Citation

Barczyk A, Thompson S. Alcohol Clin. Exp. Res. 2008; 32(6s1): 367A-367A.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1530-0277.2008.00689_1.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Purpose:  By age 16, half of all adolescents use alcohol and about one-quarter use marijuana. The pervasiveness of substance abuse is remarkably higher among homeless youth as compared to the general youth population. A significant need exists to develop appropriate drug and alcohol treatment that takes into account the unique perspectives of drug use in the culture of homelessness. While predictors, such as criminal involvement, academic failure, victimization, and “street” involvement are useful in understanding substance use among homeless youth, further research on alcohol/drug dependency is needed to develop effective interventions for this population.