According to National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services there are anywhere between 40-60,000 people in a treatment center a month in Texas alone. Now, that is a lot of people struggling with some form of drug abuse. Among that number we see that around 27-30% of those in treatment centers are teenagers. I think it is safe to say that we are living among a generation that is affected by the use of some form of substance. It is hard for any teen to not know a family member or friend that has either used or is using some from of drug.

Another report by SAS output, another government organization, showed that the only other age group that had a higher percentage of users then those ranging from 12-17 years old were those who were between 20-30 years old. Which is scary to think about, since this is probably a result or continuation of teenagers abusing drugs well after they enter adulthood.

In another report produced by Substance Report Trends For 2009

Important changes to drug patterns in Texas include increases in heroin inhalation by younger Hispanics. This was first noticed with the “cheese heroin”, which is a mixture of Tylenol and heroin, situation in Dallas, but further investigation has found that heroin inhalation is increasing statewide. Some treatment admissions are young teenagers who are not novices and are using other illicit drugs, and those in their twenties are shifting to injecting.

The availability of cocaine decreased in the last half of 2008 due to violence and gang warfare on the border. The methamphetamine indicators have changed since 2005, with supplies down, prices increasing, and purity decreasing…The magnitude of the substance abuse and mental health problem on the border is of serious concern.

Living in Texas presents itself with many opportunities for teenagers to get their hands on drugs. There is no short supply with us living on the border of drug flowing into our state, leaving it wide open for teenagers to find and use these drugs. Illicit drugs continue to enter from Mexico through cities such as El Paso, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville, as well as through smaller towns along the border. The drugs then move northward for distribution through Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. In addition, drugs move eastward from San Diego through Lubbock and from El Paso to Amarillo and Dallas/Fort Worth.

So that leaves open a lot of cities receiving drug flowing in and out and lot of teens with access to these drugs.

The Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse: Grades 7-12, 2008 reported that lifetime use of powder and crack cocaine had dropped from a high of 9 percent in 1998 to 7 percent in 2008, while past month use dropped from 4 percent in 1998 to 2 percent in 2008. Some 6 percent of students in non-border counties had ever used powder or crack/cocaine, and 2 percent had used it in the past month. In comparison, students in schools on the Texas border reported higher levels of cocaine use-10 percent lifetime and 4 percent past month.

Alcohol is the primary drug of abuse in Texas. In 2008, 63 percent of Texas secondary school students (grades 7-12) had ever used alcohol, and 30 percent had drunk alcohol in the last month. Lifetime use decreased by 5 percent and past-month use decreased by 3 percent between 2006 and 2008. The problems really never change over the years with only reflections in %’s either going up or down. But we continue to see the damaging effects these drugs bring to the teenagers who abuse drugs.

On our web-sight we provide a quick report that has some tangible things you can do tonight with your teen when you discover they are using. But I would also advice if you find yourself in a situation where your teen is using drugs that you find a great recovery program. One here in Houston, Texas is called Life Way. You can Google them. We also have an article that deals with teenage withdrawal and how you can help your teen get off drugs and stay off them. Instead of relapsing and finding yourself watching your teenager fall in and out of drug abuse you can help them kick the habit for good. It is titled “How Do I Help My Teen Make It Through Withdrawal”

Prescription drug addiction is becoming a common problem among teenagers that needs to be addressed. In order to address this concern, it is essential for the parents and everyone else involved with the teenager to get enough information on the nature of prescription drug addiction. Everything else, including intervention, prescription drug testing and rehabilitating the affected teenager, flows from there.

One step towards gathering information on what prescription drug abuse is all about is by knowing the most common prescription drugs abused by teenagers, at least in the United States.

1. Narcotics. Narcotics, also known as painkillers, are prescribed by doctors to manage pain.

2. Sedatives. Sedatives are used mainly to treat sleeping disorders and anxiety.

3. Stimulants. Stimulants are usually prescribed to treat conditions like ADHD, asthma, sleep disorders and narcolepsy.

Given these three major classifications of prescription drugs, the following are the five most commonly abused prescription drugs by teenagers today.

1. Vicodin. Vicodin is an analgesic painkiller that contains paracetamol and hydrocodone and it is often prescribed to manage acute pain. Distribution of this drug is heavily regulated by the US government. The slang used by junkies who distribute it is “happy pills” or “vikes.”

2. Valium. Valium is one of the brand names by which the drug diazepam is known for. It is a sedative synonymous with the term “sleeping pill.” Doctors prescribe valium to patients with anxiety, sleeping disorders, muscle spasms and other conditions.

3. Xanax. Xanax is the drug commonly prescribed to patients with severe depression or anxiety disorders and panic attacks. Its generic name is alprazolam, but the street slang for it is “totem poles.”

4. Ritalin. Known on the streets as “kiddy cocaine” and “Vitamin R,” Ritalin is a brand name for methylphenidate. Methylphenidate is a stimulant and a common ingredient in drugs used to treat ADHD, daytime drowsiness and chronic fatigue syndrome.

5. Dexedrine. Dexedrine is one of the many brand names of drugs containing amphetamines. It is a stimulant that is meant to treat patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

The drugs listed above can be bought only with the correct prescription. However, many teenagers get their hands on these prescription drugs by stealing the pills prescribed for their parents or their siblings, or given to them by their friends. If any member of the family is prescribed these drugs and the pills or tablets suddenly go missing, it is one sign of teenage prescription drug abuse.

Dealing with a teenager who is displaying signs of prescription drug abuse is very tricky. It often leads to emotional confrontations between the angry teenager and the anxious parents.

Nonetheless, it is important for the parents to remain calm when dealing with their teenager who is showing symptoms of prescription drug addiction. Parents should impress upon the teenager that they are intervening out of love and not out of any desire to meddle. It is also essential for parents who are dealing with teenage children facing prescription drug abuse to show their children that they are people worthy of trust.

Understanding why some teens abuse drugs require an in-depth probe into their individual conditions and the kind of environment they are exposed to. For most parents/guardians, identifying the indications of drug abuse can be hard since most of them are synonymous to typical adolescent behaviors. Hence, seeking the help of a psychologist or pediatrician is imperative to accurately assess whether a teen is into drugs or not.

In determining the exact risk factors, however, experts have found over 50 likely causes. Prevailing in the concerned teenager’s home, school and social circle, these could be affected by other circumstances depending on a per case basis. As such, two main categories elucidating the primary reasons behind teenage drug abuse has been identified. They are as follows:

The Thrill Seekers

Teenage drug abusers falling under this category are motivated by the “good feeling” they derive from taking dangerous substances. In pursuit of excitement, they are driven to try out new things or risky activities. As is often the case, these teens are informally introduced to drugs through social influence.

Comprising this group are teenagers who reason out that they were coerced into doing drugs because their friends are doing the same. The pressure to measure up to prevailing social standards has compelled them to follow whatever activity or trend is popular with their circle. Ironically, the same impressionable nature that makes them vulnerable to taking dangerous drugs could also be used by educators and parents to dissuade them from it.

Accordingly, experts have pointed out that drug abusers of this type are more likely to respond positively to prevention programs informing them of the deleterious effects of drugs. Likewise, they could be deterred from it given the protective loving guidance of their parents/guardians. In line with this, it has been ascertained that of the two types of teenage drug abusers, “thrill seekers” could be steered more easily into seeking other options that satiate their need for excitement, fun, or novelty.

The Troubled Incognitos

As opposed to thrill seekers, teenagers belonging to this group have deeper, more obstinate reasons for taking dangerous drugs. They are compelled by their need to pacify their inner turmoil. The latter could have resulted from their exposure to any of the following: abusive experiences, failure to manage overwhelming emotions, poverty, bipolar disorder, panic disorders, schizophrenia, other severe psychological disorders, and other difficult life issues. For them, drugs provide a ready escape—a mental relief that keeps their minds off their present troubles.

Kids classified under this category use dangerous drugs to medicate themselves rather than revel in the elated feeling like thrill seekers do. At times, they even use drugs as a means for addressing symptoms associated with a particular psychological disorder—thinking that in doing so, they help stabilize their condition, affecting them in a similar fashion as anti-depressants and other psychotropic drugs.

But the nocuous effects of dangerous drugs override whatever temporary benefit it provides. In exchange for the brief mental respite are a multitude of health risks, both psychological and physical in nature, confronting the drug abuser. So rather than alleviate their present worries, things make a turn for the worse. Furthermore, medical findings have confirmed that using dangerous drugs exacerbate prevailing mental disorders.

After spending numerous amount of years with teenagers I can’t remember a time when there has not been at least one teen who has flirted with the idea of suicide. It seems there is always a teen struggling with suicide and even the extremes of cutting themselves or some sort of self mutilation.

Because of this I decided to take a look at how drug addiction can lead to teen suicide.

Something that we don’t think of is the connection between teen drug abuse and suicide. There are some studies that would suggest that teens who use drugs regularly are more likely to consider suicide as well as to act upon their thoughts. According to the American Psychiatric Association, many teens suffer from depression.

When a teen is living in this world of depression it is not unlikely that they would find a means of “self-medicate” with drugs in order to avoid exposing themselves to their friends or adults. As we know through years of dealing with teens and their drug abuse that the use of drugs does not alleviate the problems, but instead, usually aggravate them, leaving the teen with a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. This places them at greater risk for suicide attempts.

From my own personal experience and watching the decisions that teens make while they are abusing drugs, we see that the use of drugs will cloud their judgment, and lower their natural survival instinct. Drug use affects the chemical balance of the brain, intensifying feelings of sadness, depression and loneliness. In an article I wrote on teen withdrawal we can see just having to deal with the withdrawal from the drug, and intense feelings of crashing profoundly affect the young person’s mind and mood. While these factors exist in adult addicts, they are more intensified in the young adult and teen, particularly due to his dependency upon adults.

Something we do not understand nor think of when it comes to the progression of usage of drugs among teenagers is that they have a readily supply of tools that could either help them commit suicide or even lead to an untimely death. Overdosing is one of the easiest and most common methods of suicide.

Did you know that suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst young people from the ages of fifteen to twenty-four.

The one thing we are noticing is that teens, especially today, are under a tremendous amount of pressure. Caught in the crossroads between childhood and adulthood, teens are filled with conflicts about themselves, their identity, and their place in the world. It is not uncommon for teens today battle between peer pressure and performance placed upon them from society and even at times parents to perform and do so perfectly all the time.

These factors, coupled with their perception that the adult world doesn’t or can’t, understand their angst, leave them vulnerable and isolated. These factors contribute to both addiction and suicidal intention, both of which also feed on the other.

I have been told that some of the methods for treating a teen with suicidal intentions are very similar to treating teens with addictions. Some have said that most of the root causes are quite similar. The most important thing for an adult to provide the teen, is an avenue of communication. I have an article “8 tips to get your teen hearing you again” that will help you communicate with your teen.

Something that we know to be true is that communication between a teen and their parents is vital to any type of recovery. Teens need to feel as though they have someone they can turn too and express their feelings and problems. He or she need to feel that they are not isolated. There are people who care about them. They are not the only one who is struggling with these problems. This of course is only the first step. If a teen is suicidal they need to receive professional guidance.

Here are some suicide facts you should be aware of:

A teen that has lost a friend to suicide is at higher risk for depression, delinquency and drug abuse. (Estimates by the American Association of Suicidology place this risk at three times that of the average teen.)
Studies reveal that a family member of a loved one who has committed suicide is at up to 5 times the risk for suicide themselves.
Suicide facts indicate that thousands of children and adolescents are affected by a suicide each year.
Emotional distress of child survivors of suicide may go unnoticed if they do not have a chance to share their pain.
We can all help in suicide prevention by learning about statistics, suicide rates and teen suicide.
There is no timetable for recovery, suicide survivors are forever changed by the tragedy.