Anticipatory guidance: alcohol, adolescents, and recognizing abuse and dependence

Alcohol is the most used and abused addictive drug used by adolescents, making adolescent alcohol abuse a major social problem. Alcohol-related traffic fatalities continue to be the leading cause of death for 15-19-year-old youths. Factors that influence adolescents' decision to drink and drive include lack of reliable knowledge about alcohol and its effects, and lack of decision-making skills. Literature shows that promoting public awareness and education is a major method of prevention of alcohol abuse in its early stages. Nursing's goal is to help families to have a greater degree of intrafamily control and coping. Anticipatory guidance is an excellent method of empowering and educating families about alcohol facts, including risk factors, phases and consequences of usage, problem identification via information probes, and interventions that can be instituted early in a child's life to prevent adolescent alcohol-related problems.