Positive Health Online

by Lantana Recovery

Teen drug abuse has been on the rise in the last decade. This is one of the most unfortunate and serious drug abuse problems and should be paid attention to more seriously. There are many reasons why teens get addicted to drugs, for example by experimenting drugs, curiosity, peer pressure, or emotional distress etc. It doesn’t matter how it starts, but it is a really risky process and puts the entire future of a child at stake. Not only does it affect the health and social life of a teen, it may interfere with the development of their brain and leave them with lifelong issues.

Here are some of the reasons why drug use in teens is on a rise and why it’s important to pay more attention to it:

1. Recreational Drug Use
   Teen minds are curious and can easily get attracted to different drugs. Recreational drug use can often lead to a drug addiction. There are many new varieties of drugs available nowadays which might arouse more curiosity in teens and attract them to using drugs because it seems thrilling or daring. After years of experience, drug rehab experts at Lantana Recovery center have found that 6 in 10 teens have done recreational drug use and have the tendency for long term addiction! Parents should carefully monitor the activities of teens for any suspicious behavior to avoid drug abuse problems.
2. Emotional Distress
   Many teens suffer from disorders like anxiety or stress for many different reasons. It can be due to the stress of performing well in studies or some problems with their family, but this is one of the most common reasons why teens may get inclined towards using drugs to “feel good” and handle stress. Substance use can temporarily help rid of negative thoughts and may seem attractive to teens going through painful or difficult situations. This is also one of the most common reasons why people relapse during or after recovery and might leave a person with more mental health disorders.
3. Peer Pressure
   Many teens start using drugs to fit in, under the pressure of their friends or because of the mindset that “if my friends are doing it, I need to do it”. Peer pressure is one of the biggest causes of juvenile delinquency and drug abuse. Teens might want to impress their friends in fear of being left out of the group and start adopting questionable habits. This can go from occasional smoking and recreational drug use to a full-fledged drug addiction and may need a long term treatment to get them off drugs. This is why parents should carefully monitor what kind of a company their kids have, at least they’re old enough to make wise decisions on their own.
4. To Perform Better
   Sometimes children can get under pressure to perform better due to their parents or other factors, and may get under the impression that using illegal or prescription drugs will help them perform better academically or athletically. Illegal drugs can be very dangerous and will deteriorate the health of a person to an extent that they can’t take part in any activities academic or athletic. Since drug abuse can cause heart diseases and other health disorders, a teen might not be able to take part in sports ever again, which makes this a more serious problem that needs immediate attention.
5. Mental Health Disorders
   Teens suffering from depression, or different mental health disorders like bipolar disorder etc make feel more inclined to drug usage as it may make them feel “emotionally even”. Getting help for mental health struggles is still a stigmatized topic in some places and kids might turn to drugs because it makes them feel better. Teens also use drugs to help with social anxiety and to help them in social situations. But this works temporarily and will affect the same regions of the brain as the disorder.
6. Family History
   Family history of drug and alcohol abuse can also influence teens to use drugs. Observing such behavior at a young age may normalize drug and alcohol use for them. Many kids with addicted parent(s) are not cared for properly and may develop anxiety or other mental health disorders which has already been listed as a common reason for drug abuse in kids.

Substance abuse in teens has become increasingly problematic recently and every 6 out of 10 teens have tried some sort of drug for one reason or another. Taking drugs in teenage can interfere with the development of the brain. If they start using drugs early in their teens they are more prone to long term addiction and may develop health conditions like heart diseases, blood pressure issues or various sleep and health disorders. To solve this problem mental health counselling should be normalized and teens should be subjected to regular counselling to avoid such behaviour.