Fire and Brimstone, Lager and Pot: Religious Involvement and Substance Use

Abstract

Data from nearly 5,000 high school seniors from six states in the northeastern region of the United States are analyzed using religious preference and attendance to predict substance use (hard liquor, beer, marijuana, amphetamines, barbiturates, heroin, LSD, and cocaine). It was hypothesized that (1) denomination and attendance would be significantly related to the use of alcohol and that an interaction would occur beteen these two predictors, (2) church attendance should have special impact within proscriptive denominations, and (3) for harder drugs, church attendance would be inversely related with use. Analysis-of-variance and multiple classification analysis were employed. Weekly use and having ever employed the substance were utilized for alcohol and marijuana and having ever used the substance was used for hard drugs. The data support the hypotheses.