Last Updated on May 29, 2025 by

Substance Abuse in Adolescence — Young people in the adolescent phase typically try drugs and alcohol under the influence of peers while demonstrating interest in new experiences. Successful prevention is mostly based on educating parents, educating children and practicing early intervention methods. When risk factors are discouraged — sports and hobbies, support groups among peers — drugs is less likely. And at the community level, health care providers, teachers and counselors are working together to get at-risk teens to those services as quickly as possible.

• Adolescents in development experience greater vulnerability toward neural structure modifications. Exposure to damaging elements throughout time can produce enduring brain damage that becomes more serious with each repeated encounter.
• Early initiation is associated with a poor prognosis, risk behavior susceptibility and social costs. Younger children and teenagers who start drinking are more likely to engage in behaviors that hurt them and other people.
• If caught in its early stages and treated appropriately, it can save the person, family, society, and health system from substantial costs.
• The use of Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs (ATOD) and other risky behaviors typically begins in youth, and by late adolescence, a higher percentage of addiction disorders develop. Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is likely to develop in people who begin drinking by the age of 16. Waiting twenty-five years increases likelihood protection to which matches the statistical risk across the general human population thereby demonstrating why first use should be postponed.
• Major drinking issues, such as alcoholism, which are usually linked to middle age, start to show up much earlier, in young adulthood and even youth.
• Teenagers are more susceptible to substance misuse because of the disruption of their educational schedules and diminished possibilities brought on by the COVID pandemic.

• Tolerance
• Removal
• Use of drugs in dangerous circumstances
• Crucial things that substance abuse has caused people to stop are also noted.
• They use products knowing the adverse effects
• Failure to carry out important responsibilities
• Cravings-
• Consumed substances were gathered for limited periods.
• Relentless ambition and fruitless attempts to reduce
• More often than intended, they now consume the substance and take more of it than planned.
• Tolerance describes the way a drug or alcohol’s reaction in the body diminishes for people who use it regularly. For this reason, the user must take a growing amount to feel the same effects they initially experienced.
• Experiencing certain physical or emotional changes as you reduce your use of an abused substance is what’s called withdrawal.

Researchers might decide to use the drug as a test, join in because of what their peers are doing or simply to find out more about it.

Typical users :Dependent on a drug; always seeking it in an uncontrollable way Occasionally used

Occasionally used : Own the substance sometimes, either for social reasons or during specific stages, and have already passed the stage of experimentation.

Physical

• More sleep than normal
• Strange fatigue
• Sudden changes in body weight
• Eyes that are watery or bloody
• Shaking
• Anxiety
• Having alcohol or tobacco odor in your breath or on your clothes
• Speech problem
• Unsteady footing

Emotional :

• Forceful
• Changes in a person’s mood
• Enthusiasm not found in day to day pursuits
• A person struggles to maintain continuous patterns of behavior and scheduling habits.
• A student does not do their work assignments in a timely manner and separates themselves from both their family and their friends.

Social :

• Their doors are frequently locked.
• Someone plays unclear phone activities together with other discreet movements.
• A person engages in theft and illegal activities together with evasive behavior and deception
• absences from school
• Spending a lot of time away from home, making demands, and making excessive purchases
• Using drugs with pals

Nicotine:

• Smoking through a cigarette, hookah, bidi or dhumti
• Khaini is bought & chewed with gutka.
• Naswar inhalation
• The use of khaini and gutka by chewing.

Cannabinoids:

• Hashish
• ganja
• charas
• bhaang
• marijuana
• pot
• other edible cannabinoids, among others.

Opioids:

• Opium
• codeine
• buprenorphine
• heroin
• afeem
• smack
• brown sugar, etc.

Alcohol :

• Every type of wine
• beer
• distilled liquor, etc.

Sedatives:

• Seconals like barbiturates
• Valium, librium and others from benzodiazepines category
• Xanax

Inhalants or volatile solvents

• Typewriter & other corrective fluids
• Contact cement, glues, dry cleaners
• Glues and also many types of dry cleaners
• Nail products for removing nail polish.
• You can also use gasoline or kerosene.

Hallucinogens:

• MDMA which people often call Ecstasy
• Mescaline
• LSD

Stimulants:

• Methamphetamine
• Cocain
• Amphetamine
• Atomoxetine

Factors that protect

• Intellectual and physical development – Age wise
• Adoption of social abilities with Strong self-esteem
• From the family members, a Strong emotional support is a positive example
• Encouragement from scholastic achievement Interaction with peers in a healthy way and community Possibility of leisure and constructive engagement with culture

Factors at Risk:

• Genetic risks and prenatal/birth problems Insufficient nourishment
• Accessible easily
• When learning about Neglect, abuse or violence, a person’s self-esteem is often low.
• Family conflicts Caregiving that is inconsistent
• Failure in the classroom
• The act of bullying
• An unfavorable setting for learning
• Disorganization in the community
• Discrimination and stigma

• Talk openly with your teens about the advantages and limitations of staying involved with drugs, in the present and in the future.
• Present the upsides of their habits, being friendly and watchful of how you say it.
• Let them understand your reasons for caring why they are the way they are. Let them know that addiction to drugs stops them from using their talents and reaches their personal objectives.
• Let them see that drug addiction does not allow them to use their skills to reach their goals in life. Help teenagers learn about the situations and states that raise their chances of substance abuse.
• People should define their preferred changes alongside next steps.

Substance abuse management requires professionals to spot dangerous situations that might lead to drug abuse:

Strategies for Dealing with Substance Abuse: Learn How to Stand Up Assertively and Refuse Offers:

Make use of the 4Ds method

• Delays
• Distractions
• Drink water
• Deep Breathing

People and external factors

• Places
• Occurrences
• Circumstances
• peer pressure

Internal elements:

• Adverse emotional mood
• hunger
• negative thoughts
• discomfort in the body
• fond memories of substance use

People should beware about the frequent use of pressure strategies by social groups.

• pleading
• comforting
• challenging
• threatening
• Anger

Instances where someone using assertiveness and rejection skills appear:

• My drinking streak has permanently ended
• Because I take medication that prevents me from doing so.
• I was about to go
• I had a headache
• An essential obligation that requires me to wake up early.

Different assertiveness and refusal techniques to be ensured.

• Young people’s friendships shape them a lot • Help youth understand various pressure situations

• They might also do these activities by pretending to be in the moment.
• Idea generation about challenging circumstances involves participants to collaborate on responses they will utilize during such situations.

• In addition to its other jobs, Safety Net assembles groups to help in the prevention of substance abuse.
• May consist of: Parents, educators, seniors, friends, family, friends, counselors, mentors, medical experts, and non-governmental groups.
• Let the teenagers develop their own method for keeping safe.

Be engaged with nearby Communities, Families & friend.

For the purpose of preventing substance abuse

• The ways substance abuse affects adolescents’ growth emotionally and socially
• Getting to know parents while learning to speak clearly and teaching children discipline marks the essential elements of proper education.

For the control of drug abuse

• Encourage them to: Attach blame no moral failing to substance abuse.
• Attention needs for their day to day needs viz. health, medicine and nutrition.
• HDV+ provides information to people in the community on substance use concerns
• Show the teenager patience.
• Encouragement may be done for any little progress even it may tiny.

A Few Things Not To Do

• Focus on excuses for using drugs or choose to hide what the addiction is costing. Convey other regarding past substance abuse matters & issues.
• Keep harping on their faults, bicker and keep questioning their loyalty.

• Addiction is more common in teenagers.
• Give information to people about why substance abuse causes negative consequences.
• Give information for any misconceptions or untruths/unreal and un-biased regarding substance usage.
• Motivate community members to live away from drugs and keep them away from drug sources. Different types of outreach initiatives & session may be conducted to commemorate health days with adolescent people and school authorities/stakeholders to increase awareness.
• Required support may be provided with necessary encouragement to be done in the environment where people who are struggling with substance abuse.

• Neuroplastic changes show higher receptivity in brains of teenage individuals. When we keep encountering dangerous stimuli, a larger and more permanent change occurs in the brain.
• Use of Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs (ATOD) and other high-risk behaviors typically begins in adolescence, and a greater percentage of addiction disorders manifest by late adolescence and young adulthood.
• The sooner that younger people try drinking, the more likely they are to act in risky ways toward themselves and others.
• If the initial use of substances is put off until age 25, then risk is reduced by 5%. Consequently, adolescent substance use may be seen in social, emotional or physical ways.
• The human body develops tolerance after it becomes less sensitive to influence from substances such as drugs and alcohol. Over time, the person can’t get the same effect with the same amount of the drug.
• Withdrawal describes human bodily physical together with psychological symptoms which evolve after stopping substance consumption or minimizing consumption levels.
• A safety net system acts as a network to help avoid substance use problems and their control. Some of the people who medical officers can help teens connect with include parents, teachers, elders, friends, family, friends, counselors, mentors, medical experts and non-governmental organizations. Attention must be paid to substance abuse during youth.

A small video from youtube on this topic is as mentioned below: https://www.youtube.com/embed/aMCXQ__c3F0?si=BmgagND_z3SBITis

FAQs:

Q1. What is adolescent substance abuse?

Ans. The dangerous misuse of alcohol tobacco marijuana prescription drugs and illicit drugs defines adolescent substance abuse in people who are age 10–19.

Q2. The substance abuse vulnerability of adolescents exists what underlying factors?

Ans. Due to their specific developmental period brain development adolescents take greater risks while surrendering to peer influence and conducting experiments. The combination of emotional distress and curiosity together with issues within the family create higher risk factors.

Q3. How can teenagers display their initial indications of drug abuse?

Ans. As mentioned below:

• Sudden changes in behavior or mood
• Drop in academic performance
• Secretive behavior or lying Mood or behavior changes along with shifts in eating habits or sleeping habits signal the start of substance abuse in teens.
• A teenager joins a brand new group of people to spend time with Smelling of smoke or alcohol

Q4. The most successful tactics for preventing teenagers from abusing substances would be which ones?

Ans. As below:

• Open communication between parents and teens
• Strong family bonds and supervision
• Students need comprehensive drug education that happens frequently from an early age
• Encouraging positive activities like sports or hobbies
• School-based prevention programs
• Building decision-making and refusal skills

Q5. When does prevention programming for substance abuse should start?

Ans. The prevention process should start during late childhood and early adolescence beginning at age 9 through 11 because experimentation usually emerges during this phase.

Q6. Schools as institutions must identify strategies to stop substance abuse among their students.

Ans. As below:

• Using programs based on scientific evidence for drug education
• Mental health services together with counseling are available to students
• A school where everyone feels valued and included should be created.
• Engaging parents with workshops and by sharing information

Q7. Parents participate in what ways to prevent substance use among their children?

Ans. A huge one. If parents regularly talk to their teens, the risk of drug use is very low for those teens. Establishment of clear boundaries together with clear expectations leads to success.

Q8. Do teen substance use behaviors receive significant influence from their peer relationships?

Ans. The influence peers have often matters a great deal to adolescents. Kids are more likely to use drugs when their friends are doing so which makes ensuring strong, healthy friendships especially important.

Guideline of WHO for Substance use and its link as mentioned below: Mental Health, Brain Health and Substance Use

Thanks and Regards

Note: This information is suggestive only and not a replacement for medical advice. For more details please visit to my website as mentioned below:

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