Teen Drug Addiction Help

This article discusses the physical and mental effects of teenage drug use. There are many ways that teens are affected when they participate in any type of drug use. Read more to learn about the specific problems adolescents face with drug addiction.

It is important to realize that there are many short-term and long-term effects of drug use. Teen drug use now can have lasting consequences that go far into the future. It is important to understand that your failure to help a teenager in your care now could mean serious problems later in life. In the most extreme cases, of course, drug use can result in death.

The effects of drug use are both physical and mental. Depending on the drug, some effects may be greater than others. However, it is important to remember that the mental effects of substance abuse can be just as powerful and dangerous as the physical effects.

Physical effects of teenage drug use

Drug use can cause serious damage to the body. Any type of substance, if used in excess, can result in physical harm. Large amounts of drug use - from alcohol abuse to cocaine use to huffing” inhalants - destroy vital brain cells. Additionally, tissue throughout the body, even in organs, can be damaged in a way that can affect a person throughout life.

Some of the direct effects of teenage drug use can include:

• Breathing problems for smoking and for inhalant use.
• Impotence and stunted growth when using steroids.
• Reduced immunity to disease.
• Sexually transmitted diseases, due to increasingly risky behaviors and lowered inhibitions while using drugs.
• Possibility of cancer in the future for almost any drug use.
• Reduced coordination and reflexes when under the influence of drugs.

It is also possible, in the event of an overdose or reactions between more than one drug in the bottom, for the effect to be coma, seizures or even death. There is a great deal of risk that is taken when one begins to abuse drugs.

It is important to note that, even when one stops using drugs, the effects can be lasting. In many cases, the damage has already been done. The best defense is to avoid drug use in the first place.

Addiction and tolerance

Two more physical effects of teenage drug use are addiction and tolerance. Addiction is when the bottom requires a substance in order to function at a level approaching normal. Tolerance is when more of the drug is needed to achieve the same effect. In both cases, the body develops a need for the drug in increasing amounts. This can lead to overdose. And the withdrawal of the drug can lead to a host of other unpleasant physical symptoms.

Mental effects of teenage drug use

In addition to the physical effects of teenage drug use, there are also mental effects. These effects can be just as damaging and dangerous as physical effects. Some of the areas of thought and mental processing affected by drug use include:

• Judgment.
• Perception.
• The onset of hallucinations with some drugs.
• Paranoia, especially with hallucinogens and drugs like marijuana.
• Anxiety.
• Depression (which can lead to suicide).
• Lowered inhibitions (leading to risky behaviors including theft, unprotected sex and other problems).
• Mood swings.
• Eating problems and disorders.
• Sleeping problems.

It is important to realize that, in some cases, the mental effects of teenage drug use will need additional treatment regimes that are different from those used for physical effects.

The problems that can be created by teen drug use can plague a teenager throughout his or her life. It is important to identify these problems as early as possible in order to treat them effectively and efficiently.

Source: medicinenet.com