Host: Are there significant risks to teen drinking and drug use and what are they?

Judith Welles Cousins: Yes, there are significant risks for teenagers to be using alcohol and other drugs. Some of the more important risks associated with teen drinking are, number one -- in teen drug use and number one is the risk to develop adult dependency either on alcohol or other drugs.

So that's one of the first risks. Because of teen development, because of brain development and other physiological developments, because they are in that stage of development that they are most vulnerable to developing those characteristics and those traits which will to adult drinking and drug use down the road.

So that's number one. There are other risks for teen drinking and drug use, among those are a higher risk for accidents, automobile accidents for instance, a higher risk for assaults, both being assaultive and been assaulted. For girls there is a higher risk for being assaulted sexually.

So there is certain personal -- an increase in personal risk for teenagers who are using. There are other risks in terms of health, there are risks in terms of affecting performance at school or performance on the job. So there are a number of things of significant risks, yes. 1