Substance Abuse and Teens

Why Teens Begin Using Marijuana
Marijuana - What's a Parent to Believe?
by Timmen L. Cermak
As a parent, if you're not sure what to believe about marijuana, how will you handle the subject with your child? Maybe you smoked pot as a teen, or you use marijuana today. Maybe you never tried pot, or you don't even know what it looks like.

Why Do Kids Use Alcohol? A Look at High-Risk Teens
Alcohol - Whats a Parent to Believe? (The Informed Parent)
by Stephen Biddulph
It is unfair and often untrue to paint a high-risk kid as a drug or alcohol abuser or a troubled kid who goes around hating and fighting and causing trouble. Many high-risk teens—even those who are addicted or involved with serious abuse of alcohol

Adolescence and Alcohol: What's the Attraction?
Alcohol - Whats a Parent to Believe? (The Informed Parent)
by Stephen Biddulph
Any discussion of alcohol abuse and alcoholism is incomplete and almost meaningless without discussing the potential victims: the teens. This section looks at the nature of teens as developing adults and the reasons why some teens are at higher risk for

Why Do Some Kids Refrain from Drinking?
Alcohol - Whats a Parent to Believe? (The Informed Parent)
by Stephen Biddulph
Some kids don't use alcohol. If the statistics are correct, about 30 percent of high school seniors don't use alcohol, and an even higher percentage of younger kids are abstinent. Some of the kids in this category may try alcohol, use a few times

Why Kids Get Hooked
Teens Under the Influence: The Truth About Kids, Alcohol, and Other Drugs- How to Recognize the Problem and What to Do About It
by Katherine Ketcham
Fighting the stigma of alcohol and drug problems in youth presents us with a real challenge because there are really two pervasive stigmas-abusing alcohol and other drugs and being an adolescent. Coupled with the stigma is our imperfect understanding of

Weed on the Web: Kids Buying Marijuana Online
by SAMHSA
The World Wide Web acts as a megastore where users can purchase almost anything, including illegal substances like marijuana. With about 30 million children in the United States under 18 using the Internet each day, parents and caring adults

There Is a Solution
The Big Book Unplugged : A Young Person's Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous
by John R.
Alcoholism is the only disease that tries to convince you that you don't have it. So what's the purpose of the Big Book? It's simple: The Big Book provides solutions to what we couldn't fix.

Chapter 5
A Teen's Guide To Living Drug Free
by Bettie Youngs, Ph. D., Ed.D., Jennifer Leigh Youngs, Tina M. Moreno
You can get through the teen years without falling prey to drugs and alcohol. This book will show you how. As most teens like you know, drugs and alcohol are everywhere; pretending the don't exist could be dangerous.

Drug Facts and Teen Drug Use
by SAMHSA
Parents worry about their child being offered drugs from a stranger on a street corner or a friend at a party. But a child can get deadly drugs from a person you might never suspect-you. The over-the-counter (OTC) drugs you use to soothe a cough or clear

Youth and Their Use of Illegal Drugs
by SAMHSA
You may have heard about the war on drugs, the soaring use of club drugs, or strong new versions of older drugs. Or, maybe you haven't heard much lately about drug use. Either way, it can be hard to get a clear picture of illegal drug use among young

Divorce Counseling May Prevent Teen Substance Abuse
by SAMHSA
Most children of divorced parents in the United States (40 percent of all children) adjust well to their parents' split. But 20 to 25 percent of children have trouble dealing with their parents' divorce.

Is Your Teenager Smoking: Parenting Can Mean Prevention
by CDC
If your teenager is smoking or chewing tobacco, it will be up to him or her to quit. But you can help. Here's how: Try and avoid threats and ultimatums. Find out why your child is smoking.

Teens and Drugs: Ecstasy, GHB, Ketamine, Rohypnol: Roofies, R-2
by SAMHSA
Club drugs affect your brain. The term 'club drugs' refers to a wide variety of drugs often used at all-night dance parties (raves), nightclubs, and concerts. Club drugs can damage the neurons in your brain, impairing your senses, memory, judgment

Cigarette and Marijuana Smoke Hurts Young Lungs
by SAMHSA
Fewer teens are smoking cigarettes, but new tobacco products are clouding the picture. Tobacco companies say fruit- and mint-flavored cigarettes are aimed at getting adult smokers to switch brands. However, these products have sparked claims that tobacco

The Latest Crazy Marijuana Flavored Candy?
by SAMHSA
A new product on the market may make parents double check the candy bowl. It's marijuana-flavored candy, and it already could be in stores near you. It may look like a normal lollipop or candy bar, but it tastes like pot.

Alcohol and Development in Youth: The Scope of the Problem
by National Institute of Health
Alcohol is the drug of choice among youth, often with devastating consequences. Alcohol is a leading contributor to injury death, the main cause of death for people under age 21.

Parenting Help: Teenage Addiction
by SAMHSA
If you are seeking treatment for a mental health or substance abuse problem, you can start by talking with people you know, such as family members, friends, school teachers or counselors, clergy, and your doctor.

Younger Students Still Smoking
by SAMHSA
Each day, 4,400 young people smoke a cigarette for the first time1 and by age 14, many are addicted.2 Much attention is given to preventing kids from smoking but middle schoolers may not be getting the message.

Adolescent Drinking Behavior and Genes
by National Institute of Health
The years between early adolescence and young adulthood are a crucial period for alcohol researchers to study, because drinking typically is initiated during adolescence, and by young adulthood, individual differences in established drinking patterns

Good Decisions: More Than a Feeling
by SAMHSA
What was he thinking? How could she? If you find yourself wondering what your teen was thinking, the answer may be 'not much.' Kids often make snap judgments based on impulse, especially when situations come up quickly, leaving teens with little time