Clint Eastwood Youth Program - CEYP Newsletter
Issue 15: Drug and alcohol use — it really is dangerous to your teen
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No matter how you look at it, drug and alcohol use is a danger to your children! It is linked to many life-altering consequences, particularly among teens. And for teenagers, alcohol, drug, and cigarette use is a predictor for adult alcohol and drug dependence and for adult psychiatric disorders.
Parents often minimize their children’s drug/alcohol use, feeling that it’s a normal part of adolescent experimentation. However, a recent study of 14- to 27-year-olds found that teen alcohol and drug use is associated with psychological disorders in one’s 20s. Recent studies also demonstrate a link between using alcohol and drugs in teen years and developing psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety in early adulthood. And there have been demonstrated links between psychiatric disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and alcohol and drug use. No matter which comes first, the psychiatric disorder or the alcohol/drug use, drug/alcohol use is harmful for teens. Preventing alcohol/drug use in teens may help prevent later use/addiction and psychiatric disorders.
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Isn’t Experimentation Just a Phase?
Experimentation, especially when linked with factors such as life stress, peer pressure, school problems, easy access to drugs/alcohol, trauma, family problems, and/or a family history of addiction, can result in ongoing alcohol/drug use.
Drug/alcohol use is linked to numerous negative consequences:
- suicide
- death
- car accidents
- increasingly impulsive behavior
- criminal acts
- sexual behaviors
- rape and vulnerability to rape
- high-risk behaviors
- fighting
- social isolation
- low self-esteem
- problems keeping up with school and work, possibly resulting in dismissal
- dropping out of extracurricular activities
- estrangement from family and friends
- psychological problems
- fewer inhibitions
Addictive disorders continue to become more problematic unless effectively addressed; they need to be caught and treated as early as possible.
What You Can Do as a Parent
- Talk to your children.
- Be clear about your expectations that they not use drugs/alcohol.
- Spend time with your children.
- Know your children’s friends, and their friends’ families.
- Watch for behavior clues (changes in grades, friends and/or activities; secrecy;evidence of stealing).
- Be aware!