Substance dependency during adolescence can have devastating effects on a teenager's life and future development. Effects vary depending on the specific drug used, the severity of the addiction, the potential legal ramifications and the individual teenager's character and social circumstances. Drug dependency can lead to long-term health effects and to a deterioration in social and economic status.
Medical
Medical complications related to drug use in adolescence vary according to the substance used. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, inhalants such as glue and gasoline can cause irreversible brain damage and death. According to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," drugs such as heroin that adolescents inject intravenously can cause severe and Iife-threatening bacterial infections in the heart and blood vessels. They can also lead to hepatitis and infection with the human immunodeficiency virus. Drugs such as phencyclidine, known as PCP or angel dust, can cause severe aggression and psychosis. Cocaine abuse in young people can cause seizures, heart attacks and brain damage. Methamphetamine use can also cause brain damage as well as dental problems. Alcohol use can cause liver damage and brain damage.
Education and Work
Substance dependence leads to regression in all areas of life and failure to attain expected levels of achievements. Chemically dependent adolescents often abandon school work and have difficulty obtaining and sustaining employment. Poverty and street life often accompany drug dependence. A teenager who was previously expecting to attend college might drop out of high school and wander aimlessly from one minimum-wage job to another.
Social and Legal
Adolescents who abuse substances tend to associate with other drug users. They are also likely to engage in criminal activities to fund their drug use. They might be exploited by older drug users. Prostitution might be the only way they can fund their drug habit. Family relationships become strained, and healthy peer relationships are left by the wayside. Entanglement with the law if caught using or distributing illegal substances can lead to imprisonment. Acts committed when intoxicated can include violent offenses that lead to long prison terms. Long-term consequences include the inability to find work even when sober.
References
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Inhalants
- "Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry"; Virginia Sadock and Pedro Ruiz; 2009
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 17th Edition"; Antoni Fauci; 2008
