How Does Teen Substance Abuse Affect Their Decision Making?

What Parents Should Know About Teens and Drug and Alcohol Use

teenage booze at a house party
Getty Images/sturti

As a parent, you may be worrying about what your teen is exposed to in terms of drugs and alcohol, and whether or not they are partaking in these substances. It's a valid fear. After all, teens who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to engage in various forms of risky behavior, which in turn may lead to increased sexual behavior (with the possibility of pregnancysexually transmitted infections [STIs], or even sexual assault), vehicular accidents, and other instances of fuzzy decision making.

For all of these reasons, drugs and alcohol pose a significant threat to your teen's health.

How Common Are These Negative Outcomes?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States. As far as risky behavior goes:


In addition, the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that, among high school students, during a span of 30 days:

Youth who drink alcohol are also more likely to experience:

  • school problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades
  • social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities
  • legal problems, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk
  • unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity
  • physical and sexual assault
  • higher risk for suicide and homicide
  • alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, falls, and drowning
  • abuse of other drugs
  • death from alcohol poisoning
  • etc.

Youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are also six times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than those who begin drinking at or after the age of 21.

What Can Parents Do About Underage Drinking and Illegal Drug Use?

Many teens choose not to drink. They’re able to make healthy choices for themselves and they can resist any peer pressure they may experience around drinking or drug use.

Either way, however, parental involvement is one of the keys in preventing teens from drinking. Take steps to educate your teen about the dangers of drinking and conduct ongoing conversations about alcohol.

More About Teens and Substance Abuse

Teens and Alcohol: What Parents Need to Know. In addition to statistics, learn more about why teens choose to drink and do drugs. Delve deep into several causes of teen alcohol and drug use, such as thrill-seeking, curiosity, genetics, environment, personality, and mental health.

7 Ways Parents can Prevent Teens from Experimenting with Alcohol. The vast majority of teens have at least tried alcohol by the time they graduate from high school, according to the 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey. Parents play a big role in a teen's decision about whether or not to drink alcohol. These seven strategies can help reduce the likelihood that your teen will engage in underage drinking.

Was this page helpful?