Drug Abuse Prevention
As research continues into how to prevent and treat drug addiction, new terms are surfacing so that the wheat can be separated from the chaff.
One term being increasingly used is science=validated. If a recovery or prevention program is labeled as scientifically valid then it means it is a cutting-edge program based on the science of addiction.
Using the latest research into addiction, these types of programs have been tested as any scientific hypothesis or new drug would be tested and have proven results. Researchers have designed programs that help prevent drug abuse by reducing the number of young people who try smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or taking an illegal drug.
Usually, these programs, designed by the federal government, deliver a two-pronged approach by decreasing the factors that put youth at risk of using drugs and amping up those that protect teens from trying drugs. Different programs address different age groups. Some address groups, while others are designed to work for individuals, either at home or at school.
Programs such as Red Ribbon Week in California teach elementary school kids about the consequences of using drugs, such as getting sick, damaging the lungs, and isolation from friends and families. Local high schools get in on the act by performing skits illustrating how alcohol and drugs can make you act. The cheerleaders who pretend to have drunk alcohol are unable to perform their cheers and can’t even dress themselves right. Kids are also given red plastic bracelets to wear.
Other programs are geared toward kids and teens who are at risk of using drugs, and still others are for those young people who are unfortunately on their way to addiction.
Studies have shown that if kids understand that drugs are dangerous, the use of drugs goes down.
Substance Abuse in Teens
Substance abuse in teenagers has been a significant health care problem for decades, but in recent years there has been a shift in what types of drugs teens are using. Since 2000, teen use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin has declined as young people have become aware of the dangers of using illegal street drugs. Fewer teens are willing to purchase street drugs from strangers and they are aware of the dangers of getting poorly processed or contaminated drugs. The one exception is marijuana, which teens continue to use at younger ages.
Prescription Drugs and Teen Addiction
Unfortunately, many teens are turning to prescription drugs as an alternative to illegal drugs. They perceive prescription medications as safer because they are prescribed by a doctor. Teens can also easily get these drugs by raiding their parents’ medicine cabinet or getting them from friends. Most teens don’t realize that prescription pain killers and other prescribed drugs are just as addictive as street drugs. By the time they realize this, many teens are caught in a cycle of addiction that is difficult to break.
Alcohol Addiction Hits Younger Teens
Alcohol abuse continues to be a major problem with teens because liquor is easy to get. Many teens use fake identification to buy their own alcohol while others get it from their friends and families. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, many teens have begun drinking alcohol on a regular basis by the age of twelve.
The statistics on alcohol and drug use are alarming. Amphetamines have been used more than once by 15% of high school students. Over half of high school students drink alcohol regularly, with 40% having their first drink by the eighth grade. Students who use drugs or drink alcohol before graduating high school are more than twice as likely to develop a substance abuse problem later in life.
Talking to teens regularly about the dangers of substance abuse greatly reduces the likelihood that they will develop a dependency.
Substance abuse in teenagers has been a significant health care problem for decades, but in recent years there has been a shift in what types of drugs teens are using. Since 2000, teen use of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin has declined as young people have become aware of the dangers of using illegal street drugs. Fewer teens are willing to purchase street drugs from strangers and they are aware of the dangers of getting poorly processed or contaminated drugs. The one exception is marijuana, which teens continue to use at younger ages.
Prescription Drugs and Teen Addiction
Unfortunately, many teens are turning to prescription drugs as an alternative to illegal drugs. They perceive prescription medications as safer because they are prescribed by a doctor. Teens can also easily get these drugs by raiding their parents’ medicine cabinet or getting them from friends. Most teens don’t realize that prescription pain killers and other prescribed drugs are just as addictive as street drugs. By the time they realize this, many teens are caught in a cycle of addiction that is difficult to break.
Alcohol Addiction Hits Younger Teens
Alcohol abuse continues to be a major problem with teens because liquor is easy to get. Many teens use fake identification to buy their own alcohol while others get it from their friends and families. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, many teens have begun drinking alcohol on a regular basis by the age of twelve.
The statistics on alcohol and drug use are alarming. Amphetamines have been used more than once by 15% of high school students. Over half of high school students drink alcohol regularly, with 40% having their first drink by the eighth grade. Students who use drugs or drink alcohol before graduating high school are more than twice as likely to develop a substance abuse problem later in life.
Talking to teens regularly about the dangers of substance abuse greatly reduces the likelihood that they will develop a dependency.
