Drug Abuse ~Teenagers in CrisisCHERALYN TATE

LIFE, SOCIETY & DRUGS

What is Prescription Drug Abuse?

Drug abuse, also called substance abuse or chemical abuse, is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress. It affects more than 7% of people at some point in their lives. Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics (which are prescribed to relieve severe pain), and stimulant medications, which treat conditions

Statistics for 2014

Facts About Teens And Drug Use More teens die from prescription drugs than

heroin/cocaine combined.

In 2013, more high school seniors regularly used marijuana than cigarettes as 22.7% smoked pot in the last month, compared to 16.3% who smoked cigarettes.

1/3 of teenagers who live in states with medical marijuana laws get their pot from other people's prescriptions

By the 8th grade, 28% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15% have smoked cigarettes, and 16.5% have used marijuana.

6.5% of high school seniors smoke pot daily, up from 5.1% five years ago. Meanwhile, less than 20% of 12th graders think occasional use is harmful, while less than 40% see regular use as harmful (lowest numbers since 1983).

The United States represents 5% of the world's population and 75% of prescription drugs taken. 60% of teens who abuse prescription drugs get them free from friends and relatives.

Adderall use (often prescribed to treat ADHD) has increased among high school seniors from 5.4% in 2009 to 7.5% this year.

54% of high school seniors do not think regular steroid use is harmful, the lowest number since 1980, when the National Institute on Drug Abuse started asking about perception on steroids

About 50% of high school seniors do not think it's harmful to try crack or cocaine once or twice and 40% believe it's not harmful to use heroin once or twice.

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How Often??

This is an Alarming number!!

Commonly Used Drugs in Teens

Marijuana, Prescription Drugs, Ecstasy, Inhalents, Cocaine and Heroin, Alcohol

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Symptoms & Signs

8 Signs Your Teens May Be Abusing Pills

• Change in sleep habits• Change in energy level• Change in personal hygiene• Change in mood/ personality• Sudden change in grades• Change of friends• Loss of Appetite• Constricted eye pupils (“pin-point pupils” for suspected opiate use)

The problem with pain pills is that if you take them consistently enough over a long enough period of time, you WILL develop a physical dependency to those pills—and there’s no amount of education or breeding that can stop that inevitable neurochemical process from occurring

Dr. Nicholas KardarasPublished October 20, 2012FoxNews.com

When did it first occur?

In an article dated April of this year, about a study conducted by the Hanley Center (a Florida drug and alcohol treatment and recovery center) the article reports “79 percent of adults ages 48 and older said their first experience with drugs and/or alcohol occurred before the age of 25, and a shockingly high 40 percent said they considered themselves to be substance abusers after the age of 48.

Common Drugs that Become Addictive

Percocet is a trade name for a prescription pain reliever that combines oxycodone and acetaminophen

More Commonly Abused DrugsOxycontin abuse and denial often go hand in hand because it is a prescribed medication for pain relief

Marijuana

Marijuana statistics are alarming, A recent government survey tells us that marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States. Nearly 69 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once. About 10 million had used the drug in the month immediately prior to the survey.

AlcoholTHOSE WHO BEGIN DRINKING BEFORE THEY ARE 15 YEARS OLD ARE FOUR TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP ALCOHOLISM THAN THOSE WHO DON'T START BEFORE THE AGE OF 21

Devastating Physical Realities of Teens, See what Beautiful thing Drugs and Abuse can do for you??

Meth UserBefore and After in short couple years

Age 27 BeforeAge 30, how horrible!!

Not for the Faint of Heart…Tragedy!

How can we Prevent Teenagers from Drug Abuse?? STAY INFORMED!!!!

Don’t be the next victim to subject yourself to the harmful effects of drugs!!!

Sources:U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Sixty percent of 12th graders do not view regular marijuana use as harmful." U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2013/nida-18.htmThe U.S. Department of Education, The Drug Enforcement Administration. "Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention." Justice.Gov. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.justice.gov/dea/pr/multimedia-library/publications/growing-up-drug-free.pdf.DrugAbuse.com 2014

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Regular marijuana use by teens continues to be a concern." U.S National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2012/nida-19.htm.