Adolescent Substance Abuse and Leisure Boredom

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Abstract
The study tested the hypothesis that adolescent substance abusers are more likely to experience leisure as boredom than non-substance abusers. The data supported this hypothesis. It was also found that substance abusers had a tendency to participate more frequently in leisure in general and physical recreation activities in particular. But they also engaged in certain social activities more frequently, such as going for a drive and going to concerts, than non-substance abusers. Because of their personality predisposition toward sensation seeking and low tolerance for constant experiences, substance abusers presumably prefer active leisure lifestyles. But if leisure activities fail to satisfy their need for optimal arousal, leisure boredom results and drug use may be the only alternative. Whether leisure boredom is a cause or an effect (or both) of drug abuse, however, is yet to be determined. As for practical implications, the findings suggest that a more experiential approach in treating adolescent substance abusers may be a better method of handling the problem of substance abuse than traditional cognitive and more passive approaches.

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