The state of Texas has a very prominent drug and alcohol abuse problem which has only increased in the last few years. However, in the field of juvenile drug and alcohol abuse, the figures seem to have dropped. This was seen in the studies conducted in the last couple of years to understand the patterns of drug and alcohol abuse in Texas in secondary schools. The following are some of the results of these findings:-

1. The most widely used substance abuse in Texas is alcohol. In a 2006 study, it was found that 2 in every 3 students in secondary schools in Texas had reported that they had consumed alcohol sometime in their lives. These figures have come down since the past few years. In 1990, 4 in 5 students had consumed alcohol by the time they were in high school and in 2004, 7 in 10 students at the secondary school level had consumed alcohol.
2. There was a similar downward trend observed in drug abuse in Texas. In 2004, a study conducted for the usage of marijuana had shown that 30% of students from the 7th through 12th grades had consumed marijuana. But in 2006, this number was down to 26%.
3. Though the amount of cocaine used by the age group of 7th to 12th graders remained significant, it did show a decrease from the past few years. There are 8% students who claim to be into a cocaine drug addiction in Texas. This figure includes the number of students who are using crack.
4. The most prominent decrease is in the usage of Ecstasy, with the numbers falling by half since 2002. In 2002, there were about 9% active Ecstasy users; in 2006 the number has come down to 5%.

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