-Alcohol kills six and half more teens than all other drugs.
-Teens say that drugs are sold and used at their schools.
-Crystal meth is now the most dangerous drug used by teens, and children who are between the ages of 12 and 14 who live in the country are more apt to use than kids who live in the city.
-Teens who drink alcohol are 50 more times likely to use cocaine than those who do not drink alcohol.
-By the time a kid reaches eighth grade, 52 percent of them have had alcohol, 41 percent have smoke cigarettes and 20 percent have used marijuana.
-Even though the use of illicit drugs has dropped in teens, the use of prescription drugs has increased.
-Teens who have parents that talk to them about the use of drugs and alcohol are 42 percent more likely not use drugs or alcohol.
Use of Prescription Drugs
The reason the use of prescription drugs have increased is because teens have been told that prescription drugs are not as dangerous as illicit drugs. Prescription drug abuse includes taking more medication than prescribed whether it is to get high, treat pain or to study more efficiently.
Opioids (OxyContin and Vicodin) are the most abused prescription drugs. DXM (dextromethorphan) is an over-the-counter drug found in cough suppressants that is used frequently. It is really dangerous because consumption in large doses is needed to get high.
Side Effects of Prescription Drugs
It is important for teens to know that doctors allow only certain amounts of a drug to be taken for specific reasons. Even though the drugs are used to help ease pain, a large dose of these drugs are very harmful to the body. By crushing an OxyContin pill that is supposed to last 12 hours, it causes the central nervous system to receive all the medication at one time, which leads to an overdose and addiction. OxyContin also causes constipation, slowness of breathing and drowsiness. Stimulants raise blood pressure and heart rate. And if these are combined with alcohol there are worse side effects, such as not being able to breathe.
When these drugs are taken in larger doses than prescribed the brain and the body start craving these drugs to function. The body starts believing that more drugs are needed to stop the pain, which makes it harder to stop using the drugs.
V. Kunze blogs on the topic of teen drug use and also covers the teen nicotine test.
Brandon is a regular writes who covers the topic of teen drug use.
