This survery found a tight connection between teen sexual behavior and dating and teen risk of smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs. This is not to say that such teen behavior causes substance abuse or that substance abuse causes teen sexual activity (although research has established that alcohol and drugs like marijuana and cocaine are sexually disinhibiting). It is to say that parents who become aware of certain dating and sexual behavior of their children should be alert to the increased risk of substance abuse. According to the survey, the more time a teen spends with a boyfriend or girlfriend, and the more sexually active friends a teen has, the greater the risk that the teen will smoke, drink, get drunk or use illegal drugs, and that girls who date boys two or more years older are at a high risk of substance abuse.