ABSTRACT
Alcohol abuse among adolescents is a recurrent and serious problem. Directly or
indirectly, alcohol abuse affects the majority of today’s youths. It is the most commonly
abused drug among high school students, with 75% to 90% of high school students
reporting that they have used alcohol (Fournet, Estes, & Martin, 1990; Windle, 1990;
Zucker & Harford, 1983). Even more troubling is the finding that approximately 30% of
high school seniors report occasional alcohol drinking episodes exceeding five or more
drinks (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 1991, 1993). There is evidence of alcohol abuse
even in preadolescent children (Quine & Stephenson, 1990). It is not surprising,
therefore, that alcohol is the major cause of accidents and fatalities in teenagers (Parrish,
1994). Adolescent alcohol drinking may have enduring consequences because an early
onset of alcohol and drug abuse is associated with an increased risk for later drug-related
problems, including alcoholism (Anthony & Petronis, 1995; Chou & Pickering, 1992).
