How common is teenage substance abuse?
Although a parent’s typical reaction is, “Not my kid!”, teenage substance abuse is really very common. Consider the data: Seventy percent of all children try cigarettes, 40 percent before they reach high school. Youngsters who smoke cigarettes are at increased risk for all other drug use. Nearly all high school seniors have used alcohol, and two-thirds report they have used it in the last month. Roughly half of all you people’s deaths from drowning, fires, suicide, and homicide are related to alcohol abuse. In a survey of 17 thousand seniors in 135 public and private highs schools, nearly 33 percent said they had taken at least one illicit drug during the preceding year.
