How most teenagers end up using drugs and the after effects
Teenagers want to try drugs for the first time for a variety of reasons. They’re curious about how drugs feel having seen it on movies, hearing about them or seeing someone else use it. They want a thrill factor in their life and they assume that using drugs will help them achieve this thrill. Peer pressure is also a major reason for starting drug use. Being among a group of regular users might eventually lead to the wanting to/being forced to try drugs. Many kids tend to replicate the behaviour of their parents in terms of alcohol or drugs
Drugs tend to be glorified as a wild or very cool habit that only cool or attractive people tend to have. This affects people, especially smaller kids to try drugs for the first time. Kids also consider consuming alcohol or drugs as a sign of defiance against parents and the society in general. They are under the impression that this will help make them popular.
But the first time is seldom the last. Various drugs have various effects on the human mind. Marijuana calms the mind, heroin numbs pain, cocaine gives the feeling of extreme confidence or euphoria, opium provides most happiness. Once the mind has experienced this feeling, it longs for more of it. But as time passes the mind becomes numb to the dose of the drug, hence needing the user to consume more and more of it, paving the way to an addiction. After this cycle repeats for a while, the mind can no longer function without a constant supply of this drug. This vicious cycle eventually leads to overdose which causes multi organ failure or even death in extreme cases.
Drug abuse in teenagers is linked to the under development of the brain, cognitive impairment, aggravation of existing psychosis in some cases, and inclination towards criminal activity to be able to procure drugs of addiction. While absenteeism from school, poor academics, aggressive behaviour and frequent ill-health surely a concern, an increasing number of youngsters resorting to sexual and cyber crime for the want of money/ as a result of intoxication is the primary concern. Reports say that alcohol and drug use is a leading cause of teen death or injury related to car crashes, suicides, violence, and drowning.
These addictions are nearly impossible to break as they make the brain go haywire by affecting the hormones responsible for the feelings that the drug provides an excess of. The using the drug is usually desensitised to external factors that usually trigger the production of these drugs. This affects the social life and relations of the teenager and has a major impact on life view. Their entire life starts revolving around the drug and they lose most of their experiences of joy and happiness together. Besides this, as they keep using the drug, they encounter a number of physical and psychological negative side effects.
- Physical
- Sleeplessness or insomnia
- Being tired continuously
- Loss of motor skills
- Loss of coordination
- Speech impairment
- Increased heart rate
- Psychological
- They tend to grow anxious
- They develop insomnia
- They are sometimes euphoric
- Depression
- Panic attacks
- Hallucinations or delusions
- Aggression and loss of cognitive ability
- Strategies to prevent teen drug abuse:
- Keeping a track of your teen’s activities
- Knowing their whereabouts
- Setting rules and consequences.
- Know your teen’s friends
- Keep prescription drugs out of reach
- Exhibit a friendly attitude towards your teen and be always available
- Set a good example
- Teach them now to protect themselves when they suspect foul play
If you suspect your child might be falling prey to a substance use disorder, take heart. You can still influence your children to abstain from use.Surveys on teens have repeatedly shown that parents have a huge impact on their children’s perceptions of drug use. Talk to them and make them realise that they are addicted and need treatment. Contact a rehab to ensure healthy recovery of your child
Phoenix Rehab Services is a leading Rehabilitation Centre in India for Substance Abuse and Behavioural Addiction. At Phoenix, we can help provide the right tools to you or your loved ones on the journey to lead a healthy life free from addiction. Our reliable & effective Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Program is headed and supported by experienced & dedicated de-addiction therapists and is driven by motivated staff that is equipped to handle the various needs of patients and has years of experience in treating addiction.
Our top inpatient de-addiction program in the world, expert team handling this program, our state-of-the-art facility located in Hyderabad, India and our multi-disciplinary and medically guided holistic approach to individual patient scenarios will help you heal from your physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual ailments towards total Recovery.
Our Integrated Drug & Alcohol Addiction Recovery Program is a 12 Step Program approved by the World Health Organisation. We are proud to mention that we enabled hundreds of successful recoveries from around the globe. In fact, the very first in-patient in our rehab happened to be from overseas.
