The propensity of drinkers, whether early- or late-onset, to engage in other risky behaviors, is consistent with Jessor’s PBT, which explains the co-occurrence of risky behaviors, and with the clustering of risky behaviors in other research (Bartlett et al., 2005). The propensity to engage in multiple behaviors might be related to a risk-taking, sensation-seeking, impulsive personality with an underlying predisposition for unconventiality (Jessor & Jessor, 1977). As such, the most effective interventions would target not a single behavior, such as binge drinking, but several behaviors, such as any use of alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana. Effective interventions would have been empirically tested and would target those behaviors with a high prevalence in the target community. Communities That Care (CTC) is such an intervention. Using findings from prevention science and a public health approach, CTC focuses on strengthening protective factors that help lessen adolescents’ participation in various risky behaviors (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], n.d.). Rather than a focus on decreasing risk factors that predict adolescent alcohol use, CTC includes interventions that prevent participation in various risky behaviors, including early alcohol use and marijuana use and cigarette smoking (SAMHSA, n.d.).
