Teenage drug addiction has been a problem for some time and will likely continue to be well into the future. The teenage years are often a time of experimentation and exploration. While this can be a good thing because it allows them to grow and figure out who they are and what they might want out of life, it can also be a dangerous time, especially when drugs are involved.
Keeping teens off of drugs has not gotten any easier in recent years. In fact, today it may be more difficult then ever because there are more options. For example, prescription drug use is on the rise amongst teens, creating another front in the war against drugs.
Getting drug addiction help will be especially important in this population. This is because the younger a person is when they are able to get clean, the better. Also, the teen years are very important when it comes to schooling. Getting off course during this time can severely hurt a teen’s chances of future success.
Below, we will discuss some of the specific dangers of teenage drug addiction.
a. Not completing schooling: Many teens that become addicted to drugs will only go to school sporadically or drop out all together. This can breed hopelessness and worsen drug abuse, largely because the opportunity to enter college and subsequently secure a well paying job, has diminished. Dropping out of school also results in little to no day-to-day structure which gives teenagers one less reason not to get high. This is the exact opposite of what a teenager in this position needs.
b. Alienation from ones’ family: Teens drug addicts typically alienate themselves from their families. This might be because they do not want to deal with their disapproval. They may also have been kicked out or would simply ather spend time with their friends or people in their lives that do drugs.
c. Involvement in increasingly risky behaviors: When a person is high or is motivated to get high, they may get involved in risky behaviors that they would not normally. This might include criminal acts such as stealing, robbery, prostitution, vandalism or even murder. It is not uncommon for addicts to spend time in an adult jail or juvenile for serious offenses.
Unprotected sex is also a concern. It can lead to an unplanned pregnancy or an untreatable sexually transmitted disease.
d. Death: Death can occur when teenagers become addicted to drugs. This may be due directly to a drug overdose. However, it may not. They could get murdered because they are hanging with a tough crowd, get killed in a car wreck while driving high or as a passenger in a car driven by someone that is stoned. They could also die from AIDS which they could contract either through unprotected sex or sharing unclean needles.