Teens and Addiction

Many parents of teenagers believe that they have a good kid who immune to the risk of getting addicted to drugs or alcohol. But unfortunately, drugs and alcohol are prevalent in society and fairly easy for kids to get. Teenagers and young adults are at such at age where they almost feel invincible, and are convinced that nothing they will do can ever harm them. They don't begin doing drugs thinking they'll get addicted; they begin as an experiment or to fit in with friends. What might begin as innocent experimentation can quickly lead to more frequent use, especially if the user has surrounded his or herself with a group of friends who also use drugs or drink, which is often the case. If not kept in check, this casual usage can lead to a full-blown addiction. And very few people are able to tell when they've crossed this critical line. Luckily, alcohol and drug addiction programs like The Right Step can help teens recover from their substance abuse problems and go on to lead healthy, sober lives.

Statistics on Teen Substance Abuse

SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and one of the preeminent authorities on substance abuse and addiction, conducts yearly surveys about drug and alcohol use across the population. In 2007, their surveys found the following about teens:

• 9.5% of youths aged 12-17 reported using illicit drugs - 6.7% of these used marijuana, 3.3% engaged in non-medical use of prescription drugs.
• Among teens 12-17, types of drugs used in the past month varied by age group. Those 12-13 mostly used prescription drugs, with 1.4% in this age group reporting use. Among 14-15 year olds, marijuana was the most commonly used drug with 5.7% reporting usage, followed by prescription drugs (3.4%) and then inhalants (1.4%). Marijuana was also the most commonly used drug among 16-17 year olds (13.1%), followed by prescriptions used non-medically (4.9%), hallucinogens (1.2%), inhalants (1%) and cocaine (0.9%).
• Rates of current alcohol use among 12-13 year olds was 3.5%, among 14-15 year olds 14.7%, 29% for 16-17 year olds, and 50.7% for those 18-20.
• Rates of binge alcohol use, which was defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past 30 days, also greatly differed among age groups: 1.5% for 12-13 year olds, 7.8% for those 14-15, 19.4% for 16-17 year olds, and 35.7% among those 18-20.