Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Perceptions of Risk from Substance Use among Adolescents




  • Only 40.0 percent of adolescents perceived great risk from having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week, and just over one third (34.2 percent) perceived great risk from smoking marijuana once a month
  • Females were more likely than males to perceive great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day, from having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week, and from smoking marijuana once a month; males were more likely than females to perceive great risk from trying heroin once or twice
  • The percentage of adolescents who perceived great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day was stable across age groups; however, the perceptions of risk associated with having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week and smoking marijuana once a month decreased with age, while the perceptions of risk increased with age for cocaine use, heroin use, and LSD use
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