ABSTRACT

Drug and alcohol use is commonplace among children and adolescents in contemporary society. An estimated three million American youths between the ages of 10 and 17 have substance use related problems (Dryfoos & Klerman, 1988). National survey results on drug use from the Monitoring the Future Study, 1975–1992 (Johnson, O'Malley, & Bachman, 1993) indicate a 62% prevalence rate of tobacco use among teenagers and 90% report of alcohol use among high school seniors. Additionally, the study found significant increases in the use of marijuana, cocaine, LSD, stimulants, and inhalants among eighth-grade youth. The increasingly downward trend indicating that youngsters first use drugs at earlier and earlier ages demands an examination of use patterns as well as a delineation of the risk factors pointing toward such usage. Recognizing at-risk children is a first step in diverting them away from a path to substance abuse. The most critical period for intervention is still between the fifth and ninth grades (Office of Substance Abuse Prevention [OSAP], 1990). Moreover, according to a survey of Washington state adolescents, a majority of those students stated that drug education should begin in the fourth grade, if not sooner (Deck & Nickel, 1989).