Alcohol And Drug Use

Alcohol And Drug Use - risks, warning signs, curing

Teenagers may be involved with alcohol and legal or illegal drug use in various ways. Unfortunately, experimentation with alcohol and drugs during adolescence is common. Using alcohol and tobacco at an early age increases the risk of using other drugs later. It is difficult to know which teens will experiment and stop and which will develop serious problems. Teenagers at risk include those:

with a family history of substance abuse
who are depressed
who have low self-esteem
who feel like they don't fit in or are out of the mainstream
who experience adolescence as a turmoil (problem behaviors are linked to unconventionality, impulsiveness, and sensation seeking)

Alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency are not only adult problems, but also affect a significant number of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 20, even though drinking under the age of 21 is illegal. It has been estimated that over three million teenagers are out-and-out alcoholics. Several million more have a serious drinking problem that they cannot manage on their own.

The average age when youth first try alcohol is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls. Binge drinking often begins around age 13. The average age at which Americans begin drinking regularly is 15.9 years old.

Alcohol use has some serious consequences: increased risk of serious alcohol and drug use later in life, school failure, poor judgment, unplanned and unsafe sex, and alcohol-related violence. Several psychiatric problems are associated with alcohol use like depression, anxiety, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Antisocial Personality Disorder. The three leading causes of death for 15-24-year-olds are automobile accidents, homicides and suicides - in all three alcohol is a leading factor.

Teenagers abuse a variety of drugs, both legal and illegal. Legally available drugs include alcohol, prescribed medications, inhalants (fumes from glues, aerosols, and solvents) and over-the-counter cough, cold, sleep, and diet medications. The most commonly used illegal drugs are marijuana (pot), stimulants (cocaine, crack, and speed), LSD, PCP, opiates, heroin, and designer or club drugs (Ecstasy). First marijuana use occurs generally in middle school, and in high school both alcohol and marijuana use are common.

Warning signs of teenage alcohol and drug abuse may include:

Physical: Fatigue, sleep problems, repeated health complaints, red and glazed eyes, and a lasting cough
Emotional: personality change, sudden mood changes, irritability, irresponsible behavior, low self-esteem, poor judgment, depression, withdrawal, and a general lack of interest
Family: starting arguments, breaking rules, or withdrawing from the family
School: decreasing interest, negative attitude, drop in grades, many absences, truancy, and discipline problems
Social/Behavioral: peer group involved with drugs and alcohol, problems with the law, dramatic changes in dress and appearance

Pathways to assisting and curing drug/alcohol problems are:

early education about drugs and alcohol
early recognition of the problem
open communication between teenager and parent
positive role-modeling, support and monitoring by parent
self-help support groups, with advice and support from a health-care professional (involve family members)
therapeutic intervention and dependency counseling
removal of child from the environment to a specialty (boarding) school or a Residential Treatment Center
hospitalization and rehabilitation programs (in- and outpatient)