Kids take drugs and alcohol ‘to look cool’

WASHINGTON - Teenagers don’t drink or do drugs simply out of rebellion or emotional troubles - they do so to look cool - says a new study.

“Our study highlights a correlation between popularity and consumption,” said Jean-Sebastien Fallu at the Universit� de Montr�al’s School of Psychoeducation.

“The teenagers we studied were well-accepted, very sensitive to social codes, and understood the compromises that it takes to be popular,” she added.

The study findings showed an increase in consumption, as the child got older regardless of their popularity level. However, the more popular a child and their friends were, the greater this consumption was.

There was a two-fold between increase between ages 10 and 15 for the most popular kids who also had very popular friends.

“Teenagers don’t consume to belong to the group or to increase their popularity level, they do it to remain well-liked. It’s more about keeping their status than increasing it,” Fallu said. (ANI)