Table of contentsAlcohol and its effects on adolescentsDrugs and their side effectsCauses of drug addictionEffects on mental healthEffects on physical healthRecovery from drug addiction in adolescentsPrevent teen drug abuseFor some, the use of alcohol and other substances goes hand in hand with their idea of ​​a fun night out with friends or loved ones. For others, it is used after a long, hard day at work. In moderation, it has been found that indulging in these chemicals can be just fine and cause little to no harm. We find that the problem arises when we mix these substances or when we include them in our daily activities. Drug addiction is a phenomenon that takes over and controls the lives of many people every day. In 2015, Statistics Canada announced that more than six million Canadians alone met the criteria for substance use disorders. Addiction comes in many shapes and sizes and has no age limit. 1 in 10 adolescents experience alcohol and drug abuse before reaching the age of 21. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Alcohol and Its Effects on Teenagers When thinking about drug addiction in most cases, the first thought one may have is alcohol consumption. Actually, it's true. Studies are currently underway to find more evidence that alcohol is the “gateway drug” to all others. In 2017, Canadian students completed an anonymous survey that led to the discovery of alcohol consumption. The survey vilified 61.5 percent of third-graders admitted to drinking, as well as 42.2 percent of first-graders and 23.1 percent of eighth-graders admitted to drinking. . Although many young adults will independently reduce their alcohol consumption as they reach their mid-twenties and begin to assume their responsibilities as an employee, spouse, parent, etc., unfortunately not everyone will not apply. People who have their first drink at age 14 or younger are six times more likely to become alcoholics than those who don't try alcohol before the legal drinking age. People involved at a young age are most likely to participate in binge drinking. This type of problem drinking may be dismissed as people use the excuse of occasional binge drinking as a celebration that has gotten out of control or in response to large amounts of stress. Excessive drinkers are eight times more likely to suffer from alcohol poisoning than others. Drugs and Their Side Effects Along with high alcohol consumption, many adolescents who indulge in this substance often fall into environments that provide and influence the use of other toxic drugs. Marijuana use among adolescents was currently at its peak in early 2018. In the same anonymous survey conducted in high schools, 45% of students in grade three, 37% of students in grade one, and 13.5% of students in grade eighth grade admitted to using marijuana. Apart from these substances is the high risk category of other drugs including stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens and opioids. Stimulants impact the body's nervous system, where misuse makes the user feel like they are "speeding up." ". This increases the user's alertness level, resulting inincreased heart rate, increased blood pressure as well as increased breathing and blood sugar. Some common stimulants include Adderall, Ritalin, synthetic marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. When abused, stimulants can cause anxiety, paranoia, elevated body temperature, depression, heart failure, stroke, and seizures. Much like stimulants, depressants also impact the nervous system of the human body, but with the effect of making users feel as if their body and mind are slowing down. Some common depressants include Xanax, benzos and can also include alcohol and tobacco. Risks of these medications include high blood sugar, diabetes, weight gain, increased body temperature, delayed thinking, low blood pressure, memory problems, hallucinations, and even death. . Hallucinogens, on the other hand, work by interrupting communication in the brain. Users explain it as an intense and rapid rustling of emotions and perceptions of things that do not exist in reality. Drugs like LSD are considered hallucinogens and have the effects of PTSD, fear, anxiety, increased blood pressure, and nausea. Those who use dissociative drugs claim that they distort the perception of reality and cause those who use them to "dissociate" or feel as if they are observing themselves from another version of themselves. Medications like PCP act on receptors in the brain, which play an important role in emotionality and pain perception. Dissociative drugs are very dangerous and their impact can be incredibly distressing and lead to suicidal thoughts, speech difficulties, social withdrawal, hallucinations, detachment from reality, numbness and memory loss. Finally, we have opioids. Opioids are powerful painkillers often prescribed by doctors to patients with debilitating pain. They are extremely addictive and in many cases even cause addiction in just three days of use. Opioids have been created in such a way that they can now be smoked, eaten, drunk, injected, or taken in pill form. The most commonly used opioids are heroin, morphine, oxycontine and codeine. Although this abuse leads to a devastating life, when someone decides to stop using opioids, they also suffer madly. Effects include constipation, liver damage, brain problems, drowsiness and cardiac arrest. Causes of Substance Abuse There are many reasons why adolescents abuse legal and illegal substances. Previous studies associated these problems with "having fun" as the main reason why adolescents used drugs, but more recent studies show that adolescents use drugs as a method of problem solving, even with some of the daily activities the most common. It's important for society to be aware of this because most of us seriously underestimate the impact of stress on today's teenagers. Understanding what motivates them to use drugs is therefore the first step in helping them find better ways to cope with their difficulties. Recent studies from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America have shown that 73 percent of young people say the main reason they use drugs is to cope with pressures from school. Saying that, another study showed thatonly 7 percent of society believes that adolescents might use drugs to cope with stress, demonstrating exactly that we still underestimate the level of stress placed on adolescents. Another study determined that the main cause of adolescent substance abuse is social acceptance and/or low self-esteem. The same study reported that 65% of adolescents report using drugs to fit in. A teenager's self-esteem depends primarily on approval. from others, which can be so overwhelming that it has been known to drive them to use substances. The same study found that 65 percent of adolescents use drugs to increase their self-confidence. Those with low self-esteem are more likely to seek acceptance from any crowd, even if that includes drug use. As we all know, the teenage years are difficult. Many unhappy teens feel they lack the ability to find a healthy coping mechanism. Repressed emotions can have an extreme emotional impact and can even lead to symptoms of mental illness. In 2009, a study was done and reported that almost 70% of adolescents suffer from undiagnosed depression at some point in their adolescent lives. Many teens are unaware of this and so use illegal or prescription medications to self-medicate and numb their feelings. In saying that, teenagers are often misinformed about the dangers and harms caused by drug use. Did you know that 40% of adolescents perceive no major risk in trying heroin once or twice? Although serious medication use is rare, prescription drug abuse remains a very serious concern for professionals. Unfortunately, many adolescents believe that it is safer to abuse a prescription medication because it has already been proven safe for human consumption. On average, 1 in 5 teens abuse prescription drugs to get high at some point in their lives. Finally, one of the main reasons why adolescents use drugs is because of the ease of access to them. Chances are that as adults we can all think of one or more resources for obtaining substances of all kinds. Unfortunately, it is now the same for young people. More than 50 percent of teens say it's easy for them to get marijuana, 27 percent say it's easy to get cocaine, and more than half of teens say prescription drugs are the easiest to find. Mental health effects Obsessive use of certain drugs can lead to progressive changes in the brain, including those that can lead to poor mental health. Some of the effects include paranoia, depression, anxiety and hallucinations. Most likely to make these symptoms worse would be cocaine, MDMA, PCP, steroids, and prescription medications. People who suffer from substance abuse are twice as likely to suffer from and more likely to be diagnosed with a mental or mood disorder than people who have never suffered from substance abuse. In 2015, an estimated 43 million young people suffered from some form of mental illness, 8 million of whom were addicted to drugs. This clarifies the power of substance abuse on a young person's mental health. Physical Health Effects Substance use can have a wide range of physical health effects depending on the drug used, how it is digested, the amount consumed, the physical state of the person..