Substance use and abuse in adolescents

The aim of this thesis is to map the issue of substance abuse in adolescents focused on cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the basic terms in the field of addiction and then describes the characteristics, effects and risks of the three mentioned addictive substances. Other topics included in the theoretical part, are the causes of substance abuse and bio-psycho-socio-spiritual model of addictive behavior, substance abuse in the Czech Republic, the consequences of their use, and the specifics of substance abuse among adolescents. The last chapter of the theoretical part is a brief introduction to the ESPAD study, which is followed by the practical part. The practical part, using quantitative methods in the form of a questionnaire, focuses on the prevalence of substance abuse among students from two high schools and one elementary school in northern Bohemia. The results of the research brought interesting findings. For example, the girls were found to have a higher incidence of cigarette smoking and regular alcohol drinking than the boys were. Another interesting finding was, among others, the ignorance of possible negative consequences in connection with the abuse of marijuana in adolescence