In a busy, high-stress world, parents can’t always be alert to the warning signs of substance abuse. It’s practically impossible to monitor a teenager’s behavior 24 hours a day, and socially active teens may spend much of their time away from home. By educating yourself on the signs and symptoms of drug or alcohol use, […]

Being a teenager can be a confusing and testing time for young men. Many a budding future has come crashing down because of bad choices and poor judgment. While the problems used to be girls, cartoons, or video games, teenage boys today face graver and far more serious threats. The danger goes even beyond simple drug […]

Did you know that your child doesn’t have to hang out in dark alleys or associate with the “wrong crowd” to abuse drugs? According to the Monitoring the Future survey, the most recent information suggests that more than 20 percent of high school seniors admit to abusing prescription drugs over the course of their lifetimes, […]

From time to time, every parent on the planet is asked to play the role of detective. Teens can be secretive, and they’re adept at hiding information they know might land them in hot water with the family. Breaking through this wall of deception can be difficult, and sometimes, it means looking for clues that […]

Talking with your teenage boy about the health risks of substance abuse may feel like a losing battle. The average teenager is healthy, strong, and ready to face any danger, including the risks of accidental injury, chronic disease or premature death. Although it might be hard to convince your son to take the health risks […]

Presumably, people who take in drugs do so because they like the effects the drugs can bring about. They might enjoy the calming, soothing effects of alcohol, for example, or they might enjoy the energy boost that a snort of cocaine can deliver. Some people even take drugs because they dislike the way they feel […]

No teenager is immune to the risk of drug addiction. Substance abuse affects young people from all demographic groups, regardless of their socioeconomic status, gender or ethnicity. However, there are a number of important factors that make certain teenagers more vulnerable to drug abuse than others. Understanding these risk factors can help you identify the […]

Studying the statistics on teen drug addiction can be overwhelming for parents. The scope of Monitoring the Future Survey, a nationwide research project that tracks substance abuse among teens, reports that binge drinking has declined considerably among teens since 1980. In that year, 41 percent of high school seniors reported binge drinking; by 2010, that […]

Whether or not you suspect that your teenager has a drug problem, you probably have questions about how the disease of addiction affects teens. Adolescence is an extremely vulnerable time in a young person’s life. Inexperienced teens can become chemically dependent or addicted to drugs or alcohol before they even realize that they’re in danger. […]

Keeping up with the latest trends in drug abuse among teens can be challenging for parents. One of the newest drugs available to teenagers is “spice,” the street name for a synthetic plant-based product that produces psychoactive effects in users. Spice consists of a blend of dried herbs treated with a mixture of chemicals, including […]

Ecstasy, otherwise known as 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine or MDMA, is a synthetic substance sold in pill form that was made popular in the early 1990s at all-night dance parties called “raves.” Providing a stimulant, “feel good” effect on its users, Ecstasy is often referred to as the “love” drug because many users describing feeling a sense of […]

Often called the “happy pill” or the “love drug,” Ecstasy effects can be far from warm and fuzzy. The drug is a synthetic substance created on the black market and sold in different formulations, each one containing different amounts of its active ingredient, 3,4-methylenedioxymeth-amphetamine or MDMA, and other substances, which means that no two pills […]