(Reuters) – A survey in American teenagers found that most had consumed alcohol and drugs before reaching adulthood, and the researchers claimed that this could lead them to a life of abuse of those substances.
Survey to more than 10,000 teenagers, published in Archives of General Psychiatry, found that nearly four of every five adolescents had tried alcohol and more than 15 per cent abused him at the time of the age of 18. 16 Per cent abused drugs at age 18.
“In the majority of people, is in adolescence occurs when the appearance of disorders of drug abuse,” said lead author Joel Swendsen, director of research den national centre of scientific research in the French city of Bordeaux. “Is there where roots arise”.
18 Percent of adults meet the standards for a “life of abuse” of alcohol, and 11 per cent responds to the criteria for the abuse of drugs, according to the study, suggesting a start early for some of those who abuse this substance.
Study is based on interviews with 10.123 Americans between 13 and 18 years. The polls were conducted between February 2001 and January 2004.
Of approximately 3,700 young people aged between 13 and 14 years old, about 10 per cent drank alcohol regularly, which is defined as 12 drinks in a year. That figure rose to nearly double in the approximately 2,300 people polled aged between 17 and 18.
According to the team of Swendsen, nearly one of every three regular in the Group of the largest users met the criteria for a life of alcohol abuse. The average age for the start of the abuse of alcohol, with or without “dependence”, were 14 years.
It comes to drugs, 60 per cent of young people stated that they had the opportunity to consume drugs illegal, such as marijuana, cocaine, tranquillizers, stimulants and painkillers.
About one in every 10 young people aged between 13 and 14 said they had used at least one drug, and that figure increased nearly 40 percent in the older group. Marijuana was the type of most common drug, followed by drugs requiring prescription.
The average age for the start of the abuse of drugs were age 14 with unit and without unit 15.
“the reason for our concern is that the sooner they begin to consume such substances, before they become addicted to them, said Susan Foster, Vice President and Director of policy research and analysis at the National Center of addiction and drug abuse at the Columbia University in New York.
Foster, who was not involved in the study, added that begin to consume potentially addictive substances is particularly dangerous for young people because their brains are still developing. Source: http://bit.ly/HFkjYk
