Search Results for: substance abuse

Marijuana remains the most commonly used illegal drug among America’s youth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reports show that while illicit drug use has declined among teens in the United States, the nonmedical use of prescription drugs abused by teens remains high. These include prescription medications, such as stimulants, pain relievers and tranquilizers. Teens also misuse over-the-counter drugs, including cough and cold medications.

Heroin is one of the many drugs that teens run the risk of coming into contact with. This highly addictive drug is a derivative of morphine. It impacts the brain’s pleasure centers and reduces the user’s ability to feel pain. Because of this pleasure center connection, many teens find falling into the pattern of heroin abuse to be quite easy. Escaping heroin’s clutches can be exceedingly difficult also.

A fine line exists between drug abuse and drug addiction. Your teen is abusing drugs if she is using an illegal drug or if she is using a legal substance in the wrong way. Just because a teenager is abusing drugs doesn’t mean she is going to become an addict. However, drug abuse can lead to drug addiction, so it is something you should take seriously.

A parent who uses alcohol or drugs to the point of causing problems in her child’s life is a child abuser. In fact, many states expanded the definition of child abuse to include households where there is drug and alcohol abuse, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Children suffer from a myriad of ill effects if a parent or caregiver abuses drugs or alcohol. Effects can be so devastating that the child can continue to feel the impact even if she no longer lives with that parent or caregiver or even if the parent stops the substance abuse, according to the Center on Addiction and the Family.

Though government statistics show that drug and alcohol use among teenagers has been declining since the 1990s, it is still a problem that needs to be addressed, particularly if it’s your child abusing these drugs. Teenagers may drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or marijuana and use other illegal drugs. It’s also possible to abuse legal drugs, such as Ritalin or over-the-counter medication. Spot the warning signs in your teen and address the situation quickly.