Helpful Information > Causes of Adolescent Experimentation and Use

Young people usually begin to experiment at a time in their lives when they are trying to find their own identity.

Experimentation with drugs and alcohol comes from our culture and society. Films, TV, magazines, the Internet, friends talking - all provoke curiosity. What's it all about? Drug and alcohol abuse is a means of coping with problems youth face; a search for fun, peer acceptance, identity, physical performance, or escape.

Many are trying to cope with or escape from problems. Drug or alcohol use is a socially acceptable way to cope or self-soothe to escape from bad feelings.