ABSTRACT
This chapter will examine the social and psychological factors surrounding excessive or problematic substance use. In particular, we shall focus on cigarette smoking, alcohol, and drug use among adolescents. Some authors have suggested that substance use and abuse now form an important part of the lives of most teenagers and that many will experiment with substances such as alcohol and cigarettes (Irwin and Millstein 1991; Rice 1992). Moreover, not only do these substances have a potentially harmful effect on one’s health, but they have also been shown to be implicated in a variety of risky and anti-social behaviours such as violent and non-violent crime, delinquency, and sexual promiscuity. In this light, therefore, substance abuse by teenagers takes on added significance.
