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Too High, Too Young: Substance Abuse Among Teens

By Anonymous

Drugs are everywhere—in movies, music videos, social media, and school hallways. Over the years, more young adults have been experimenting with substances at younger ages. The drugs of choice have also changed: before, the “cool” substances were tobacco and alcohol; nowadays, they’ve been replaced by marijuana, nicotine, and hallucinogens (Abrams, 2024). Back in high school, there were a lot of days when I would walk into the bathrooms and be hit by the smell of cotton candy and blueberry. The vaping problem got so bad that the administration implemented bathroom monitors to limit how many students could enter at a time. What irritated me the most was that everyone knew what was happening, but unless the students were caught red-handed, they never got in trouble. All those measures and for what? The number of students vaping didn’t decrease, and after a while, it felt like the school stopped caring altogether. My high school was not the only one with a substance-use issue; this is an issue amongst all schools and a major cause for concern for parents and students alike.

 Ever since I was young, I’ve been aware of drugs and their effects, since both my parents were psychologists. My dad traveled around the country educating parents and teachers about substance use, early sex, and violence prevention, and my mom was a school psychologist. I considered myself lucky not to have anyone close to me struggle with addiction, however, two years ago, I found out my younger cousin had started using laughing gas and other substances recreationally. I actually discovered this through a fake account I created after noticing alarming social media posts. I didn’t tell her mom because I had previously reported her concerning behaviors, and nothing came of it. In fact, my cousin only distanced herself from me, hence the need to create a fake account. No matter what, I tried to keep communication open, despite her responses being brief. I don’t blame her for the way she reacted. Although I acted out of concern, she felt betrayed by my actions, and rebuilding trust will take time.

Over the past two years, I’ve thought a lot about what led to my cousin’s situation. First, I thought about why people use substances in the first place: people often use substances as a way to escape their life situations or traumas. Drugs provide a temporary “high,” which allows users to feel good, but the effects are fleeting. In the words of a famous rapper, Eminem, they “snap back to reality” and are forced to face their troubles all at once. Their discontent or distress with reality drives them to seek another “fix,” thus leading to a vicious cycle. As tolerance builds, higher doses are required to achieve the same effect. Drugs are dangerous because they distort emotions, cognition, memory, motor skills, perception, and behavior. All of these effects leave people vulnerable to making fatal mistakes and becoming victims of crimes. 

There are several factors that can enhance the risk of substance abuse in youth: family history of addiction, poor parental involvement, associating with peers who use drugs, mental health issues, poverty, and childhood sexual abuse. Teens and young adults who abuse substances are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, experience violence in interpersonal relationships, and face a higher risk for mental health issues and suicide. As if this weren’t enough, early drug use also increases the likelihood of substance use disorders in adulthood and problems with the justice system (Welty et al., 2024, p. 5).

 On the other hand, protective factors like strong family support, high self-esteem, and good use of free time can help prevent young adults from abusing substances. While we might not always be able to prevent our loved ones from using substances, we can still be supportive family members they can turn to. Studies show that children with strong family support often find stability in adulthood (Chiang et al., 2024, p. 922). How can society address the issue of youth substance abuse? On a larger scale, we need to stop treating drugs as a taboo topic; keeping children in the dark about drugs does them a disservice because their lack of knowledge often leads to uninformed decisions and sometimes fatal consequences. Drug prevention programs educate youth about harm reduction techniques, healthy coping alternatives, and promote an honest discussion about substance use. Additionally, they teach children refusal strategies so that they can feel confident saying no without fearing they’ll be seen as “lame” by their peers. These prevention programs should also add a parental education component so that both parents and teachers could attend workshops on how to prevent, recognize, and address substance abuse. I believe education starts at home, and therefore, parents need the right tools to steer their kids away from drugs and know how to react if their child uses substances or asks questions about them. I also think the program should help kids plan and visualize their life goals, as establishing goals can be important for maintaining motivation and dedication. If a proper plan is set out for a child, they can identify what they need to do to get closer to their goals and what will set them back (e.g., drugs). 

On a personal level, you can educate yourself about substance abuse to approach the issue with empathy rather than judgment. Most importantly, keep communication open, because sometimes just letting someone know you’re there for them can make a huge difference. If someone you know is struggling, encourage them to seek professional help, since addiction often requires counseling and medical intervention. Finally, set boundaries to protect yourself, because you cannot help others if you do not help yourself, and remember that you can be supportive without enabling dangerous behavior.

References

Abrams, Z. (2024, March 1). More teens than ever are overdosing. Psychologists are leading new approaches to combat youth substance misuse. Monitor on Psychology , 55 (2). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2024/03/new-approaches-youth-substance-misuse

Chiang, S. C., Rahal, D., Bai, S., & Linden-Carmichael, A. N. (2024). Age-varying association between discrimination, childhood family support, and substance use disorders among Latin American immigrants in the United States. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology , 30 (4), 917–926. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000677

Welty, L. J., Luna, M. J., Aaby, D. A., Harrison, A. J., Potthoff, L. M., Abram, K. M., & Teplin, L. A. (2024). Do Substances Used in Adolescence Predict the Persistence of Substance Use Disorders in Adulthood? A 15-Year Study of Youth After Detention. The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine , S1054-139X(24)00228-3. Advance online publication.