Teen Drug Abuse

Teen drug abuse has been a problem for at least the last 50 years. The biggest difference in the teen drug abuse problem of today is the availability of the drugs. It is not uncommon for children in grade school to be offered drugs.

There are a small percentage of children that actually begin using drugs in grade school. While not a drug, alcohol is also a problem that can begin in grade school. By the time a teen has gone through middle school and enters high school they are familiar with where to buy drugs. Most teens also have a pretty good knowledge of what various kinds of drugs are used for.

Teens that use drugs at an earlier age are more inclined to become addicted to them later in life. Peer pressure is a major cause of why teens use drugs. If you are a parent make sure you know the type of friends your teen hangs out with. Help your teen understand they don't have to do drugs to fit in. If you suspect your teen is using, confront them and ask them to stop.

Teen Drug Abuse and Academics

Teen drug abuse as mentioned previously is common in the school system today. Many youth have classes with their drug dealers. To try to isolate them from the availability of drugs is futile. Lets face it, teen drug abuse is here to stay. The answer seems to be educating teens about the negative effects of drugs, the legal ramifications of drug abuse, and the damage drugs can cause to ones life. One of the first signs that a teen is heading in a negative direction is a drop in their academic performance. Sometimes it is gradual and sometimes grades will drop like a rock. An additional downside to teen drug abuse is the total loss of interest in school and lack of desire to attend. Some teen drug abusers are able to still go to school and they may even get high on the way to school. They are still showing up but enable to concentrate or accomplish the easiest of tasks.

Teen Drug Abuse and Legalization of Drugs

The legal system is full of teens that have gotten caught using, selling, or in possession of drug paraphernalia. If you were to ask them why they are there, most would say they don’t have a drug problem and they didn’t think they would get caught. Many teens feel that they are invincible and that they will never get caught. Unfortunately or fortunately many teens are lucky enough to get away most of the time. When the law finally catches up with them they have a criminal record and could be facing time in a juvenile detention facility. Some people feel that the best answer is to legalize all substances. This would doubtfully keep resourceful teens from being able to get high. People that are not law abiding will not abide by the laws.

Teen Drug Abuse and Juvenile Detention

When a teen enters the juvenile detention system he enters a new life. He will never be sweet and innocent again. He now has a new group of friends much worse than he has ever had in his life. He will make drug connections that he can use when he is allowed to leave the system. He may have a record the rest of his life. He may need to make alliances with hardened criminal youth or gang members just to stay alive while incarcerated. Many times when a teen drug abuser or teen drug dealer enters the juvenile system, they end up staying longer than they were originally sentenced for. The reason they stay longer is because they may have to commit additional crimes to stay alive while locked up.