Drug abuse in adolescents

Preview

Adolescence has always been a difficult phase of life, but in today's permissive, pleasure-seeking society, the challenges of growing up are particularly traumatic. The typical adolescent is plagued with worries about friends, family, school, and sexuality, and experimentation with drugs may provide a temporary haven from the struggle to establish an identity. Dr Macdonald describes the five stages of drug use in adolescents and then suggests an effective approach to management.