Factors influencing the use of psychoactive substances in adolescents from a specialized center for the treatment of people with problematic alcohol and other drug use (CETAD). Cuenca-Ecuador, 2023

Abstract

The objective of this article is to identify the factors that influence the consumption of psychoactive substances in adolescents from a Center Specialized in the Treatment of People with ProblematicUse of Alcohol and other Drugs (CETAD), through the application of a qualitative methodology.-descriptive, to have a direct approach to the reality of adolescents in the city ofCuenca-Ecuador, 2023. The relevance of the topic arises from the increase in the consumption of psychoactive substances in adolescents, which affects their normal development. From this analysis, the research question arises: What are the factors that affect the consumption of psychoactive substances in adolescents at CETAD?
To answer this question, a structured survey was applied to 20 male adolescents, of which 45%
reflected that the factor that most affects their consumption is ‘curiosity’, which refutes the hypothesis that stated that “The factor that most affects the consumption of psychoactive substances in CETAD
adolescents is the influence of friends, which encompasses social factors.” With this research, an approach to this social reality was achieved, to intervene in a more concise and precise way with adolescents, internalizing the phrase that one can live without drugs.