NIDA was established to bring the power of science to bear on the Nation's drug abuse problems, and the first 25 years of this crucial investigation have produced groundbreaking discoveries about the nature of drug abuse. We have established the reality that drug abuse is not a moral flaw or a simple behavioral problem. It is a brain disease with biological causes and consequences as well as profound and complex social and behavioral components. NIDA Director, Dr. Alan I. Leshner Dr. Jose Szapocznik , director of the Center for Family Studies at the University of Miami, described the influences that lead to adolescent drug use and summarized key components of successful prevention programs. Kids respond to an environment in which drug use is accepted or glamorized by taking drugs.
Troubled kids use drugs because they want to feel better.
The key to preventing drug use is a family environment marked by open communication, effective management of complex social and academic issues confronting young people, and a clear message that drug use is harmful and unacceptable, Dr. Szapocznik said.