Young Adult Marijuana Use Increasing
The Monitoring the Future study has found that marijuana use among US young adults ages 19-22 was higher in 2016 than it has been in 30 years. College marijuana use […]
High-intensity drinking among teens
Having 10 or more drinks in a row causes a blood alcohol concentration of at least 4 times the legal limit in adults. The potential for immediate and long-term harm […]
Teens co-ingesting alcohol and prescription drugs
Over 5% of 12th graders (or 1 in 19) said they had 15 or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks.* Of these high-intensity drinkers, more than […]
Teen prescription drug misuse more likely for high-intensity drinkers
US 12th graders (age 17-18) who recently consumed 15 or more alcoholic drinks in a row are 4 times more likely to have used nonmedical prescription drugs in the past […]
Reasons for high-intensity drinking change from age 18 to 26
What motivates young adults to have 10+ drinks in a row and do their reasons change over time? Megan Patrick and colleagues recently found one reason that increased from […]
2016 Results from the Monitoring the Future Study on Adult Substance Use
The MTF findings from follow-up surveys with adults ages 19-55 are now available online in MTF Volume II. Here are a few of the results: The annual prevalence of […]
Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use in 12th grade
High school seniors who drink large amounts of alcohol or smoke marijuana daily are at high risk for using the two substances at the same time. This probably doesn’t come […]
Testing online surveys in Monitoring the Future
Changing the protocol from mail to web in a long-standing, longitudinal study is a big deal. Will data quality be the same? Will response rates differ? Will these differ by […]
High-intensity alcohol use and young adult drinking patterns
What are common patterns of drinking from the last year of high school to the mid 20s? Research on developmental patterns of binge drinking (5+ drinks in a row) typically […]
High-intensity drinking decreases for those around 20 but increases for those around 30
Megan Patrick and YSI colleagues compared trends in three levels of high-intensity drinking among young adults. Drinking levels included having 5+ (5 or more in a row), 10+, and 15+ […]
Frequent binge drinking declining but not equally for all teens
Frequent binge drinking (FBD) among youth in the US has been on the decline since 1991. Between 1991 and 1998, 5% of young teens (age 13) and 20% of older […]
College poses increasing risk for trying marijuana
For years going to college has put students at somewhat higher risk of trying marijuana, compared with age peers not in college. Richard Miech and colleagues at YSI show that […]
Perceived risk of harm still relevant
In the Monitoring the Future study (MTF) high school students convey how much they think people risk harming themselves if they smoke marijuana regularly. Typically, the riskier they think it […]
2016 Monitoring the Future data on teens
The 2016 Monitoring the Future survey results on adolescents were released at the end of May. Among the specific findings … One in every 17 high school seniors […]
E-cigarette use as a predictor of cigarette smoking
Listen to a recent BMJ interview with Richard Miech for a discussion on young vapers and cigarette smoking. Current opinions on teen vaping run the gamut from harmful to […]
Patterns of adult cigarette smoking
When do adults start smoking, stop smoking, and increase or decrease smoking cigarettes? Are there groups of smokers with distinct trajectories across adulthood? Interventions could be timed and targeted based […]
High school sports linked to substance use in young adulthood
High school seniors who participate in competitive sports have a higher risk of binge drinking 1 to 4 years after high school. This finding comes from a recent study by […]
Teen opioid use from 1976 to 2015
The prevalence of nonmedical use of opioids among US adolescents strongly correlated to medical use across 40 years of Monitoring the Future data. Declines in nonmedical use from 2013 to […]
RECENT POSTS
Accounting for childhood risks when looking at early smoking and drinking
Even when accounting for many risk and protective factors in early childhood, researchers find that early cigarette smoking and alcohol use are linked to worse adjustment at age 11. […]
Underestimating alcohol use on spring break
Some events are known for drinking: New Year’s eve, 21st birthday celebrations, spring break, to name a few. Such occasions are magnets for high levels of alcohol use and increased […]
Nonmedical Use of Rx Drugs among Teens Linked to Substance Use Disorder in Adulthood
One in five high school seniors report having taken a prescription sedative or anxiolytic for medical or nonmedical reasons. For teens, using such drugs nonmedically leads to much worse odds […]
High-intensity drinking in young adulthood
High-intensity drinkers (who have 10+ drinks in a row) drink alcohol not only in greater quantity but also in greater frequency than binge drinkers (who have 5+ drinks in a […]
Is vaping a bridge to smoking cigarettes for youth?
E-cigarette use increased rapidly from 2011 to 2015. In 2015, Monitoring the Future showed that 16% of 12th graders, 14% of 10th graders, and 10% of 8th graders used e-cigarettes […]
Are Some Reasons for Marijuana Use Linked to Later Problems?
Can we look at motives for marijuana use among young adults and predict who is more likely to develop later marijuana-related problems? Megan Patrick and other researchers at the Institute […]
European Youth More Likely to Smoke and Drink, Less Likely to Use Illegal Drugs, Compared to US
The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) this week released its 2015 results on substance use by 15-16 year old students in 35 European […]
Substance Use among the Oldest Cohorts in the Monitoring the Future study
A whopping 90% of today’s 55-year-olds in the US, the oldest cohort in the study so far, have tried an illicit drug at some point in their lives. They were […]