Adolescents are more likely to drink if their friends do, and their peers may influence their drinking habits even more than their parents do, according to a new study from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Danielle Dick and her colleagues studied data from 4700 teenagers in Finland, looking for associations between teen friendships and alcohol use. The researchers found that girls' drinking

With the holiday season upon us, The Science Inside Alcohol Project is suggesting that parents take a new approach when talking to their teens about alcohol abuse. Instead of trying to scare them, try to educate them.

"Provide kids with the scientific evidence behind why drinking alcohol can hurt them. Adolescents believe they are invincible, which is perfectly normal developmentally. So remember

The state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) of New York has created tool it hopes will help parents spot drug abuse problems in the home.

"The state Office... created the tool to help New Yorkers track prescription and over-the-counter medicines in their home. It's intended to be filled out weekly."

The PDF tool is downloadable off the OASAS website and is a grid-like

A major new government survey of 50,000 teens indicates that overall drug use has continued to decline over the past ten years. However, more teens are abusing prescription painkillers.

Social scientists at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research investigated the behaviors of 8th, 10th and 12th graders and found that the percentage of eighth graders using illicit drugs at least

Students who abuse prescription medication often "fly under the radar" according to school officials in Muskegon County, Michigan. Still, most schools have programs ready to help those students for whom drug use of any kind is a known problem.

"Muskegon High School has a network of teachers, student specialists, administrators and guidance counselors who are alert for signs that students may be

The Solano County teen drug prevention program got a boost this week in the form of a $625,000 grant from the federal Drug Free Communities. An initial $125,000 will be provided to further the work of Solano County's Reducing Rates Coalition.

"To qualify for the matching grants of the program, the Reducing Rates Coalition had to demonstrate the effectiveness of its long-term plan and how it works

Partnership for a Drug-Free America has teamed up with Major League Baseball to launch a new online resource about performance enhancing drugs. The program, which can be found at www.drugfree.org/playhealthy, focuses on educating teens about the dangers of steroids.

"Many teens use the Internet to search for information about steroids before deciding to use them. In an effort to communicate the

Their ages, levels of education and family histories may vary, but one thing South Dakota's Drug Court participants have in common is an on-going issue with substance abuse. Participants are referred to Drug Court by state attorneys, social workers and other.

"Once in the program, their lives are intensively scrutinized, strictly monitored and highly directed. If participants progress, they can

Tammy East has a son in junior high, and she thinks the random drug testing that he and other students will be subjected to throughout the year is good. She only has one objection:

"I think they should have drug testing for everyone, not just those in sports or other extracurricular activities..."

The drug testing policy, which has been in place at the high school level since the 1997-98 school

Some college officials are advocating a lowering of the national drinking age 21 to 18. The debate is drawing considerable amounts of criticism.

"...in 1984, President Ronald Regan signed into law the National Uniform Drinking Age 21 Act. The change helped to decrease fatal crashes by 59 percent between 1982 and 1998, saving thousands of lives in the process. In addition, a 1998 study showed 10