Substance abuse, defined as the problematic use of alcohol, tobacco, or illicit and/or prescription drugs, has been called the nation's number one health problem (Mersy, 2003). The cost to society is enormous with alcohol and drug abuse associated with at least 100,000 deaths per year and a societal cost of over $100 billion per year (Mersy, 2003). While 10 percent of American adults are believed to have some problem with drugs or alcohol, concerns that drug and alcohol use among adolescents and school-aged youth is increasing have been expressed (Burke & Early, 2003).
The professional literature identifies a variety of risk factors that indicate whether an adolescent is at risk of substance abuse. Many of these risk factors revolve around family composition and dynamics such as family drug use, family interaction patterns, and boundaries (Springer & Orsbon, 2002). In treating a substance abusing adolescent, the family is therefore often a key target of intervention. Springer and Orsbon (2002) have noted that structural family therapy is often prescribed to facilitate a reduction in substance abuse among adolescents and to offer the family in crisis some support that can assist all family members in eliminating substance abuse from their lives.
The problem is also significant, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2001), because the numbers of children, adolescents, and families affected by substance abuse have sharply increased since the 1980s. Additionally, substance abuse is occurring at earlier ages. According to results from a 1999 University of Michigan Institute for Social Research study, 33 percent of twelfth graders and 9 percent of eighth graders reported being drunk one or more times in the last 30 days. As many as 23 percent of high school seniors and 10 percent of eighth graders reported using marijuana in the last 30 days, up from 14 percent and 3 percent respectively in 1991 (American Academ...