Teen Behavior and Drug Addiction

Teen behavior – particularly drug/alcohol addiction is a social issue, and difficult but not impossible treat. We must educate teenagers about the consequences of drug use, because they are accessible and part of our culture. Simply by using drugs doesn’t necessarily mean that an addiction will develop, but both legal and prescription medication can create a dependency. With addiction, a physical (depending on the drug) as well as a psychological dependency develops.

As an example: the user can get physical cravings of withdrawal but he/she can suffer withdrawal symptoms that are completely psychological. The psychological effects can occur without using the drug. To stay sober, you must rid yourself of the substance, as well as address the psychological. To address this you also have to change your thinking to turn your life around.

According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA) report, it costs America close to $475 billion per year in medical expense, healthcare, lost earnings, and other costs associated with related criminal offenses and damages due to drug, alcohol, and narcotic abuse. In 2005, over 23 million people who were 12 and older needed treatment for a drug, alcohol, or substance abuse problem. Of these, only about 2 million received treatment, leaving close to 21 million still in need of treatment.

Regardless of the other drugs that are available alcohol is still the most popular drug among young people. According to SAMHSA, as many as 18.7 million individuals were identified as alcoholics in 2005 because of the increase in binge drinking among those aged between 21 and 23. Most of these heavy and binge drinkers were employed either part-time or full-time. Out of 16 million binge drinkers who were aged 12 or older, 32 percent were also illegal drug users.

However, the U.S. has seen great success in decreasing alcoholism among teens. The percentage of driving under the influence of alcohol has gone down by 30% in 2005. According to SAMHSA, the percentage of alcohol and cigarette use, illegal drug usage has decreased considerably among teens between 12 and 17 years old, when compared with 2002.

It seems that U.S teens have realized the negative and destructive effects of drugs and alcohol and teen behavior has changed. They have become aware of how substance abuse has destroyed the previous generations.

No matter what drug they experiment with, teenager must be aware that once you get addicted to drugs and alcohol, it’s a difficult process to get out. Sometimes sharing stories about drug and alcohol detox may help them understand more clearly.

Simply because a young person experiments with drugs, doesn’t necessarily make him/her an addict, however, depending on their drug of choice, addiction can develop quickly. If you have a question here’s where to ask.

If you want to do the right thing and need advice you can book a consultation Professional advice can relieve your fears.

From Teen Behavior to Stop Being Addicted