Teen Drug Abuse StatisticsThe statistics on teen drug abuse have become unsettling. Our youth are using more harmful substances at an earlier age and some types of drug abuse are on the rise. When thinking of drug abuse among teens, some people tend to overlook alcohol. Alcohol is most often considered the lesser of the evils and is not thought to be a drug. This is not the case however. Alcohol abuse takes the lives of 6 1/2 times more teens than any other substance abuse. Teen drug abuse statistics show that in a thirty day period of time, 50% of teenagers reported drinking with 32% saying they were drunk at least on one occasion. Also 65 % of teens that abuse alcohol receive it from friends or family. Teen drug abuse statistics also show that teens who abuse alcohol are 50 times more likely to abuse Cocaine than teens that don't drink. Also 40% of teens who started drinking at age 14 or younger will later develop alcohol dependence, compared with 10% of people who began drinking at age 20 or older. It is alarming to realize that ½ of our teens are abusing alcohol and the devastation that this can cause. In the United States alone underage drinking costs more than $58 billion dollars annually in the form of such things as health care costs, crime and accidents. The use of the illicit drug Ecstasy or 'E' is becoming more popular among teens. Teen drug abuse statistics state that 28% of teens know a friend or classmate who has used ecstasy, with 17% knowing more than one user. Along with that statistic, 10% of teens when asked, say that they have been to a 'rave' (underground, underage party), and ecstasy was offered to them at more than 2/3 of these 'raves'. Teen drug abuse statistics are also showing that use of amphetamines (the worst of these being methamphetamines or 'meth') is reaching children who are not yet teens. The statistics on amphetamine use show that approximately 1.8 million children age twelve and older are current users of cocaine. Among 10th and 12th graders, 15 % have used methamphetamines. In a study at San Francisco General Hospital, 25 percent of seizures seen in the emergency room were found to be caused by amphetamine use. A survey given to 12-17 year olds to aid in teen drug abuse statistics revealed these facts about marijuana: 7 % of youths aged 12 to 17 said that they had used marijuana in the month before the survey. Marijuana use was higher among those who had been exposed to risk factors associated with marijuana use than teens that had not been exposed to these factors. Teen drug abuse statistics show that teens are abusing everything including alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, inhalants and over the counter medications. Even though it is a modest amount, teen drug abuse statistics show that drug abuse has fallen since the 1970's. However, the drugs being abused today are more dangerous and reaching children at a younger age. As a final note, teen drug abuse statistics also show that children that have parents who talk to them regularly about drug abuse are less likely to use but only 1 in 4 youths reported talking to their parents about this subject. |