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The holidays mean that teens will be out of school and, for many of them, a lack of supervision. Adolescent drug abuse is not going away, and parents would like to think they can trust the youth in their homes to abstain from such activities. But perceptions of risk may play a part in young minds, making them believe they are not doing anything harmful.

Many parents struggle to find positive activities for their teens during the holiday break from school. But even so, a lot of them are left seeking something to do with the idle time in between. And since boredom is a major reason given by teens for substance abuse, even the most trustworthy can be at risk.

Perception of risk is an important factor for teens who are faced with a decision of whether or not to use drugs for the first time. So parents should be aware of trends pertaining to the perception of risk for the age groups in their household. This is because perception varies due to both age, and the drug in question.

The graph below is from a report sent by the University of Maryland, College Park that shows variances in perception of risk by age group and the drugs marijuana, LSD, cocaine, and heroin. Parents can use this as a guide to discuss the real risk of drugs with adolescents at home. It is the best defense against teen drug abuse.

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— Source: http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax/vol18/18-48.pdf —

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