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Almost all adolescents use drugs at one point during their development, whether this takes the form of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, caffeine, designer drugs, or halucinogens. Recent studies show that drug use among adolescents has been on the rise since the early 1990's. While drug use used to be much higher among college students than high school students, these levels have been evening out. Further, more and more children are begining to use drugs in the early adolescent years.
Research shows that adolescents that begin using drugs at an early age experience more detrimental long-term effects. These individuals have more trouble developing responsible, competent behavior and often enter into adult roles without adequate socioemotional growth. (Santrock, pp. 345-347.)
There are five possible stages a teenager may progress through if, and when, they experiment with drugs (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychology, 1997). These are:
1. Abstinence 2. Experimentation 3. Regular Use 4. Abuse 5. Dependency
A teenager with a family history of alcohol and drug abuse may move rapidly from experimentation to abuse and dependency. However, other teenagers without family histories of abuse may also end up dependent on drugs. While children with family histories of drug abuse and dependency are advised not to experiement with drugs, no one can predict to any certainty who will eventually become dependent on drugs. Signs of alcohol or drug dependency include:
Blackouts Withdrawal Symptoms Problems functioning at home, work and school
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychology (1997), 50% of deaths in the 15-24 year age range involve alcohol or drug abuse. Drugs contribute to physical and sexual aggression. Some teenagers use drugs to compensate for anxiety, depression, or lack of social skills; which leads to an inability to develop good coping mechanisms. Children are begining to experiment with drugs at younger ages. Studies done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism show that the incidence of drug dependency in later life doubles when a person begins experimentation before the age of fifteen.
Below are some drug categories that are typically abused by adolescents:
The combination of teenagers' curiosity, risk taking behavior, and social pressure make it very difficult to "Just Say No". Most teenagers inevitably ask, "Will it hurt if I just try it once?" (ibid.) When we asked friends why they experiemented with drugs for the first time, these are the answers they gave:
"I was curious. I was sure that it was going to be a really good time and it seemed glamourous or something. Everybody knows that if you tell a teenager not to do something, they'll do it. Plus girls really like the dirty drunk guy." -Mark, Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
"I thought my parents were being really narrow-minded when they said that drugs were bad. I knew a lot of people that smoked pot, and they all told stories about how much fun they had. I wanted to be the one that wasn't afraid to try anything once." -Christine, New York, NY inevitably
Two factors that contribute to the attitudes expressed above are what David Elkind has termed the imaginary audience and the personal fable. (Santrock, pp. 341.) The imaginary audience is adolescents' belief that everyone is watching them. The idea that all eyes are riveted to your behavior might tempt a teenager to experiement with alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, adolescents often believe that no one can understand how they feel, that they are a completely unique individual. This is what Elkind calls the personal fable. As a result of the personal fable, a teenager might experiment with alcohol or drugs to retain their "uniqueness". They might also believe that they can handle regular alcohol or drug use because they aren't like all of the other people with substance abuse problems.
Another factor that contributes to adolescent experimentation with alcohol and drugs is the believe that they are invulnerable. Many teenagers and young adults are well aware of the health risks that other people face, but don't believe anything bad can happen to them. (Santrock, pp. 389).
Parents and peers play an important role in preventing teenage drug abuse. In a 1988 study by Newcomb and Bentler, good relationships with parents, siblings, adults and peers greatly reduced the incidence of drug use among adolescents. Similarly, adolescents are more likely to take drugs if their parents or friends do. (Kandel, 1974)
According to experts at About.com, there are several warning signs of teenage drug abuse. If six of these signs are present for a period of time, you should talk to your child and possibly seek professional help. However, there could be many causes for these types of behavior, and the presence of these warning signs does not mean that a child is using drugs.
| Signs at Home |
| 1. Loss of interest in family activities. |
| 2. Disrespect for family rules. |
| 3. Withdrawal from responsibilities. |
| 4. Verbally and physically abusive. |
| 5. Sudden increase or decrease in appetite. |
| 6. Disappearance of valuable items or money. |
| 7. Constant excuses for behavior. |
| 8. Lies about activities. |
| 9. Finding the following: cigarette papers, pipes, roach clips, plastic baggies, remains of drugs, glass vials. |
| Signs at School |
| 1. Sudden drop in grades. |
| 2. Truancy. |
| 3. Loss of interest in learning. |
| 4. Sleeping in class. |
| 5. Poor work performance. |
| 6. Reduced memory and attention span. |
| Physical and Emotional Signs |
| 1. Smell of alcohol or marijuana on breath or body. |
| 2. Negative, argumentative, paranoid, confused, destructive. |
| 3. Overly tired or overly hyperactive. |
| 4. Drastic weight loss or gain. |
| 5. Unhappy, depressed. |
| 6. Cheats, steals. |
If you believe that you or someone you love may have a problem with drug or alcohol abuse, here are some websites that you may want to consult for help:
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
1-800-729-6686
24 hour crisis hotline: 1-800-234-0420
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