Teens - Drugs and Alcohol: The Risks

About addiction

Addiction, to any kind of substance, be it alcohol or drugs is a serious problem amongst teenagers. In fact alcohol is considered as much as a drug as cocaine and marijuana. But alcohol is the most popular choice amongst the vulnerable teenagers of today. Though most indulge in alcohol, some do intake substances and drugs like household chemicals, prescription and nonprescription medication and most common, illegal drugs like marijuana and cocaine. Nowadays there are drugs like Ecstasy and speed that are gaining popularity amongst these teenagers. As easy as it is to simply 'try' alcohol or drugs, it's even simpler to become addicted to it. Ask any smoker how he started smoking, he will most definitely tell you it started out as an experiment and now is an addiction. Addiction is never easy to get rid of.

The reason

Lets try and understand the reason as to why teenagers feel the need to indulge in alcohol and drugs. It is important to understand that these reasons are generic. Most teens have a need to 'fit in', to be a part of the social clique. To fit in they will do things like drug and alcohol abuse. This is the number one reason for alcohol and drug abuse among teens, peer pressure. Another reason is that they find it exciting; the risk of doing drugs and alcohol is appealing to them. Depression is another major factor for alcohol and drug abuse. Parents play an important role in this too, those teens who feel neglected, isolated or are abused by their parents are also alcohol and drug users.

The risks of alcohol abuse

Drinking of alcohol among teens has some serious risks. Teenagers lack the ability to cope with the hazards of drinking. There are some serious dangers included in drinking among teenagers. - Alcohol drinking among teenagers can cause serious damage to the brain. Alcohol causes irreversible damage to the brain, which includes literal shrinking of the brain. - Drinking and driving is a serious offence as per the law. But besides having legal consequences, drinking and driving causes accidents that lead to death and disability among teenagers. - Aids, pregnancy and STDs are common among teenagers who have unprotected sex because of alcohol abuse. Alcohol makes teenagers do irrational things and that includes unprotected sex. - Teenagers who drink as most often victims of violent crimes like rape, assault and robbery. - Drinking among teenagers also is the main reason for drowning, death by fire and suicide. - Drinking affects school activities of teenagers. - A teenager who drinks is more likely to become an alcoholic, than one who waits till later on to partake alcohol.

The risks of substance abuse

Indulging in substances like heroine, cocaine, marijuana, crystal methamphetamine, ecstasy and other such drugs can cause serious risk to teenagers. - Drug abuse has the highest rate of fatalities among teenagers. The cause of death varies; it could be suicide, overdose, homicide or accidents. - Drug abuse leads to behavioral changes and affects teenagers adversely. Teenagers who are drug users become negative, suffer from low self-esteem and are depressed. - Teenagers who use drugs can later become drug addicts and this is a very serious issue as it is difficult to let go of any kind of addiction, especially one that can be harmful to the body and cause serious medical problems.

It's all about saying ''NO''

It is important that you, as a parent, to guide your teenager and help him/her understand that it is not so difficult saying 'NO'. Peer pressure is one thing, but indulging in alcohol and drugs is something that is simply not acceptable. Help your child or teenager understand that no amount of pressure should break their resolve of not using drugs or taking alcohol.

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Content provided by the Editorial Board.  This article is written by a freelance writer. It might not reflect the views and opinions of Soft Landing ltd. or its staff but has been placed here so that our visitors may get an idea of how others think of the topic.

Information on this page last updated on 06/10/2007