Adolescents' Reported Reasons for Alcohol and Marijuana Use as Predictors of Substance Use and Problems in Adulthood

In their 2011 study, Adolescents' Reported Reasons for Alcohol and Marijuana Use as Predictors of Substance Use and Problems in Adulthood, the authors take a look at how reasons for substance use at age 18 transmit to alcohol and marijuana use at ages 18 and 35 and its effect on symptoms of alcohol use disorder and marijuana use disorder later on in life. Their study found that the reasons people report using alcohol and marijuana at 18 could predict substance use behavior at 35. For example, participants that reported drinking for recreational purposes or to get high at age 18 were more likely to show symptoms of alcohol use disorder and participate in heavy episodic drinking at age 35. Other reported reasons for drinking at age 18 that were associated with alcohol use disorder at 35 included: “to get high, because of boredom, to relax, because of anger or frustration, and to increase the effect of other drugs.” Reasons such as to have fun with friends and to experiment were not associated with negative affects later in life. In their research on marijuana, the authors found that there were very few predicting reasons associated with predicting future behavior. One reported reason that was significantly associated with marijuana use at age 35 was insight seeking. This study is important because understanding why people use alcohol and drugs early in their life can predict future problems later on in life. By recognizing why people are using substances early on can help prevent abuse in the future.