TEENS AND

DRUG CONSUMPTION

Drug consumption currently constitutes an important social

phenomenon that especially affects adolescents. The prevalence of
drug use and abuse in adolescents and early adulthood is high. Given
the high availability, adolescents currently have to learn to live with
drugs, making decisions about their consumption or abstinence from
them themselves. The socialization process, with family, friends,
school and the media, is important in this. The perception
risk and risk factors, together with leisure, free time and recreational
life, are elements that we must consider to understand this problem.
Psychologists have an important role to play both in explaining this
complex behavior and in implementing appropriate and effective
prevention and treatment programs.
The drug consumption constitutes an important social phenomenon
that affects especially the adolescents at this moment. The
prevalence of drug use and abuse in the adolescent stage and early
adulthood are high. With a great availability the adolescents have to
learn how to life with the presence of drugs, making decisions about
their consumption or abstinence. The socialization process, with the
family, friends, school and mass media, it is important in it. The risk
perception and the risk factors, such as leisure, free time and
recreational life, are elements that we should consider to understand
this problem. The psychologist has an important role as to explain
this complex behavior as to carry out in the practice of appropriate
and effective programs of prevention and treatment to drug use,
abuse and dependence a variable of great relevance to explain
whether or not to consume a substance.
psychoactive People make decisions based on the positive
consequences that they will obtain and avoid the negative
consequences. If they perceive that something is going for them to
bring about such negative consequences they will not do so.
Therefore, the conception we have about the different
Drugs, which depend on both use, beliefs and the social construction
of the substance, influence its consumption. Sometimes there may be
biases about the effects of substances, in a sense or in another.
Therefore, it is of great importance to provide correct information
and always keep in mind that the goal of a person is to have
sufficient skills
to adequately confront the surrounding world. The People from this
generation future, low school self-efficacy, low job expectations, all
of which favors problems related to
with achieving autonomy, independence and self-identification
(Takanishi, 1993). The way in which our
society treats its adolescents depends, in part, on
the way she interprets his behaviors (Quadrel,
Fischfoff and Davis, 1993). A comprehensive explanation
The widespread belief is that adolescents carry out risky behaviors
that they ignore or underestimate, but
that are likely to have negative consequences. This is the perceived
invulnerability hypothesis For example, the belief that exists among
adolescents that. They do not have to use contraceptives because
sexual relations will not produce pregnancy