Teen Drug Abuse: Teen Drug Abuse: Some Important Facts

Just about any addiction can develop from a plain bad habit. “Just” drinking or smoking can worsen into far negative scenarios. What may begin as a liking for nicotine and alcohol may turn into a more serious and far reaching habits such as that of abusing substances like cocaine, heroin, meth and many more. These bad habits can just as easily turn into drug abuse.

Drug addiction preys on anyone including teenagers. Teenage drug addiction has never been prevalent than it is at present. However, what really constitutes teen drug abuse? Can any signs pinpoint such habit or behavior? Are there any effects or consequences?

Teen drug abuse is wide spread and is continuous spreading. There are very destructive consequences connected to this act both in the short and long run. Individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 exhibit high mortality rate which are largely connected to alcohol and drug abuse. Substance abuse can likewise result in unsolicited and vicious actions such as committing rape or murder, harassing or assaulting another person or committing theft or robbery.

Meanwhile, drug addiction may be used by some teens as a coping mechanism for certain feelings of angst or depression. They may view drug use as a form of escape from problems and pressures of everyday life. Bizarre or uncanny behavior such as running away from home, shying away for other family members and hanging out with bad company can be tell-tale signs of drug use or drug abuse. You need to be observant to tell the difference. Other observable signs of teen drug abuse include on and off coughing, reddened eyes and shift in sleeping as well as eating patterns.

Teens who lack social skills and who have a family history of drug addiction are more susceptible to the destructive behavior. Teens can easily be swayed into experimenting with drugs and can easily develop a drug-seeking behavior. These teens need to be helped by engaging them in more productive activities such as sports. They should likewise be given an avenue to express their creativity such as in the field of arts and music. This should be done in order for teens to be drawn away from drug abuse and its effects.

Teen drug abuse may have the following effects:

-Irritation or extreme irritability
-insomnia, lack of sleep or disrupted sleeping patterns
-Convulsions
-feelings or angst and/or depression
-paranoia
-memory loss and cognitive function problems (slow learning)
-lethargy
-daily coughing accompanied by phlegm
-clenching or gnashing of teeth
-dehydration and even death due to overdose

These effects of teen drug abuse can nonetheless be prevented or stopped from worsening. It all starts with the will to change. However, that is not enough. You need to seek help. In case you have a relative or acquaintance who has succumbed to teen drug abuse, it is best to get in touch with a drug rehab centre or facility. They offer special drug treatment programs for teens that can really help a teenager get back on track and recover.

Teen Prescription Drug Abuse On the Rise – Clip thanks to www.genericforyou.com Jason was a nationally ranked tennis player, a good student, well-groomed. His parents had no idea he was going to school and to practice walking right past their faces stoned on prescription drugs. “Modafinil, Percocets, Oxycontin, Xanax, Vicodin, Ritalin, Adderall,” he said, reeling off a list of just some of the drugs he tried since he began abusing drugs at age 13. Jay, now 17, said he had “black eyes” and “lost a lot of weight” and probably hadn’t showered in a month when he checked into The Right Step, a small drug and alcohol treatment clinic in Houston. At first, he didn’t want to be there. He is not alone. According to psychiatrist Donald Hauser, The Right Step’s medical director, pharmaceutical abuse is rampant among his young patients. “By far, the most common trend I think we’re seeing are sedative hypnotics, particularly Xanax ‘bars’ is what they call ’em and the opiates, the hydrocodone derivatives, the Vicodins, the Loracets,” Hauser said. “Almost every adolescent that comes in this program has used some of them.” National data support Hauser’s observations. Last year’s results of the Monitoring the Future study, an annual collaboration by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University of Michigan, found a 26 percent rise in teenage abuse of Oxycontin — a powerful opiate — since 2002. Overall, the number of teens abusing prescription drugs has tripled since 1992. There’s no shortage of ways that teens obtain …

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From Twitter:

Family key to #youth drug abuse recovery http://t.co/EvXF288M #research #drugabuse #recovery #family #substanceabuse – by Teen_Whisperer (Teenage Whisperer)

From Twitter:

I am living on an island with rampant teen prescription drug abuse I am told. This I would believe since it is hitting wealthy communities. – by Alison7613 (Alison Whiteman)

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RT @SueScheff: #Teen Drug & #Alcohol Abuse Experimentation-What Should #Parents Do? via @Break_Cycles #parenting http://t.co/fA9HYSP8 – by TLWeng74 (Tara Weng)