Drugs and Alcohol During AdolescenceThe adolescent years are a very important time for young girls and boys to make decisions that will essentially have the power to shape their life. In life, there are conflicts to overcome, due to the “perverse” social world and the vulnerability of a young girl can also cause problems. Both have a huge impact on the decisions she will make. Drugs and alcohol are two problems that almost every young person in today's society will face. Then there is the issue of making decisions about how these substances will affect their lives. It is interesting to study and compare drug use among different ethnic groups as well as how the culture one grew up in plays a significant role in how they will react to the same issues. This brings us directly to the subject of my article, namely girls growing up on the border. It's a completely different lifestyle and education for these girls living so close to Mexico. Drugs and alcohol are everywhere and are most likely linked in one way or another to each of our lives. This is why it is obvious that adolescents are likely to be exposed to these substances very often, even daily. Recent surveys conducted, particularly the Ontario Health Survey, 1990, show that drug initiation begins as early as age 12 in an adolescent's life. Twelve years is considered the risk period for alcohol and tobacco and this phase does not end until around the age of 22. A sample of 4,364 people from this same study included people aged 15 to 35. The results showed that the highest risk age for initiation to alcohol, marijuana or tobacco is completed at 22 years old. Again, it's sh...... middle of paper ...... are white or Mexican and live on the border or not. Works Cited: Leverton, Kate. Personal interview. March 25, 1999.Phipher, Mary. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Teenage Selves. New York, New York. GP Putnam Sons, 1994. DeWitt, David J; Offord David R. “Patterns of Onset and Discontinuation of Drug Use in Early Life.” Young adults-Drug use-Ontario-Drug abuse-Ontario-Alcohol use-Ontario. Vol.24, p. 746, 13p. Holck Susan E., MD, Warren Charles W. Ph.D, Smith Jack MS, Rochat Roger MD, “Alcohol Use Among Mexican American and Anglo Women; results of a survey along the US-Mexico border. " Flight. 45: p. 149-154, 1984. Dassori Abana M., Neff James A., Hoppe K, Sue. “Ethnic and Gender Differences in Diagnostic Profiles of Drug Abusers.” Vol 15, August 1993, p.. 382-390.