According to new research, kids in early adolescence who try to act cool are more likely to have problems with drugs and alcohol, and have trouble managing friendships as they grow older. And, their popularity tends to fade by the time they're 22. This comes from anarticle at NPR.org.
These kids had a 45% higher rate of problems related to drug and alcohol use. The article attributes this to the assumption that perhaps these kids felt the need to do increasingly extreme things to get attention as they age.
Think about this issue as it relates perhaps to your own adolescent experience. Does the research appear accurate? Do you have a very popular teenager? If so, he or she may be at greater risk for substance use earlier on, and that can translate to greater problems in adult years.