For Connecticut students, tobacco use over the past year depended greatly on grade in school. Alcohol use also varied by gender and grade, as shown in Figure 20. Both the frequency and the quantity of alcohol use can be a strong indicator of problem drinking, especially if teens drink to intoxication and do so on a regular basis. Students were asked how many times they had gotten drunk in the past week. Boys were more likely than girls to report having been drunk, and the proportion of students increased with each grade.
Peers can strongly influence substance use.
Students were asked how many of their friends drank or used drugs at least once a week. Marijuana, Cocaine and Heroin Marijuana use, like alcohol use, increased with age, as shown in the figure below. More telling is the increase in daily or weekly use by grade.