Preventing Substance Abuse

Although the prevalence of drug use among high school students and household members has been declining in recent years, high rates of substance use among arrestees, homeless individuals, and school dropouts, and an increasing trend in the number of drug-related hospital emergency room incidents, suggest that substance abuse among some populations has not declined. Prospective longitudinal studies have identified a number of risk factors that consistently predict greater likelihood of substance abuse. Individuals experiencing multiple risk factors and few protective influences during infancy, childhood, and early adolescence are at greatest risk for abusing substances during late adolescence and early adulthood. Efforts to reduce risk and enhance protective factors in multiple domains hold promise for effective substance abuse prevention among high-risk populations.