OBJECTIVES: To explore the expectations of adolescents about their future cigarette, @entity167 and illicit drug use. It was hypothesized that differences would be found between current substance users and non-users and that younger @entity1 would have less realistic beliefs about their future use than older @entity1 . DESIGN, SETTING, @entity1 : Survey of 7022 pupils (aged 11-16) in 13 non-randomly selected schools from three Local Education Authority areas in Northern England, the Midlands and London, relating to current substance use and beliefs about future use of cigarettes, @entity167 and illicit drugs. MEASURES: Respondents were asked confidentially about occasions of cigarette, @entity167 and illicit drugs use as well as about their belief about use in the year following the survey. RESULTS: Substantial differences were found in relation to all substances. Of those @entity1 who currently smoked, 73% believed it likely they would be doing so in a year's time. Only 3% of non-smokers believed they would begin to smoke in the year following the survey. Eighty-three per cent of @entity167 drinkers believed they would be drinking in a year's time compared with 20% of non-drinkers and 63% of illicit drug users believed in their continued use. Only 3% of non-drug users believed they would initiate use in the year following the survey. More non-smoking @entity1 than @entity1 responded "don't know" when asked about their future beliefs regarding cigarette use (15.6% vs. 11.3%), a position which was reversed for current smokers (15.4% vs. 19.3%). 13.1% of drinkers and 30.7% of non-drinkers did not know if they would be drinking a year after the survey and 23.2% of illicit drug users did not know what their drug using status would be in a year compared to 9.7% of current non-users. Of those who were drinking @entity167 , but not using illicit drugs or smoking cigarettes, 33% thought it likely that they would have a problem with either drugs or @entity167 at some time in the future compared to 7% of non-drinkers. Seventy-four per cent of @entity1 currently using illicit drugs thought it likely they could have a substance abuse problem in the future compared with 8.9% of non-drug users. CONCLUSION: Based on prevalence data from this sample, these results found that non-smokers had unrealistic beliefs about their likelihood of taking up smoking within a year and that many current smokers had equally unrealistic beliefs about giving up the habit. Adolescents had more realistic expectations about future @entity167 use. When it came to illicit drug use, adolescents were clear in their beliefs about future use: very few non-users believed they would initiate use whilst current users believed they would continue to use. Many young @entity1 were uncertain about future substance use, a position which provides opportunity for drug-education programmes. The hypothesis that younger @entity1 would have less realistic beliefs about future use than older @entity1 was not supported.

Adolescents' beliefs about future substance use: a comparison of current users and non-users of cigarettes, XXXX and illicit drugs.

@entity167 :: ('CHEBI:16236', 'Chemical') :: ['alcohol'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children', 'people', 'girls', 'PARTICIPANTS', 'boys']
@entity167 :: (CHEBI:16236,Chemical) :: ['alcohol']
