Alcohol and Youth

Adolescence is a period of intense transition and change, from social and emotional changes with increased independence from family to physical changes associated with the onset of puberty. The onset of involvement with alcohol and drugs emerges simultaneously with these interrelated biological, cognitive, affective, and social changes. This chapter considers how developmental processes and emerging domains of functioning impact alcohol consumption in adolescence and presents examples of two lines of research that use integrative models to explore these relationships: the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence, a longitudinal study designed to examine the developmental impact of alcohol and other drug use on neuroanatomy, neurocognition, and behavior; and Project Options, a voluntary, high school-based intervention aimed at reducing dangerous alcohol use. The chapter concludes with a discussion of research questions for future study, highlighting the central function of technological, behavioral, biomedical, and data analytic advances in these efforts.