Slovak Youth Overestimate Peer Drug and Alcohol Use, Creating Risk Factor, Researcher Warns

Young people in Slovakia significantly overestimate how many of their peers drink alcohol and smoke, creating a dangerous social pressure that increases their own risk of substance use, according to psychologist Oľga Orosová, who specializes in drug use prevention research. The researcher, who studies factors behind drug use and prevention effectiveness, criticized one-off anti-drug campaigns for failing to understand their target audiences. Orosová's findings suggest that young people's misconceptions about what is normal behavior among their age group can drive them toward risky substance use, highlighting the need for more targeted and evidence-based prevention approaches in Slovakia.