Drug and Substance Abuse

Recovery from addiction is a gradual process, even for the most active, energetic teens. In the past, 30-day treatment programs were the gold standard for rehab, but more recent clinical research has shown that 90-day extended care programs are more effective. Teens who stay in rehab for longer periods have time to acquire coping skills, […]

Adolescence is known as a time of risk-taking and experimentation, and many of these youthful experimentations involve drugs. A lot of teens will try drugs once or twice without ever getting hooked. Some will go on to abuse drugs for a limited period of time, while others will become chemically dependent or addicted. How can […]

The human brain was once considered a bit of a mystery. It’s trapped beneath the bony surface of the skull, impenetrable to direct examination, and most people aren’t able to articulate how their brain cells feel. When the brain was damaged, it was hard to measure how much the cells may have changed, and it […]

Protecting a child means scanning the environment, looking for dangers and removing them when possible. That’s why parents of toddlers cover electrical outlets, place bumpers around sharp furniture and gate off stairwell entrances. These steps can keep children away from the dangers contained in the home, but as these youngsters grow, they might be exposed […]

Addiction isn’t the only dangerous side effect of teen drug use. Study after study shows that teenagers who abuse drugs and alcohol have a higher risk of acquiring an STD, or a sexually transmitted disease. For instance, the results of a survey published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research showed a higher-than-average rate of alcohol […]

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 […]

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. […]

There are so many different ways that your son’s social life can impact his use of drugs and alcohol. Lots of friends, too few friends, the wrong friends, the right friends—your son’s peer group and/or his ability to find one can significantly factor into his choices in relation to substance abuse. In fact, in some […]

Helping your son to avoid falling into the trap of drug and alcohol use isn’t something you can do in five minutes. It takes time and effort as well as follow-up attention—and it’s not always easy. Here are a few tips to help you get through to your son that drinking and drugs are not […]

Decades of drug education and addiction awareness efforts in the schools have gone a long way toward helping kids to sidestep drug and alcohol abuse and its risks. However, the focus – especially when it comes to driving – has long been on alcohol. Drunk driving is a deadly problem among teens, but unfortunately, many […]

Energy drinks may not be as innocuous as they seem, according to a new study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine. Though drinks like Red Bull are legally purchased by all ages and readily available, the study found that teenagers who regularly drink these highly caffeinated beverages are more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink […]

Over the past couple years, there has been much debate about mandatory drug testing among adolescents and teens in public schools. Some have attempted to require that all would-be athletes be tested for drugs prior to trying out for different teams while others have implemented random drug testing for all students. Many parents have rebelled, […]

Helping a child avoid drug and alcohol abuse can feel like a lifelong process for parents, and certainly it’s something that requires effort on the part of caregivers and parents throughout a child’s life. What should you know? What can you do? How can you help your child avoid or fight substance abuse? Know the […]

A recent study explored teenagers and their use of texting as well as how those texts can help parents identify problematic issues like drug and alcohol abuse. The study, published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, found that teens who texted their friends about things like drug use or fighting were more likely to […]

Every year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration releases an updated report to identify the substance abuse issues that are most common among teens and young adults. Called the CBHSQ Report, different issues pertaining to drug and alcohol use among adolescents are explored, including: First use of drugs and alcohol Whether or not […]

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and globally among young adult intravenous drug users. New outbreaks of the virus have emerged in rural and suburban areas of the United States and may be the cause of an increase of the […]

While it has long been known that one’s ethnicity can sometimes be a contributing factor in how likely it is that the person will abuse drugs or alcohol, a recent survey has shed new light on this fact. Namely, it has revealed that Hispanic teens are more likely than African American or Caucasian teens to […]

Researchers from Bowling Green State University and Iowa State University recently conducted a study that examined how remarriage that results in children from multiple partners impacts a child’s drug use and sexual behavior. The results of the study were quite startling. Teens who had half-siblings were more likely both to use drugs and to have […]

Only families who have been struck by addiction can understand the many and varied struggles that are faced every day. When it occurs, one of those struggles is internal—shame due to a child’s addiction—but it can have a deep impact on the family’s ability to effectively help their loved one heal from the disorder. Some […]

The European Union is experiencing a slowdown in the distribution and use of plant-derived drugs like marijuana and cocaine. While this may seem like good news, according to the EU’s Center for Drugs and Drug addiction, this decline is due to the growing popularity of chemically engineered, synthetic drugs and not a decreased rate of […]

Officials in the European Union fear the strides they have made against stopping drug abuse among youth may see a reversal in the coming years due to elevating unemployment rates for young people. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) released a new report with concerns over how the worldwide economic downturn […]

The result of lax parenting when it comes to drug and alcohol abuse in teens is obvious and obviously harmful to the child. But overprotective parenting can be damaging as well, and some experts are pointing to harm reduction as an option for some drug abusing teens – at least, initially. Will harm reduction efforts […]

The drug testing of junior high students before they are allowed to play organized school sports is a new phenomenon in some parts of the country. Some parents welcome it while others are furious at what they perceive to be an intrusion upon their child’s civil rights. Who’s right? The Argument for Drug Testing in […]

For preteens and teens diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it’s common to get a doctor’s prescription for a stimulant medication like Vyvanse or Adderall. Increasingly common among teens who are not diagnosed with ADHD is a request for these and other stimulant medications for the purposes of neuroenhancement, according to American Medical […]

Many parents are concerned about the risks they feel are inherent to sending their child to college. Will the liberal environment and lack of supervision encourage drug or alcohol abuse? Binge drinking is a clear problem among college-aged children, but is sending your son off to school a guarantee that he will indulge in this […]

It’s not uncommon for teens who struggle with mental health symptoms to also be diagnosed with a drug and/or alcohol abuse issue. In fact, a study published in the British Medical Journal Open reports that about 10 percent of teens in mental health treatment smoke cigarettes, use marijuana, or drink alcohol. The older they grow, […]

In 2002, more than 83 percent of teenagers reported seeing drug and alcohol abuse prevention messages from media sources. But the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that by 2011 that number had dropped to about 75 percent. In the same way, the anti-drug message received by teens at school reached more […]