| The National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University survey
on Teen Dating Practices and Sexual Activity sought to determine the
relationship between teen dating practices and their risk of
involvement with tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. We surveyed 1,000
teens, age 12 to 17 (487 boys and 513 girls) and 500 parents.
We found a tight connection between
teen sexual behavior and dating and teen risk of smoking, drinking and
using illegal drugs. This is not to say that such teen behavior causes
substance abuse or that substance abuse causes teen sexual activity
(although research has established that alcohol and drugs like
marijuana and cocaine are sexually disinhibiting). It is to say that
parents who become aware of certain dating and sexual behavior of
their children should be alert to the increased risk of substance
abuse.
This year’s survey found that the more
time a teen spends with a boyfriend or girlfriend, and the more
sexually active friends a teen has, the greater the risk that the teen
will smoke, drink, get drunk or use illegal drugs, and that girls who
date boys two or more years older are at a high risk of substance
abuse:
The survey results can be found by
clicking here.
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