Drug Abuse Among Teens
When it comes to drug abuse among teens it seems we are always playing catch up. When we think we figured out the last trend and proved its damage, a new drug appears on the market and becomes popular among teens. With today’s electronic devices, thought, feeling and experiences pass amongst teens with a few clicks of the button, while the risks involved in using these prescription drugs for other than their prescribed purpose, take much longer to reach to wider population of teenagers.
When we talk about teen substance abuse we have to differentiate among the substances in order to understand what is really happening.
Teen substance abuse incorporates all these things:
Alcohol abuse – Most teens experiment with alcohol, indeed for some it is the first drug that they will use. Different countries have different customs about teen drinking. While in France it is completely acceptable to have a teenager sip some wine with a meal, in the United States any parents who allows that in a public place run the risk of being arrested. Tobacco is also a so-called “gateway drug”. Many teenagers experiment with smoking cigarettes as a form of mischief or rebellion.
Abuse is characterized as using a substance to change the mood or behavior to such an extent that it interferes with normal daily life. When the teen becomes dependent on alcohol or some drug and has to use it to be able to function, then it turned into an abuse and a big problem.
Drug abuse amongst teens appears in many forms. Soft drug Abuse, such as marijuana , that does not cause physical dependency but has a strong affect on mood and motor skills. Hard drug abuse, such as cocaine, crack, heroin, or opium etc., does cause physical dependency and is much harder to quit. Also, these had drugs are very expensive and the dosage always increases with repetitive use. The ruin that these had drugs bring with them is not only mental and physical, but financial as well.
The rapid rise in numbers amongst teens who admitted to using a prescription drugs for recreational purposes in the United States has been a cause of alarm. Teen Prescription drug abuse is just as deadly as most forms of hard drug abuse. To illustrate this, in a survey which was done in 2009, one in ten US 12th graders admitted to using painkillers for recreational use in the past year. Drugs such as Vicodin, Oxycotin, and Ritalin that are prescribed for parents or peers who really need them, find their way onto and around the school play ground. Teens who abused these prescription drugs very quickly find that they have a habit and the dosage has to be continuously increased.
Over the counter drug abuse, such as cough medicines and cold remedies that contains DXM, is a big problem. Taking huge doses of cough medicine to get high is something incomprehensible to you and me but substance drug abuse amongst teens knows no boundaries. For them cough medicine is cheap, easy to get hold off, and legal. New regulations in the United States have put these drugs in the prescription section so the Pharmacist can check who is purchasing it and how often. This will not only make it difficult for those who are abusing the substance, it will also make it virtually impossible for teen substance abusers to have access to them.
Drug abuse among teens is a growing problem. Comparing studies done in the 1980, with studies does in the 2000, show that prescription drug abuse among teens not only did not decrease, but increased by a few percentage points. The teen years are sometimes very difficult and complicated. The search for self, the peer pressure, the search for an image and belonging make teens an easy target and willing participants in teen substance abuse, without being aware of the damages that prescription drug abuse can cause to a developing mind.
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