However, in understanding the factors that exist in most substance abuse cases, preemptive solutions to the problem such as education and awareness, as well as early interventions in recently-onset cases can help to curb the issue significantly. Proposed Solutions The key to preventing substance abuse, as proposed by researchers and laymen alike, is awareness and education regarding substance abuse. Beginning in schools, religious organizations, and at home, individuals are better adept

For some, there will be a denial and minimization of the substance habit as being inconsequential, purely recreational or extremely intermittent. This response is akin to the young adult asserting that there is no problem. For other homeless youths, their drug or alcohol habit maybe viewed as a form of survival: these drugs help these teenagers bear life on the street. In that sense the substance is attributed as

Substance abuse can be defined simply as a maladaptive use of any harmful substance for the purposes of mood-altering and not limited to the use of prohibited drugs or the misuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs with an intention other than that for which it is recommended or in a way or in quantities other than instructed (Bennett & Holloway, 2005). Drug related crimes are brutal criminal acts that are committed

There were also facilities that conducted both random tests and tests based on reasonable suspicion (Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Juvenile Correctional Facilities, 2002). In addition, of the facilities that responded to the survey 17% tested residents at the time that they were admitted to the facility, and 8% of the facilities tested the juveniles when they were released (Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Juvenile Correctional Facilities, 2002). The survey

Substance Abuse Assessment There are a variety of assessment or diagnostic instruments which can determine substance abuse. It is interesting to compare and contrast the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), Chemical Dependency Assessment Profile (CDAP), and the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI). Michigan Alcoholism Screening The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (Mast) is a "binary-choice, 25-item test which is considered the most widely used test of its type for adults (Hodgson, 2002)." This can

801). According to Green (2006), "Research on how gender influences substance use and substance-abuse-related problems has established clear differences between women and men in several important areas. Women typically consume less alcohol than men when they drink, drink alcohol less frequently, and are less likely to develop alcohol-related problems than men. Similarly, women are less likely than men to use illicit drugs and to develop drug-related problems" (p. 55). Relationship