Teen Drug Abuse: Statistics & Interventions

Teen drug abuse facts

Individuals who begin using drugs as juveniles are at greater risk of becoming addicted compared to those who begin drug use as an adult due to the immaturity of the teenage brain.

There are many stages of drug abuse, ultimately leading to difficulty in managing one's life as a result of using drugs.
Individuals who begin using drugs as juveniles are at greater risk of becoming addicted compared to those who begin drug use as an adult due to the immaturity of the teenage brain, particularly of that part of the brain that controls impulses.
The symptoms of drug abuse include tolerance to a substance, withdrawal episodes, using more drugs for longer periods of time, and problems managing life issues due to the use of a drug.
Substance abuse is caused by a number of individual, family, genetic, and social factors rather than by any one cause.
Although a number of genes play a role in the development of substance abuse, this is a disease in which other factors more strongly influence its occurrence.
Substance-abuse treatment is usually treated based on the stage of the addiction, ranging from management of risk factors and education to intensive residential treatment followed by long-term outpatient care and support.

What drugs are abused by teenagers?

Virtually every drug that is abused by adults is also abused by adolescents. In addition to alcohol, common categories of drugs of abuse include the following:

Tobacco products (for example, cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco)
Cannabinoids (for example, marijuana, hashish), sometimes called "pot, weed, Mary Jane, or herb" and is smoked in a "joint," "blunt," "bong," "backwood," or pipe
Cold medications (for example, chlorpheniramine and pseudoephedrine [Sudafed], diphenhydramine [Benadryl]
Inhalants (for example, gasoline, ammonia), the use of which is often referred to as "huffing"
Depressants (for example, barbiturates, benzodiazepines), sometimes called "reds, yellows, yellow jackets, downers or roofies"
Stimulants (for example, amphetamines, cocaine, methamphetamine), sometimes called "bennies, black beauties, speed, uppers, blow, crack, rock, toot, crank, crystal, or skippy"
Narcotics (for example, morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone [Oxycontin], hydrocodone/acetaminophen [Vicodin], sometimes called cody, schoolboy, dope, Tango and Cash, or monkey"
Hallucinogens (for example LSD, "mushrooms"), sometimes called "acid, yellow sunshines, buttons, or shrooms"
Dissociative anesthetics (for example, phencyclidine/PCP, ketamine), sometimes called "lovely, boat, Love Boat, angel dust, K, vitamin K, or cat" and whose use is often referred to as "getting wet"
Club drugs (for example, Ecstasy), sometimes called "X"
Others (for example, anabolic steroids), sometimes called "juice or roids"

Prescription Drug Abuse, an Alarming Trend

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor:
Barbara
K. Hecht, PhD

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2006, 16.2 million Americans aged 12 and older had taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or sedative for nonmedical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed. Up to 7 million people, or 2.8% of the U.S. population age 12 or older, had used prescription medications for nonmedical purposes in the month prior to the survey.

Although any type of medication has the potential to be abused, certain
groups of prescription drugs are most commonly abused.

Painkillers: Opioids such as codeineand
morphine are narcotics prescribed to treat pain. Other drugs in this class
include oxycodone(OxyContin), hydrocodone(Vicodin), meperidine(Demerol),
hydromorphone(Dilaudid), and propoxyphene(Darvon).

CNS depressants: Drugs in the
benzodiazepine class are central nervous system (CNS) depressants used to treat
anxietydisorders and sometimes for the short-term treatment of insomnia.
Examples include alprazolam(Xanax), diazepam(Valium), and triazolam(Halcion).

COVID Antiviral Pill Approval

Are Diet Drinks Any Better?

Diabetes Ups Alzheimer’s Risk

Key Protein in TBI Patients

Breastfeeding Helps Postpartum Depression

More Health News »

Trending on MedicineNet

How can parents prevent drug use?

Share Your Story

Clear communication by parents about the negative physical, emotional, and functional effects of drugs, as well as about their expectations regarding drug use have been found to significantly decrease substance abuse in teens. Adequate parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to drug use in youth.
Specifically, parents knowing how, where, and with whom adolescents socialize, as well as limiting their children's access to substances that can be abused have been associated with less teenage drug use.
Limiting the amount of alcohol, cleaning solutions (inhalants), prescription, and over-the-counter medications that are kept in the home to amounts that can be closely monitored and accounted for has also been found to decrease substance abuse by teens.
Family-focused abuse-prevention programs have produced reductions in adolescent drug abuse. Among ethnic minorities in the United States (for example African Americans, Hispanic, Native and Asian Americans), those who strongly identify with their communities and cultures have been found to be less likely to experience risk factors for using drugs compared to their peers who are less connected to their communities and cultures.
Therefore, incorporation of a cultural component to drug-abuse prevention programs may enhance the effectiveness of those programs.
Moreover, teens 15 to 16 years old who use religion to cope with stress tend to use drugs significantly less often than their peers who do not use religion to cope.
Alcohol and other drug use has been found to occur most often between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., immediately after school and prior to parents coming home from work.
Teen participation in extracurricular activities has therefore been revealed as an important measure in preventing substance abuse in this age group.

QUESTION

What are opioids used to treat?
See Answer

What are the symptoms and warning signs of drug abuse?

Share Your Story

Ways to recognize that a person is intoxicated or "high" on a drug depends on the substance with which he or she is intoxicated and include the following:

Tobacco products: frequent smell of tobacco, irritability, discolored fingertips, lips or teeth, cigarette butts at curbside
Cannabinoids: reddened whites of eyes, sleepiness, excessive hunger, lack of motivation, excessive happiness, paranoia
Cold medications: sleepiness, rapid or slowed heart rate
Inhalants: runny nose, smell of gasoline or other solvent, confusion or irritability
Depressants: sleepiness, lowered inhibitions, poor coordination, slowed heart rate or blood pressure, dizziness, coma, death in overdose
Stimulants: rapid heart rate or blood pressure, irritability, excessive happiness, less need for sleep, paranoia, seizures
Narcotics: less experiencing of pain, excessive happiness, sleepiness, slowed or stopped breathing, coma, death in overdose
Hallucinogens: trouble sleeping, blurred perceptions, paranoia
Dissociative anesthetics: higher blood pressure and heart rate, memory loss, nausea and vomiting, irritability, aggressiveness
Club drugs (for example, Ecstasy): feverish teen that does not sweat, finding multiple lollipops or other hard candies, the teen seems to love everyone and/or have an excessively happy mood (euphoria)
Others (for example, anabolic steroids): increased irritability or aggressiveness, rapid increase in muscle definition, thinning or loss of head hair, marked increase in acne over a short period of time, finding needles

The physical symptoms of withdrawal from these drugs are often nearly the opposite of the effects of intoxication.

Subscribe to MedicineNet’s Depression Newsletter

By clicking “Submit,” I agree to the MedicineNet Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. I also agree to receive emails from MedicineNet and I understand that I may opt out of MedicineNet subscriptions at any time.

What is drug abuse?

As defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, drug dependence is a negative pattern of using a substance that leads to a number of problems, which may include needing more of a drug to get intoxicated (tolerance), difficulties that occur when the effects of the drug wear off (withdrawal), using more of a substance or for longer time than intended, and other life problems because of their use of a drug or drugs.

Five stages of drug use have been identified, which are outlined below:

The first stage is described as access to drugs but no use thereof. In that stage, minimizing the risk factors that make a teenager more vulnerable to using drugs are an issue.
The second stage of drug use ranges from experimentation or occasional use to regular weekly use of substances.
The third stage is characterized by youth progressing to further increasing the frequency of using one or more drugs on a regular basis. This stage may also include the teenager either buying, stealing, or drug dealing to get drugs.
In the fourth stage, adolescents have established regular usage, have become preoccupied with getting intoxicated ("high"), and have developed problems in their social, educational, vocational, or family life as a result of using the substance.
The final and most serious fifth stage of drug use is defined by the youth only feeling "normal" when they are using. During this stage, risk-taking behaviors like stealing, drug dealing, engaging in physical fights, unprotected sex, or driving while intoxicated increase and they become most vulnerable to having suicidal or homicidal thoughts.

What are the causes and risk factors of teen drug use?

Family risk factors for teenagers engaging in drug abuse include
- low parent supervision or communication,
- family conflicts,
- inconsistent or severe parental discipline, and
- family history of alcohol or drug abuse.
Individual risk factors include
- any history of physical or sexual victimization,
- learning or emotional problems,
- difficulty managing impulses,
- emotional instability,
- thrill-seeking behaviors, and
- perceiving the risk of using drugs to be low.

From

Substance Abuse & Recovery Resources

Counseling and Addiction

Featured Centers

What are the symptoms of drug abuse in teens?

Some of the most common symptoms of drug abuse in teenagers include
- lying,
- making excuses,
- breaking curfew,
- staying in their room,
- becoming verbally or physically abusive toward others,
- having items in their possession that are connected to drug use (paraphernalia),
- the smell of drugs (for example, solvent smell of inhalants, marijuana smell) on them,
- mood swings,
- sleepless nights,
- stealing, and
- changes in friends.
Examples of paraphernalia include
- matches,
- rolling papers, and pipes for drugs that are smoked,
- multiple pill bottles for substances that are in pill form,
- mirrors for drugs that are snorted, and
- needles, syringes, and items that can be used as tourniquets for drugs that are injected.
In addition to those more behavioral symptoms, loved ones can look for the physical symptoms of drug intoxication and withdrawal. Given the complexity of those symptoms and how much they depend upon the specific drug being abused, loves ones are advised to have their family member evaluated medically and/or psychiatrically if substance abuse is suspected for any reason.

What is the treatment of drug intoxication?

Supporting the substance-abuse sufferer medically is the approach to managing most drug intoxications, since many substances of abuse can affect bodily functions (for example, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate).
In addition to close medical monitoring, doctors usually have the individual assessed psychiatrically, since drugs are associated with everything from impaired judgment to severe aggression, assaultive behavior, and even suicidal and homicidal behaviors. Some medications are available to specifically counteract the effects of drugs.
For example, naltrexone is used to counteract the effects of opioid intoxication.
Blood pressure medications may be administered to patients who are suffering from high blood pressure associated with stimulant intoxication and with withdrawal from depressants.
Fluids are often administered to those who have become dehydrated, and cooling blankets are given to those whose temperatures have become dangerously high, as may occur with Ecstasy.

What are treatments for drug addiction?

Share Your Story

There are few medications that are considered effective in treating drug addiction. Those are currently limited to the treatment of alcoholism, as well as opioid, and nicotine addiction.
Please read the Alcohol and Teens article for information about the medications that manage alcohol addiction.
Effective medication treatment for other addictions is primarily limited to address addiction to opiates and nicotine.
Methadone, levo-alpha acetyl methadol (LAAM), and buprenorphine hydrochloride are non-sedating, non-intoxicating opiates that treat opiate addiction by preventing symptoms of withdrawal from heroin and other opiates.
Naltrexone blocks the effects of opiates and is therefore useful in both treatment of overdose of opiates and in longer-term treatment.
Nicotine addiction is often medically addressed by medications that replace nicotine in the form of patches, gum, or nasal spray. Bupropion, which was originally found to be an effective antidepressant, has been found to decrease patients' cravings for nicotine.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) recommends that treatment of substance abuse:
- be readily available when the addicted person is ready to enroll;
- be tailored to the complex, multiple and changing needs (for example medical, mental health, social, legal, and family) of each individual; and
- consider the use of medication treatment when appropriate and include random drug testing.
There are numerous individual treatments for chemical dependency in teens, including
- Relapse prevention uses methods for recognizing and amending problem behaviors, as well as providing support to the adolescent in his or her community.
- Individualized drug counseling specifically emphasizes short-term behavioral goals in an attempt to help the individual reduce or stop the use of drugs altogether, as well as maintaining their safety. Some such programs include drug testing.
- Twelve-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous are individualized drug-counseling methods.
- Motivational enhancement therapy encourages the teen to increase their desire to participate in therapy.
- Stimulus control refers to a treatment method that teaches the person to stay away from situations that are associated with substance abuse and to replace those situations with activities that are contrary to using drugs.
- Urge control is an approach to changing patterns that lead to drug use.
- Social control involves family members and other significant others of the addict in treatment.
Family interventions for drug addiction that tend to be effective for teens include multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), group therapy, and multifamily educational intervention (MFE). MDFT has been found to be quite effective. Longer-term residential treatment of three to five months that addresses peer relationships, educational problems, and family issues is often used in treating substance abuse in teens.
For youths in the first stage of drug use, where they have not yet used drugs, preventative measures are used.
- Therefore, limiting access to drugs, addressing any risk factors of the youth or family, as well as optimal parental supervision and expression regarding expectations is often recommended.
- The approach to those who have experimented with drugs is not minimized by drug treatment counselors, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental-health professionals, since infrequent use can progress to the more serious stages of use if not addressed.
- Therefore, professionals recommend that the youth be thoroughly educated about the effects and risks of drugs, receive fair but firm limits on the use of substances, and that the user be referred for brief counseling, a self-help group, and/or family support group.
- Teens that have progressed to the more advanced stages of drug addiction are typically treated intensively, often including inpatient drug treatment (drug rehab) and involves a combination of the medication, individual, and familial interventions already described above.

Where can a person get help for teen drug abuse?

Share Your Story

Al-Anon-Alateen: 888-4AL-ANON
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services: 212-870-3400
American Council on Alcoholism treatment referral line: 800-527-5344
Codependents Anonymous: http://www.coda.org
Kids Against Drugs: http://www.kidsagainstdrugs.com
Marijuana Anonymous World Services: 800-766-6779; [email protected]
Mothers Against Drunk Driving: 800-GET-MADD
Narcotics Anonymous World Services: 818-773-9999
National Alcohol and Substance Abuse Information Center: 800-784-6776. http://www.addictioncareoptions.com
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence: 800-NCA-CALL or 800-475-HOPE
National Clearinghouse for Alcoholism and Drug Information: 800-729-6686
National Resource Center: 866-870-4979
Recovery Resource Online: http://www.soberrecovery.com
Orchard Recovery Center: http://www.treatmentcenter.com
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA): 800-662-HELP (4357)
Johnston, L. D.,O'Malley, P. M., Miech, R.A., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2014). Monitoring theFuture national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2013. Ann Arbor,Mich.: Institute for Social Research, the University of Michigan.