The Decline of Substance Use in Young Adulthood: Changes in Social Activities, Roles, and Beliefs

The Decline of Substance Use in Young Adulthood: Changes in Social Activities, Roles, and Beliefs. Jerald G. Bachman, Patrick M. O'Malley, John E. Schulenberg, Lloyd D. Johnston, Alison L. Bryant, & Alicia C. Merline. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 2002. 307 pp. ISBN 0-8058-3964-X. $69.95 (cloth). The Decline of Substance Use in Young Adulthood is a research monograph that examines how the freedoms and responsibilities of young adulthood relate to changes in drug use. This volume is essentially a sequel to the authors' earlier book Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use in Young Adulthood (Bachman et al., 1997). The authors explain that the findings from the first book were the starting point for the current volume; although the new book is designed to stand alone, the authors frequently refer back to their earlier findings and show how they have expanded on those conclusions. These conclusions may not be surprising, but the authors carefully and precisely analyze the relationships among attitudes, beliefs, and values as they relate to changes in drug use in early adulthood. Using data from the Monitoring the Future project, the authors analyze a large, nationally representative sample. The sample consists of members of high school classes of 1976 though 1997 who participated in follow-up surveys into their 20s and 30s. The drug-using behaviors that they define as their dependent variables include cigarette use, alcohol use, heavy drinking, marijuana use, and cocaine use. Young adulthood is a time of many changes, and the authors focus on both the new freedoms and the new responsibilities that accompany this stage of life. They look particularly at student status, work status, marital status, living arrangements, parenthood, and pregnancy as they relate to the frequency of substance use. The authors generally find that the new freedoms following high school graduation increase risk taking, including substance use. As individuals move into adult social roles, such as spouse and parent, they take on more responsibility and become less tolerant of such risky behaviors and their substance use generally decreases. The real contribution of the current volume, however, is the authors' focus on behaviors and attitudes as mediating variables. They look particularly at religiosity; the time spent on social and recreational activities; the perceived risks and disapproval of smoking, heavy drinking, and illicit drug use; and friends' use of substances and the perceived availability of illicit drugs. …