Reasons for Drug Abstention: A Study of Drug Use and Resilience

Despite extensive prevention efforts, recent years have seen an increase in illicit drug use among young people. However, many people choose to not use drugs while they are growing up. This study sought to uncover reasons why some individuals seem to have more resilience when faced with drug use than others. Fear of the physical damage drugs caused, parental disapproval of drug use, and a belief that drugs would interfere with goals were cited most often as reasons for not using. Furthermore, students who had never used drugs had more positive relationships with family and peers compared to those who had used them.