Commonly Abused Drugs
In addition to abusing alcohol and tobacco products---such as cigarettes or chewing tobacco---teenagers also abuse a number of other drugs. According to an article by Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards---a psychiatrist who works with adults, children and adolescents---the following drugs are commonly abused by teenagers:
• Marijuana
• Cold medications, such as Sudafed and Benadryl
• Depressants and stimulants, which alter the emotional state
• Dangerously addicting narcotics, many of which are meant to be used as painkillers. These include morphine, codeine and Vicodin
• Drugs like Ecstasy, known as "club drugs"
• Teens also breathe in the vapors of harmful aerosols, such as gasoline or paint. This practice is known as huffing.
Prescription drugs, easily found in most homes, are becoming increasingly popular among teenagers. According to a survey done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2006, "16.2 million Americans aged 12 and older had taken...prescription [medication] for non-medical purposes at least once in the year prior to being surveyed."
Symptoms
Symptoms of drug abuse vary depending on which kind of drug is being used. According to Dryden-Edwards' article, symptoms of drug use include:
• For tobacco products: yellowed fingertips and fingernails, irritable behavior and a lingering smell of tobacco.
• For marijuana: red eyes, sleepiness, desire to snack heavily, paranoid behavior and uncharacteristic levels of happiness.
• For cold medications: sleepiness or changes in heart rate
• For depressants: sleepiness, lack of inhibition, clumsiness, complaints of dizziness and slowed heart rate and blood pressure
• For stimulants: increased heart rate and blood pressure, irritable behavior, and many of the same symptoms associated with marijuana use, including paranoid behavior and uncharacteristic levels of happiness.
• For narcotics: little response to pain, sleepiness, breathing that is slowed or stopped and uncharacteristic levels of happiness.
• For "club drugs": fever without sweat, frequent use of hard candies, excessive happiness.
• For inhalants: runny or irritated nose, confused or irritable behavior.
The National Youth Network, which has been working since 1990 to aid parents in educating "underachieving youth," outlines the following behaviors that may signal a drug problem:
• Changes in attitude, including the attitude with which a teenager treats work and school
• Greater need for discipline
• Bad temper
• Shirking from responsibility
• Making different kinds of friends, especially friends who are known to use drugs
• Nervous, secretive or aggressive behavior
• Concentration problems
• Lack of hygiene
• Borrowing money or stealing at home, work or school
• Wearing long-sleeved clothing in warm months
Effects
The effects of teen drug use can be devastating. While using drugs, teenagers experience difficulty paying attention. This can negatively affect job performance, grades and friendships and other relationships. Dryden-Edwards offers other effects of drug use in teens:
• Tendency to develop a drug addiction
• Tendency to engage in irresponsible and/or unprotected sexual activity
• Emotional disorders, such as anxiety and hallucinations, which, if severe enough, can trigger suicide or murder
• Abuse of the body. For example, inhalants damage the brain, stimulants can cause heart attack or stroke and sedatives can stop one's breath
According to an article co-authored by Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., a sociologist and psychologist, "One of the most powerful effects of drug abuse and addiction is denial." As a result of denial, drug users tend to blame others for their problems, damaging relationships of all kinds.
Treatment
Seek medical attention for teenagers abusing drugs. Doctors can prescribe medications that Dryden-Edwards says "counteract the effects of drugs." She also recommends that fluids be given to dehydrated individuals and that cooling blankets be placed over individuals with high temperatures. In addition, Dryden-Edwards suggests that doctors order a psychiatric evaluation of a patient who has abused drugs.
Prevention
According to Dryden-Edwards, communication with teens and parental supervision are two of the best methods for preventing teen drug use. Also, limit the amount of aerosols, prescription drugs and alcohol kept in the home. Enroll teenagers in extracurricular activities to prevent drug use in the late afternoon hours, when many teenagers are at home and are unsupervised. Finally, monitor the Internet access that teenagers have in the home. This can be done by changing computer passwords, setting up parental controls and keeping computers in common rooms, instead of allowing a teen to have a personal computer in his or her own bedroom. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, some drugs are promoted or sold online. Examples include marijuana, ecstasy and club drugs. Instructions detailing make drug paraphernalia, such as "bongs"---which are used to smoke marijuana---can also be found online.
Tags: club drugs, drug abuse, heart rate, irritable behavior, levels happiness