This New Substance Abuse Study Will Shock You

Did you know that almost 60 percent of pregnant teens have used an illicit substance in the last 12 months? A recent study published in Addictive Behaviors, examined the usage of various substances among pregnant and non-pregnant youth; revealing that pregnant teens had a much higher usage rate for drugs.

While a shocking 60 percent of pregnant teens were recorded using illegal substances during the study, only about 35% of non-pregnant teens reported the same. The most popular drug of choice? Alcohol, coming in at 16%.

According to University of Texas-Austin’s Assistant Professor, Christopher Salas-Wright, “mother’s substance abuse during pregnancy can have important consequences for the health and development of newborn babies. Despite efforts to prevent substance use among pregnant teens, our findings suggest that we still have a lot of work to do.” Clearly, with the ridiculously high percent of expectant mothers using, the previous quote could not be more of an understatement.

Coincidentally, the study also noted that pregnant teens who had the support of their parents were half as likely to abuse substances throughout the duration of their pregnancy, and throughout the rest of their life. A recent study done by the Journal of American Psychiatry, revealed that visits from home drastically reduced teenagers’ overall drug use. In fact, those being studied were also involved in an educational program called Family Spirit, and it was noted that teens who were not in the program, had a much higher rate of substance abuse as opposed to their study participant counterparts.