Sociobiology of addiction in adolescence

The authors review the application of evolutionary theory to the study of social, including parental and reproductive, behavior through a system of ideas known as sociobiology. Using this approach they suggest that evolutionary models predict the conflicts of adolescence. They develop a model explaining the genetic association of alcoholism and the tendency for antisocial behavior, and suggest why such behaviors most commonly begin in adolescence. Potential implications for the treatment of adolescent substance abusers are explored.