Drugs and Alcohol
Teenagers get in trouble for all kinds of reasons, but many of these are harmless. However, when there are drugs and alcohol involved, the problems might get bigger than a teenager can handle.
Keywords
- addiction (n.)
- independence (n.)
- insecurity (n.)
- confidence (n.)
- peer pressure (n.)
- euphoric (adj.)
A Time of Change
Why is it that many people think that teens and trouble go together like bread and butter? Well, as a teenager you undergo some serious changes, not only the obvious ones in your physical appearance, but you also have to become independent from your parents and find your own identity. This can lead to a lot of discussions and conflicts.
While your parents become a little less important, your friends' and classmates' opinions are what count now. Many teenagers start experimenting with alcohol during this period, and some might even get into drugs and serious trouble.
Just Have a Drink
Alcohol is widely accepted in Western countries and, therefore, easy for young people to buy. Although there are age restrictions on alcohol, identity cards are not always asked for in shops and bars. Therefore, it is not surprising that often, very young teenagers drink alcohol when they go out. It becomes even less shocking considering that one of the short-term effects of just a little alcohol is greater confidence and fewer inhibitions. These can be quite useful effects when you are a teenager and might feel insecure about yourself. Unfortunately, many forget that alcohol can have damaging effects on your health as well as make you more likely to get involved in random sex, fights and accidents.
A Rush to the Head
Some teenagers take their experiments even further and try harder drugs as well. Quite often, cannabis is the starting point. Cannabis can make you feel euphoric, and it lets you experience your emotions more intensely than you normally would.
Some drugs, like alcohol and heroin, have a sedative effect, which slow down the way your body and brain function. They can have a numbing effect that produces drowsiness. Other drugs, like cocaine and ecstasy, have a stimulating effect, which gives you a rush of energy and makes you more alert.
Teenagers and young adults at bars, nightclubs, concerts, and parties are exposed to club drugs. Club drugs include Rohypnol, ecstasy and LSD.
Dangerous, Really?
Most teenagers do not think that they will become addicted, and simply use drugs or alcohol to have a good time and be more like their friends. They believe they can control how much and how often they consume drugs. In some cases, this might be true.
However, drugs and alcohol change the brain. Drug users start to need the drug just to feel normal. This is an addiction, and it can quickly take over a person's life. When a person becomes addicted, he or she develops health problems, starts to do poorly in school, experiences memory loss, loses motivation, and alienates him- or herself from family and friends with negative behavior and mood swings.
An addiction can become more important than the need to eat or sleep. The urge to get and use the drug can fill every moment of a person's life. The addiction replaces all the things the person used to enjoy. A person who is addicted might do almost anything, including lying, stealing, or hurting people, to keep taking the drug.