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.

Teenage prescription drug abuse is becoming a prevalent problem these days. That is mainly because compared to illegal substances like marijuana, heroin or cocaine, prescription drugs are more readily available and can be bought easily from drugstores.

The reported figures regarding prescription drug abuse among teenagers are alarming indeed. According to studies, one out of five teenagers has abused medication prescribed for pain. One out of five teenagers has also used both tranquilizers and stimulants. One in ten, on the other hand, is into cough medication.

If you are a parent to a teenager, how would you know if your teenager has a prescription drug addiction? The common signs of prescription drug abuse are described below.

1. Health. People become unhealthy after a prolonged period of prescription drug abuse. You should be concerned when your teenager feels lethargic most of the time, to the point of refusing to get up in the morning. A sudden change in your teenager’s weight is another indicator of prescription drug addiction. Redness of the eyes, pupil dilation and shaky hands are other signals that you should suspect prescription drug abuse with your teenager.

2. Attitude. It is normal for teenagers to be rebellious, or at least try to dissociate themselves from the rest of the family. However, when your teenager consciously changes his behavior in such a way that you no longer recognize who he is, this should alert you to the possibility that he may be into prescription drug abuse.

Your suspicion should be heightened if he begins to be secretive and if he always asks you for money but without telling why he needs it. It can even go to the point that he may steal things from home to fuel his addiction. Missing school or doing poorly in school is another indicator of prescription drug abuse.

3. Appearance. Changes in appearance can be tricky signs of prescription drug addiction because it may mean that your teenager is responding to peer pressure. If the change is too radical or if your teenager has totally lost interest in the way he or she looks, then you should check for prescription drug abuse.

4. Other signs. Aside from the physical and behavioral changes that you might see in your teenager, you should also look out for other signs in the home. If someone in your family is in prescribed medication, you should see if there are any missing pills or tablets in the bottle. You should also check if there are any other unfamiliar drugs at home. Missing valuables is another sign you should look out for.

What to Do If Your Teenager Has Prescription Drug Addiction

Once you have confirmed your suspicions that your teenager is doing prescription drug abuse, you should act immediately. It all starts with a talk with your teenager, although you could do prescription Drug Testing later. However, rather than focusing on the prescription drug abuse, you should zero in on the problem causing it.

Your teenager may get angry at you for what he may see as meddling in his life, but it is important for you to impress upon him that you are doing this because you love him. In helping him deal with teenage prescription drug abuse, it is essential for you to be honest with him and to cultivate trust and credibility with him.

Alcohol Health Effects On Teenagers

The consumption of alcohol among teens is becoming so regular that most of them think that there is no party worth going to, if there is no booze. Teen treatment centers who treat alcohol related cases have stated that in the year 2009, there were as much as 16 percent of teenagers who were heavily intoxicated by this drink. There are also reports which say that there are some teens who drink more than 5 rounds of drink a day; this percentage is somewhere around 7-9 percent.

Though alcohol addiction can cause a large number of health problems; it is during teenage that alcohol can cause a lot of harm. This is because the body is still is being developed into an adult form and there are too many physical and mental changes happening in the body. Drinking alcohol can stop and even derail this development, causing a lot of problems in the process. The liver is affected; the kidneys can be damaged and there can be premature ageing due to drinking so early in life. Also drinking can lead to impotence in boys and loss of libido in girls over a long-term basis. Teens tend to suffer from loss of energy both mentally and physically due to this habit and most of them give up easily on their work at such a young age because they do not fit, as the alcohol has progressive weakened their system and their immunity. Alcohol Health Effects On Teenagers

Alcohol is a global demon, and teens are usually affected by this problem. In countries like the US, UK, South Africa, India, Australia, teens have often being caught by the law for crushing someone to death by drinking and driving. Most of the road accidents are caused by people in their teens driving under the influence of alcohol according to teen treatment centers.

Crimes of passion among the youth are also a manifestation of alcohol drinking. Under the influence of alcohol, a person can lose his inhibitions, leak out something that is meant to be kept under cover, do sexual crimes and even kill someone due to a fit of rage. Cases of rape and sexual molestation are high among teens because boys tend to use alcohol as a bait to lure girls and bed them. Alcohol can mix easily into the blood-stream of girls since they have high body fat percentage. Cases of unwanted pregnancies, abortions, rape and even sexually transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS are high among teens practicing sexual activity after alcohol consumption.

Alcohol addiction is to be blamed for declining grades among the ones who are taken to drinking. This form of addiction can hamper the concentration and interest for studying and work. Teen rehab centers have also said that teens move towards drugs as a natural extension of alcohol addiction. Deadly habits like mixing drugs with alcohol that can lead to fatal repercussions are also practiced. There have been cases of teens committing suicides and even choking on their vomit and dying. So do not take any chance, in case you feel that you are addicted to alcohol and are still in your teens, there is help at a nearby teen treatment center. Alcohol Health Effects On Teenagers

Question by Believer: Teenage alcoholism. How can you convince a teenager who just started drinking to give up this dangerous habit?

Best answer:

Answer by michael68701
Take him to an autopsy

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

<p>A heap of teenagers use cannabinols, specifically marijuana and hashish as a result of if it’s taken in giant amounts, it will give them a sense of &quot;being high.&quot; Teenagers who have experienced being beneath the influence of marijuana and hashish reported that they were ready to see a lot of clearly and vividly and time seemed to pass slowly, as if everything was in slow motion.</p>
<p>The colors of the things around them reportedly became a lot of vibrant and typically, the shapes of persons and objects became sharper and eventually become distorted.</p>
<p>Different common effects of cannabinol abuse are decreased attention span, issue in forming concrete thoughts and ideas, mental distortion and confusion, impaired motor coordination, thinking and reading comprehension.</p>
<p>Many studies and researches have shown that regular use or intake of drugs with cannabinols can cause a person’s problem in executing or developing goal-directed behaviors, a syndrome better known as amotivational syndrome.</p>
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<p>The harmful long-term effects of cannabinols must be highly emphasized to teenagers so that they can be aware and eventually notice that they’re destroying their life by using these sorts of drugs.</p>
<p>Studies have shown that marijuana contains about 50% additional cancer inflicting substances than regular cigarettes and tobacco! Since the foremost common way of infusing marijuana into the body is through deep inhalation, users don’t seem to be solely at risk for lung cancer but also for bronchitis and infection of the lungs. The respiratory system of an individual is extremely at risk if she is a significant or prolonged marijuana user.</p>