Learning Not to Drink: Adolescents and Abstinence

Adolescents surveyed 100 nondrinking peers directly in their communities utilizing a 13-item, structured, behavior analysis questionnaire designed to assess the influence of models, self-control, and reinforcement on learning not to drink. Results suggest that parents and other adults who did not drink had a strong influence on these youth. Several effective modes of self-control were discovered and these 100 teenagers revealed assertiveness skills in saying “no” to peer pressures to drink. In addition, self-reinforcement (being proud) seemed to play a role. Results are compared to those in two previous studies of adolescents who were drinkers. The possible utilization of nondrinking, non-drug taking adolescents as “teachers” in drug education and prevention programs is discussed.