Substance abuse: Dealing with teen substance use
What is teen substance use?
- Experimenting. Today, teens may try alcohol, cigarettes, inhalants, or other drugs one or more times. But many of these teens never go any further than experimenting, and they usually do not have any problems as a result of their substance use.
- Substance abuse. For some teens, experimenting leads to regular or frequent use (abuse). Substance abuse results in problems at home (such as more arguments with parents), at school (such as failing grades), or with the law (such as driving under the influence or possessing illegal substances).
- Substance dependence (addiction). Teens can become physically and/or psychologically dependent on the substance. At this stage, use of the substance takes up a significant portion of the teen's activities, continues despite causing harm, and is difficult to stop. Addiction is an ongoing (chronic), progressive, and possibly fatal disease.
Test Your Knowledge
Answer the following questions to see whether you understand what teen substance abuse is.
All teens who experiment with alcohol or another drug become addicted to the substance.
After a teen becomes addicted, he or she completely loses control over his or her substance use.
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Why is it important to recognize and deal with teen substance use?
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS Jeannette Curtis | Last Updated: August 27, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Yifrah Kaminer, MD - Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | |
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