[Dysfunction in the family life cycle: alcohol abuse and its consequences on the family]. / Disfunción en el ciclo vital familiar: abuso del alcohol y sus consecuencias en la familia.

This paper studies how alcohol abuse interacts during the different stages of family-life cycle thus enhancing the possibilities of dysfunctions thereof. Formation of a family, its adapting to the first-born, the upbringing of preschool, school, and teenage children are the topics under review as well as the time when children leave home, and the later-life period when the elderly couple goes through the "empty nest" feeling. Alcohol abuse and its consequences upon the different family members are screened up. Finally, family therapy relevance when dealing with the treatment of alcoholism is put forward.

Prevention of drug abuse by promoting mental health among school students.

An approach to the prevention of drug abuse among adolescents by promoting mental health was implemented in a study carried out in 1983 in the schools of La Reina, a district of the metropolitan region of Santiago, Chile. A series of workshops, organized for the training of students and teachers, focused on the acquisition of communication abilities, the resolution of day-to-day conflicts and the improvement of self-esteem. The workshop training was intended to enable the trainees to replicate the knowledge and experience gained with their fellow classmates and teachers. The evaluation, carried out by means of a questionnaire administered at the beginning and at the end of the training programme, showed positive results among students and teachers, but better results were obtained among the teachers.

Patterns of drug, alcohol and tobacco use among high school students in Santiago, Chile.

A survey using a self-administered questionnaire, based on a sample of 1,240 students from four public schools in Santiago, showed that 70.1 per cent of the students used alcohol, 56.3 per cent tobacco, 7.3 per cent cannabis, 2.5 per cent tranquillizers, 1.9 per cent stimulants and 0.7 per cent tranquillizers together with stimulants. Frequent alcohol consumption was found among 14.5 per cent of the students, 11.1 per cent of them smoked more than six cigarettes a day and 1.4 per cent smoked cannabis more than once a week. Consumption of these substances were more frequent among students who came from presumably more affluent residential neighbourhoods. Easy access to drugs played an important role in the occurrence of drug abuse.