DRUGS , ALCOHOL , AND YOUTH : Strategies to make a difference

Very often, the mention of drug and/or alcohol use among youths prompts thoughts of substance experimentation or, perhaps, schoolbased approaches to hinder the development of this behavior. Youth use of drugs and/or alcohol is a complex issue, and while it does include experimentation, it also involves dependence, problematic use, regular use, and abuse. This article looks at substance use among the young (pre-college age, specifically middleand high-school age) and offers suggestions for addressing this troubling issue. For decades, we have implemented a wide variety of strategies and approaches to curb substance use by youths, but during this same time period, drug and alcohol use patterns, while they have changed somewhat, have remained relatively consistent. This disconnect between efforts and results should raise a whole series of questions about whether these strategies are appropriate, sufficient, consistent, reinforcing, or extensive enough, and it should also raise questions about focus, emphasis, and what is heard by youths. The methods for addressing issues of substance abuse among pre-college-age children apparently have often missed the point of what is really important to them at this time in their lives. While specific approaches to the problem may have varied by location, by age, and even by sub-groups—e.g., sports, service, student government, college-bound, social standing—they have not considered contributors to this behavior in an all-encompassing way. The emphasis of this article is to shift the focus from the way we have tried to address youth substance use to an approach that is more comprehensive, more inclusive, more developmental, and, ultimately, more helpful for a wide range of policymakers and program planners. The article looks at current drug and alcohol use patterns among youths, makes specific recommendations, and offers potential directions for the future. Examining some specific statistics will help illustrate these findings. The statistics are based on monthly use patterns to give a more accurate picture of what youths are doing on a fairly regular basis. Currently, nearly one in four high-school seniors report having used an illicit drug, including marijuana, within the previous month; however, if marijuana is excluded, the rate is one in 10 seniors. The monthly illicit drug-use rate, excluding marijuana, then is currently 10 percent, with a high of 22 percent in 1981 and a low of 6 percent in 1992. Monthly use of marijuana/hashish is 22 percent, ranging from 37 percent in 1978 to 12 percent in 1992. Drug and alcohol use patterns We know the facts about drug and alcohol use among youths, and the overall themes are clear: