Why Do Teens Drink Alcohol?
Teens fall into the habits of drinking alcohol for many reasons. The media today is one large factor in why teens drink. Drinking is often depicted as being fun and makes a person look more mature or cool. In social settings, teens may also feel pressured by their peers to drink to fit in. Apart from this, teens may drink due to anxiety, sadness boredom, insomnia, to rebel or cope with stress.
Risk Factors in Drinking Alcohol
People who start drinking at a young age are more likely to develop a dependence on alcohol later in life.
Some not so fun facts about young drinking:
1. Teens with parents or siblings that have a drinking problem are 4-10x more likely to develop a drinking problem of their own
2. Teens who have parents, siblings or friends who are heavy drinkers they are more likely to start drinking earlier and not see an issue with young drinking.
3. Teens who think alcohol makes them more social are more likely to drink heavily in order to fit in.
Why Do Teens Do Drugs?
Like with alcohol, teens use drugs for many reasons. Some teens are introduced to drug use and use them to experiment or use recreationally. Also like alcohol, teens often fall into drug use due to peer pressure, to fit in, dependence on their medication, due to easy access, or to relieve stress.
The Most Common Drugs Used:
- Opioids
- Benzodiazepines
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Ecstasy
- Marijuana
- Adderall
- Methamphetamines
- Anabolic Steroids
Prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are commonly prescribed to adolescents with ADHD. These drugs are reported to enhance the ability to focus in school and improve academic performance or those who take them. Teens who were not prescribed these drugs think they will see the same benefit, but studies show that this is not the case. Studies show that teens who abuse drugs like Adderall without a prescription often have poorer academic performance.
Side effects that come with using non prescribed drugs like Adderall include
- Anxiety
- Chest pain
- Lack of Appetite
- Confusion
- Hallucinations
- Headaches
- Overdose
- Strained relationships
- Talkativeness
- Weight loss
- Insomnia
- Mania
Marijuana
Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs because of its sedative effects of getting high. When combine with other drugs or alcohol, the high is much more intense and much more dangerous.
Some of the most common effects of marijuana usage are
- Calm mood
- Poor memory
- Declining school performance
- Loss of motivation
- Impaired driving
- Increased appetite
Marijuana usage largely impacts brain development and cognitive development, especially in young people.
It is OK to say no to drug and alcohol usage!
It may seem like everyone is doing it but it is completely okay to not be like everyone else and do it to.
