Teenagers abuse all sorts of drugs, including, but not limited to, alcohol, inhalants, cold and cough medicine, prescription drugs, marijuana, acid and cocaine. HelpGuide.org suggests a number of warning signs that can help identify teen drug abuse, including being secretive, changing friends, sneaking around, avoiding eye contact, skipping class, dropping grades, stealing money, isolating, using lots of perfume or air fresheners and using eye drops. The consequences that result from teenage substance abuse can be severe
Academic Problems
The development of an uncaring attitude that can occur when a teen is abusing drugs or alcohol can lead to problems in school. Teens skip class to spend time in school bathrooms, off campus or in other secretive places to get high. The substance abuse will cause a teen to stop completing assignments and studying for tests. Her grades will fall and she will risk getting into the college of her dreams in order to continue to abuse drugs and/or alcohol.
Loss of Determination
Substance abuse can cause a teen to lose the drive and aspirations he once had. According to HelpGuide.org, the use of drugs or alcohol can cause a person to abandon the activities he previously found enjoyable, such as sports. A teen who is very talented athletically and has dreams of playing sports in college and even professionally may end those dreams when he engages in substance abuse. Substance abuse will zap his motivation and desire, thus taking away his determination to reach his goals.
Risky Behaviors
Being high or intoxicated from the use of drugs and/or alcohol can impair a teen’s judgment; making her more likely to engage in risky behaviors, notes TeenHealth. Substance abuse may increase a teen’s chances of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors that could result in a sexually transmitted disease or pregnancy. Also, teens who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol may decide to drive a car, increasing the possibility that they will injure themselves or others, reports TeenHealth.
Injury
Intoxication impairs a person’s motor skills. Teens who abuse a substance are more likely to sustain injuries. According to TeensHealth, a 2006 Australian study found that people who drink alcohol are four times more likely to become physically injured when compared to those who do not drink; those who binge drink are at even greater risk. Substance abuse can increase a teen’s chance of falling, tripping and walking in front of a car, among many other potential injuries.
Depression/Suicide
According to TeensHealth, teenagers who abuse drugs and/or alcohol have an increased risk of thinking about and attempting suicide. Alcohol and some types of drugs are depressants, meaning that they cause a person’s brain to become depressed, note TeensHealth. This depressant factor can induce the presence of depression symptoms, especially in teenagers who already have a tendency for depression due to genetics and life stressors, reports TeensHealth. The depression can increase a teen’s risk of suicide.
