Study Demonstrates Parents Must Keep Vigilance over Children’s Friendships

WASHINGTON, August 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Results of a back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University were published in a press release yesterday. The study results highlighted the need for parents to be vigilant over their teenage children’s friendships.  The CASA survey found that sexually active friends and dating practices signal an increased risk of drinking, getting drunk, smoking, and using illegal drugs.  Compared to teens with no sexually active friends, teens who report half or more of their friends are sexually active are more than six times likelier to drink, 31 times likelier to get drunk, 22.5 times likelier to have tried marijuana, and more than five times likelier to smoke.  The survey also reported that teens who spend 25 or more hours a week with a boyfriend/girlfriend are five times likelier to get drunk, 4.5 times likelier to have tried marijuana, and more than 2.5 times likelier to smoke than teens who spend less than 10 hours a week with a boyfriend/girlfriend. Girls with boyfriends two or more years older are far more likely to drink, get drunk, and try marijuana than girls whose boyfriends are less than two years older or who do not have a boyfriend.  The survey found that teens who had half or more of their friends regularly view and download Internet pornography, are more than three times likelier to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs, compared to teens who have no friends who engage in such behavior.  The survey also found that teens who attend religious services weekly are at less than half the risk of smoking, drinking or using illegal drugs as teens who do not attend such services.  jmo