Introduction Adolescence is a stage of life where a person experiences mental and physical changes which occur between puberty and adulthood. These people are usually aged 13 to 19 years and most crave peer approval. This whets their appetite for taking risks and more often than not, they engage in activities like tobacco use, drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence and other risky behaviors. (Berger, 2009) Teenage at Risk Behavior A risk behavior many teenagers engage in is alcohol and drug abuse. It is worth noting that there is sufficient evidence to show that adolescents get addicted to substances faster than adults. Secondly, substance abuse related problems are experienced by up to 33 percent of adolescents. Individuality, especially in America blinds close relatives and family members until they are confronted by the school administration or law enforcement yet this problem is strongly influenced by family interaction. (Brent, 2011) An adolescent with an alcohol or drug problem will have certain features. The commonest indicator is usually a drop in school performance accompanied by the tendency to miss classes. He or she will change to another peer group, probably one that does not engage in extracurricular activities and his or her source of income will more often than not be unknown. More specific indicators will be changes in their physique, for instance bloodshot eyes, weight loss, lapses in memory, slurred speech or problems with motor co-ordination. (Langfield, 2004)These are danger signs that should alert any guardian. The bigger question is; what is the problem? Usually, teenagers are subject to peer pressure, misleading advertisements and because of poor judgment they engage in risky behavior. It is however important to note that in many cases, the problem is right at home. Some family members act as enablers. This means that they save the abuser from the consequences of abuse by making excuses for their absence or lateness. Some members act as scapegoats drawing attention away from the real problem child, the one abusing drugs and alcohol. Some of the abusers are lost in their homes. This means that they never cause a problem and are relatively invisible thus changes in behavior will go unnoticed. All these roles are played by different family members, a situation which could allow an abuse problem to thrive. There are several methods that can be applied to resolve drug and alcohol abuse. First is therapy, which could be personal or involve the family. Treating the family is essential in that it prevents the person from falling back into old destructive habits. Preventing abuse would go a long way in curbing this problem and this can be accomplished by restricting access to drugs and alcohol, educating adolescents on the harmful effects of substance abuse and creating avenues where teenagers can freely express themselves. Ego and Ethnic Identity Theories Identity formation is something adolescents treasure because it enables them to develop a sense of unification which provides meaning and direction in their lives. This makes adolescence a vital stage of human development where a person explores his or her identity and constructs his or her reality. An individual t