According to TeenDrugAbuse, 30 percent of eighth-graders, 45 percent of tenth-graders and 53 percent of twelfth-graders use drugs. Teenage abuse of illicit drugs as well as prescriptions drugs, alcohol and cigarettes continues to be a significant problem in the United States. Underage drinking alone costs the nation $58 billion dollars a year. The effects of teen drug abuse are far-reaching.
Alcohol Abuse
Teens that see drug abuse in the home are more likely to be drug-abusers themselves. According to TeenDrugAbuse, teenagers with alcoholic parents suffer from low self-esteem, inability to express their emotions, a sense of loss of control, hypervigilance and other debilitating emotions. Children of alcoholics often become co-dependent, and this co-dependency leads to alcoholism.
Using alcohol as a teen can impair cognitive skills and short-term memory. Alcohol use in teens increases the risk of suicide in the face of depression. Female teens who abuse alcohol are at risk for date rape and may engage in high-risk sexual activities.
Cocaine Abuse
Teens using cocaine exhibit certain physical signs; bloodshot eyes, runny nose and a change in sleeping patterns. Cocaine can eat a hole in the septum of the nose because it is snorted or inhaled through there. It can also cause tooth decay.
Cocaine constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. The potential for a heart attack and sudden death exists in the cocaine abuser, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Cocaine abuse can lead to severe paranoia and mental health issues in a teenage abuser.
Marijuana
Teens using marijuana like the euphoric effects that smoking gives them. But smoking marijuana can be deleterious to the brain. Teens who smoke "weed" are subject to short-term memory loss, learning difficulties and loss of motor coordination. Teens will find that they are unable to absorb the information that is being presented at school because their perception is distorted and they are unable to think clearly. Perception distortion can cause teens to act impulsively and engage in other risky behaviors such as high-risk sexual activities, driving while under the influence and using other substances.
