Today’s teens are far less likely to abuse alcohol, nicotine, and illicit drugs, and are also less likely to engage in delinquent behaviors, such as fighting and stealing, according to a study of more than 200,000 teens.
The findings come from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual survey of 12- to 17-year-olds from all 50 states that is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
The data include information from 2003 through 2014, the last year for which survey numbers are available. A total of 210,599 teens—13,000 to 18,500 each year—were part of the study.
The number of substance-use disorders among 12- to 17-year-olds declined by 49 percent over the 12-year span, along with a simultaneous 34 percent decline in delinquent behaviors, such as fighting, stealing, selling drugs, or carrying a handgun.
The drop in substance abuse among teens parallels findings in other recent surveys, but until now, no one has looked at how the drop-off may be linked to other behavioral issues.
“But seeing these trends across multiple behaviors suggests that larger environmental factors are at work. These might include reductions in childhood lead exposure, lower rates of child abuse and neglect, and better mental health care for children.”
Although heroin and opioid abuse have become epidemic in many areas of the United States, the use among teens has fallen, the survey data show.
“Opioid problems continue to increase among adults,” Grucza said. “But among the 12- to 17-year-old population, we saw a drop of nearly 50 percent.”
Based on the survey data, Grucza and his team estimated that in 2014 there were nearly 700,000 fewer adolescents with substance use disorders than in 2003. And because it’s possible for a person to be addicted to nicotine while abusing alcohol or marijuana, the researchers estimate the total number of substance use disorders among adolescents declined by about 2 million.
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