Highlights from Center on Addiction's National Survey of Adolescent Attitudes Toward Addictive Substances

1. Highlights from Center on Addiction’s
National Survey of Adolescent
Attitudes Toward Addictive Substances
Teen Insights Into Drugs,
Alcohol & Nicotine
1

2. Why Focus On Parents/Caregivers?
Parenting a teenager is rewarding but very
challenging
• Balancing trust, responsibility, independence
with need to protect health and safety
• Especially difficult in relation to substance use
• Most effective is to offer love, warmth, trust and
support and foster independence while
remaining actively involved
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3. Methodology
Latest in our 25+ year history of surveying teens
• Nationally representative web-based survey of 1,014 teens
• Conducted in early 2018
• 50.8% of the sample was female
• 48.7% aged 12-14, 51.3% aged 15-17
The survey explored teens’:
• Exposure and access to a range of addictive substances
• Sources of information, attitudes about these substances
• Substance use among friends and peers
• Intentions to try in the future
• Relationship with their parents/guardians
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4. Teens Face Widespread Exposure To &
Misinformation About Substances
• 46% have at least a few close friends who use
• 52% find it easy to access nicotine, alcohol, other drugs
• 49% personally know someone with addiction
• 33% get their information from unreliable sources like
other teens, the internet, or social media
• 28% have witnessed illegal drug use in real life,
primarily at school
4

5. PERCENTAGE
OF TEENS
WITH AT
LEAST A FEW
CLOSE
FRIENDS WHO
ENGAGE IN
SUBSTANCE
USE
5

6. 6

7. Risk Highest For Teens With
Friends Who Use
More than 2X as many teens with friends who use
drugs as those without friends who use drugs:
• Intend to try addictive substances in the future
• Have witnessed illegal drug use in real life
• Personally know someone with addiction
• Rely on unreliable sources of information about drugs
• Perceive substance use as not particularly risky/concerning
• Hang out with friends unsupervised
• Have social media accounts not monitored by parents
• Do not have a very positive relationship with their parents
• Do not eat dinner with their parents regularly
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8. Ease Of Access More Likely Among
Teens With Friends Who Use Drugs
• More teens who
have a friend who
uses drugs indicated
that they would be
able to obtain each
type of substance
within a day or
less relative to
teens who do not
have friends who
use drugs
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9. Knowing Someone With Addiction
More Likely Among Teens With Friends
Who Use Drugs
9
67
52
54
18
13
9
32
19
14
3
1 2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Nicotine Alcohol Marijuana Rx Opioids Other Rx Cocaine/Meth
Friend who Uses No Friend who Uses

10. Turning To Unreliable Sources Of
Information About Drugs More Likely
Among Teens With Friends Who Use Drugs
10

11. Witnessing Illegal Drug Use In Real Life
More Likely Among Teens With
Friends Who Use Drugs
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12. Intentions To Try Substances
More than half (55%) of teens said they might or are likely
to try substances in the future
• More older than younger teens said so (61% vs 48%)
• More teens with friends who use drugs said so
12

13. Ease Of Access More Likely Among
Teens With Intentions To Try
43
36
52
30
13
16
11
16
9
6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Cigarettes Vaping Alcohol Marijuana Rx Opioids
Intend to Try Do Not Intend to Try
13

14. Risk Increases Substantially From
Early To Later Adolescence
Significantly more 15-17 than 12-14-year-olds:
• Have friends who use drugs
• Intend to try addictive substances in the future
• Have witnessed illegal drug use in real life
• Personally know someone with addiction
• Rely on unreliable sources of information about drugs
• Hang out with friends unsupervised
• Have social media accounts not monitored by parents
• Do not have a very positive relationship with their parents
• Do not eat dinner with their parents regularly
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15. More Older Teens Are At Risk For
Vaping And Marijuana Use
39
34
20
40
30
28
16
15
12
16
12
15
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Close Friends who
Vape
Easy Access to
Vapes
Intend to Try
Vaping
Close Friends who
Use Marijuana
Easy Access to
Marijuana
Intend to Try
Marijuana
Age 15-17 Age 12-14
15

16. More Older Teens Report Personally
Knowing Someone with Addiction
16
44
30 31
10
36
24
15
4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Nicotine Alcohol Marijuana Rx Opioids
Age 15-17 Age 12-14

17. More Older Teens Say They Rely on
Unreliable Sources of Information
15
13
12
11
8
6
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Other Teens Social Media Internet
Age 15-17 Age 12-14
17

18. More Older Teens Say They Could
Access Illegal Drugs Within A Day
8
10
9
3
2 2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Heroin Cocaine Meth
Age 15-17 Age 12-14
18

19. More Older Teens Would Feel Safe To Ride In
A Car With Someone Who
Just Used Marijuana
3.5
11.2
14.2
3.4
6.8
15.6
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Alcohol Marijuana Rx Opioids
Age 15-17 Age 12-14
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20. Fewer Older Teens Would Be Worried
About A Friend Using Substances
31
27
30
35
44
40
45
50
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Cigarettes Vaping Alcohol Marijuana
Age 15-17 Age 12-14
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21. Low Parental Monitoring
Compounds the Risk
More Teens With Friends Who
Use Drugs Report Hanging Out
With Friends Unsupervised
More Teens With Intentions To
Try Substances Report Hanging
Out With Friends Unsupervised
21

22. Low Parental Monitoring
Compounds the Risk
More Teens With Friends Who
Use Drugs Report Unmonitored
Social Media Accounts
More Teens With Intentions To Try
Substances Report Unmonitored
Social Media Accounts
22

23. Teens Who Aren’t Truthful With
Parents Are At Increased Risk
More Teens With Friends Who
Use Drugs Report Lying To
Parents
More Teens With Intentions To Try
Substances Report Lying To
Parents
23

24. Not Enough Parents Talk
About The Risks Of Drug Use
87
83
76
62 60 59 59
52
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Alcohol Nicotine Marijuana Cocaine Heroin Rx Opioids Meth Other Rx
]
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25. Teens Generally Feel a Very Strong
Bond With Their Parents
The majority of teens (56%)
described their relationship
with their parents as
‘excellent’
• Less true of older than younger
teens (51% vs 60%)
• Less true of teens with vs
without friends who use drugs
(46% vs 59%)
• Less true of teens who intend vs
don’t intend to try substances in
the future (49% vs 63%)
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26. Parents Play Critical Role For
Teens Choosing Not To Use
More than half of teens
said they believe the most
common reason people
their age choose not to
drink or use drugs is
parents, either because
they think their parents
would disapprove or
because they don’t want to
get in trouble with their
parents.
26

27. Eating Meals Together As A
Family Is Protective
27

28. Parents Continue To Be Main
Source Of Protection For Teens
• 56% believe the most common reason some teens
choose not to drink or use drugs is parents
• A close parent-teen relationship and strong parental
monitoring significantly reduced risk of exposure to
and misinformation about substances
• Lower risk of exposure to and misinformation about
substances reduced odds of having friends who
use or having intentions to use in the future
28

29. Parents Can Be Protective Even
When Other Risks Are High
• Regardless of the number of risk factors a teen
reported, high levels of monitoring reduced the
odds that teens would report that they have
friends who use drugs.
• Regardless of the number of risk factors a teen
reported, those with a good parent-child
relationship and more parental monitoring had
lower odds of reporting intentions to use in the
future.
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30. 30

31. What Can Parents And
Other Caregivers Do?
• Initiate prevention efforts at a young age
• Don’t pull back as teens get older
• Eat meals together as frequently as possible
• Remove distractions during meals and other family activities
• Take an interest in their interests
• Know their friends and whereabouts
• Be well informed
• Have frequent, honest conversations about substance use,
but also about their interests, friends, hopes, concerns
• Set clear and fair rules and stick to them
• Seek help early for signs of risk from a trusted professional
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32. To Access The Full Report And
A Brief Parent Companion:
https://www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction-
research/reports/teen-insights-drugs-alcohol-and-
nicotine-national-survey-adolescent
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33. Thank you!
For more information, please contact
Linda Richter, PhD
Director of Policy Research and Analysis
Center on Addiction
lrichter@centeronaddiction.org
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