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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152:943-944.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

THE ARTICLE by Belcher and Shinitzky in this month's ARCHIVES is important if for no other reason than that it occupies a prominent place in a prominent pediatric journal. It validates the position taken by the American Academy of Pediatrics that pediatricians have an important role to play in the prevention, identification, and treatment of substance abuse in childhood and adolescence.

Figure appears in full text version. Richard Heyman, MD

The authors make important points regarding risk factors in assessing a young person's likelihood of using tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. They correctly point out the well-validated theory of the clustering of risk behaviors and note that school failure, trouble with the law, premature sexual activity and parenthood, and mental health disorders go hand in glove with the decision to take up the drug-using lifestyle. They allude to other risk factors including poor self-esteem, lack of religious commitment, and family dysfunction and abuse, and note that . . . [Full Text of this Article]

RELATED ARTICLE

Substance Abuse in Children: Prediction, Protection, and Prevention
Harolyn M. E. Belcher and Harold E. Shinitzky
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152(10):952-960.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT