Die Sucht-Prävention kann die Realität der Peergruppe nicht adäquat erfassen

Zusammenfassung

>Just say no< lautet die zentrale Botschaft der Sucht-Prävention, weil sie davon ausgeht, dass es die Gleichaltrigen seien, die Peergruppe, die den Novizen verführen; Widerstands-Kompetenz, Selbstbewusstsein sollen sie entwickeln, um dem Druck dieser ‚Sub’-Kultur zu widerstehen; die Überwachung durch die Familie ist zu stärken, damit die eigenen Kinder am Wochenende diesen Peers nicht in die Hände fallen:

“In general the largest associations were seen between friends’ behaviours and illicit drug usage. As an illustration, pupils, who claimed that some, most or all of their friends smoked cannabis were vastly more likely than others to have smoked cannabis within the past 30 days. After weighting, 400 out of 1586 pupils (25,2%) whose friends smoked cannabis had smoked cannabis within the past 30 days. For those whose friends did not smoke cannabis the figure is 13 out of 981 (1,8%). After allowing for clustering the odds ratio is 27,11 (p<0.001).

Dies interpretieren die Autoren²⁶² dann in der “conclusion and discussion” wie folgt: “Two variables yield significant relationships with use of all the substances tested. These are friends smoking cannabis and lack of parental monitoring (das auch erfragt wurde, doch bei Cannabis erheblich geringere ‘Raten’ als die peergroup-Variable aufwies). It seems highly plausible that parents not knowing who their children are with, particularly on Saturday evenings, implies that they are also unlikely to know about their child’s experimentation with illicit substances (...). Illicit drug use therefore seldom occurred in isolation. It was typically a social activity among a group of friends (...). These findings suggest that the family is a potent factor in influencing the ways in which young people use (or misuse) psychoactive substances”.

„Because to be bad, Mother, that is the real struggle: to be bad — and to enjoy it. That is what makes men of us boys, Mother. But what my conscience, so-called, has done to my sexuality, my spontaneity, my courage! I am marked like a road map from head to toe with my repressions.(...). See, I am too good too, Mother, I too am moral to the bursting point — just like you! Did you ever see me try to smoke a cigarette? (...) Yes, that’s how good I am, Momma. Can’t smoke, hardly drink, no drugs, don’t borrow money or play cards, can’t tell a lie without beginning to sweat.(...) Ma, Ma, what was it you wanted to turn me into anyway, a walking zombie (...) ? Where did you get the idea that the most wonderful thing I could be in life was obedient? A little gentleman?”

(Ph. Roth: Portnoy’s Complaint. Vintage 1999;124f)