Adolescent alcohol and drug abuse and health

Purpose: To examine the relationship of adolescent alcohol and drug use ove r a 5-year period to cumulative health problems in late adolescence and you ng adulthood. Methods: We prospectively examined self-reported health problems in a sampl e of adolescents, some of whom received treatment for substance use disorde rs and had consistently poor substance use outcomes (n = 38), some of whom received treatment for substance use disorders and, had positive substance use outcomes (n 30), and a low alcohol and drug use community comparison gr oup (n = 48). Data regarding health-related problems of these adolescents ( mean, 15.9 years; 83% Caucasian 56.5% female) were collected at 2, 4, and 6 years following initial assessments. Results:Alcohol and/or drug involvement severe enough to warrant treatment during adolescence was associated with more cumulative health problems and severe health problems for girls and more cumulative health problems for bo ys. Protracted and continuous abuse of alcohol and drugs was associated wit h more cumulative and severe health problems for girls and more severe heal th problems for boys. Conclusions: These results suggest that significant health problems and con cerns are related to both brief and protracted alcohol and drug abuse durin g adolescence. Health problems will likely become even more evident as earl y-onset, chronic substance abusers continue to age. (C) Society for Adolesc ent Medicine, 1999.