ABSTRACT
Although there is disagreement as to the definition of drug abuse, it is defined here as the chronic, excessive use of a drug to an extent that it interferes either with a person’s social adjustment, career adjustment, or physical health. Thus, drug abuse includes addiction, habituation, and drug misuse. In searching for the causes of drug abuse and other socially dysfunctional behavior patterns researchers have found that the teenagers who are most likely to be treated for 25drug abuse, arrested for delinquency, treated for psychological illness, or expelled from school, are likely to [1-7]:
be from a family in which relationships are filled with stress, physical and psychological abuse, or indifference;
be socially alienated and isolated from their peers and lacking stable peer relationships;
be deficient in the social competencies necessary for building and maintaining stable relationships and for dealing with their emotions effectively;
have transient values and to be uncertain of their values, goals, and priorities and, therefore, have extreme difficulty in making responsible decisions;
have psychological problems relating to low self-acceptance and self-confidence, unstable self-identity, and low self-awareness of their own emotions and inner experiences;
lack self-control;
be, because of the above problems, unduly influenced by peers.
