NCJ Number
226830
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: January-March 2009 Pages: 99-111
Date Published
March 2009
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study solicited the views and concerns of professionals regarding substance use among youth in Waterford, Ireland, based on the professionals’ experience in serving and interacting with youth in various professional capacities.
Abstract
The majority of the service providers interviewed reported that substance use among youth ages 15 to 17 had increased in the past 5 years. Most believed that this increased use of drugs and alcohol was due to access to a wider variety of substances at all ages. Other factors cited as related to increased substance use among youth were the greater social acceptance of the use of hash and cannabis, adolescents having more disposable income, and declining prices for ecstasy and cocaine. Another factor mentioned was the lack of parental supervision and quality time spent in parent-child activities and interactions, because both parents work in most households. Alcohol was noted to be the first substance used by most youth, and this generally occurred in the home, either with or without parents’ permission. Patterns of current alcohol use were reported to be weekly in older youth and more infrequent among younger adolescents. Professionals involved in data collection pertinent to substance-use patterns report that many adolescents experiment with drugs and alcohol, but only a small percentage develops a problematic disorder or progress to more serious forms of drug use. Concerns about particular drugs being used involved cocaine use, prescription drug abuse, and the sniffing of aerosols. Assessments of the general age for initiation into alcohol and drug use were between the ages of 10 and 12. Based on these findings, there is a clear need to devise a multipronged intervention to prevent and treat youth involved in substance use and abuse. This effort should include mainstream health services, parents, youth, schools, and social and community services. 23 references