior, their friends and drug use at school.

By category, the survey shows the chances of smoking, drinking and
taking illegal drugs among teens increase 100 percent for those under
high stress; 50 percent for those often bored; and nearly 50 percent
for those with $25 or more a week to spend.

None of the reasons surprise therapists and school personnel in the
Atlanta area.

"The study is good but it's more complicated than that," said Dr.
Michael Fishman, an addiction specialist at Ridgeview Institute in
Smyrna. "Do they drink and use drugs because they're rich and bored or
is it because their parents are more interested in themselves, and
their own social life? Or is it because dad is always gone making all
that money?"

Other factors, such as a family history of addiction, peer pressure
and parental involvement need to be considered, Fishman said.

Parents need to be more engaged, added Thrower Starr, a psychologist and counselor at the private
intown school, Paideia: "You can't believe how many parents leave their kids unattended when they
go out of town."

The survey also asked about drug access.

Getting marijuana is easier than buying cigarettes or beer, many of
the polled teens said. About 20 percent said they could buy pot within
an hour; another 20 percent said it would take about one day.

But there was good news.

More teenagers than ever reported having friends who don't smoke,
drink or use pot.

Among the polled teens, 56 percent said they had no friends who drink
regularly, up from 52 percent last year; 68 percent said none of their
friends smoked pot, up from 62 percent last year.

And 70 percent said they have no friends who smoke cigarettes, up from
56 percent.

The margin of error for the National Survey of Attitudes on Substance
Abuse was plus or minus 2 percentage points.

On the web: For more information about this topic:
www.casacolumbia.org

Attitudes of youth shift slightly. Other findings include: For the
first time in the survey's eight-year history, teens are as concerned
about social and academic pressures as they are about drugs. Teens at
schools with more than 1,200 students are twice as likely as teens at
schools with less than 800 students to be at high risk of substance
abuse (25 percent vs. 12 percent). Catholic and other religious middle
and high schools are likelier to be drug-free than public schools, 78
percent vs. 58 percent.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin