No one is quite certain why people use psychoactive substances. And indeed no one is really certain what prompts youth to use and abuse drugs and alcohol. Folk explanations abound that range from appeals to genetic predispositions to "that's what youth do these days to entertain themselves." Similarly, the research community has generated numerous findings purporting to explain the overt and covert motivations pushing and pulling youth into the use of illicit and licit drugs. A review of the etiologic literature reveals that researchers have explored just about every causal possibility — deviancy, socialization, family, peer groups, sanctions, situational environments, cultural orientations, personality correlates, and educational achievement are some of the inquiry domains where some partial yet inconclusive explanations have emerged.