Keeping Your Teens Drug Free - Part 1

Many parents put off talking to their kids about drugs or alcohol because of time constraints, but just a little of your time once in a while can make a lifetime of difference. Teens who learn about the risks of drug use from their parents or caregivers are less likely to use drugs than those who don’t.

You Matter

This article provides ideas and examples of the skills busy parents can use to keep their teens away from marijuana and other illicit drugs. There are opportunities every day to turn ordinary times like driving your child to school or to the mall, or watching TV together into teachable moments to let your teen know what’s important to you. Many parents put off talking to their kids about drugs or alcohol because of time constraints, but just a little of your time once in a while can make a lifetime of difference. Teens who learn about the risks of drug use from their parents or caregivers are less likely to use drugs than those who don’t. Parents are the most important influence in their kids’ lives. Many parents don’t realize that they play a crucial role in their teen’s decision not to use drugs. Two-thirds of youth ages 13 to 17 say losing their parents’ respect and pride is one of the main reasons they don’t smoke marijuana or use other drugs.

Teens, Marijuana and Other Drugs

While no one wants to think negatively about their children, it’s likely your teen will be exposed to illicit drugs. Nearly a third of 12- to 17-year-olds have used an illicit drug in their lifetime. Teens today are using drugs at younger and younger ages, when their brains and bodies are still developing. Of all of the illicit drugs, marijuana is the most widely used. If your child is exposed to drugs, he or she will most likely be offered marijuana.

Marijuana Causes Problems

• Some frequent, long-term marijuana users show signs of a lack of motivation

(amotivational syndrome). Their problems include not caring about what happens in          their lives and a lack of concern about how they look. As a result of these symptoms, some users tend to perform poorly in school or at work.

• Heavy or daily use of marijuana affects the parts of the brain that control memory attention and learning, and can make it more difficult to learn and perform tasks that call for more than one or two steps.

• Smoking marijuana causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol. Scientists are still learning about the many ways that marijuana can affect the brain.

• One joint can deliver four times as much cancer-causing tar as one tobacco cigarette.

• In a study a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; the effects of a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either substance alone.

• While not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, when a user begins to seek out and take the drug compulsively, that person is said to be dependent on the drug or addicted to it. In 2007, more than 280,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported marijuana as their primary drug of abuse, showing they needed help to stop using the drug.

• Some heavy users of marijuana show signs of withdrawal when they stop using the drug. They develop symptoms such as restlessness, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, weight loss and shaky hands.

• The marijuana that teens use today has more than twice the concentration of THC, the chemical that affects the brain, than the marijuana of 20 years ago.

• Young people who use marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life, and teens who smoke marijuana weekly are three times more likely than non-users to have suicidal thoughts. Marijuana use in some teens has been linked to increased risk for schizophrenia in later years.

Other Substances

• Underage drinking can cause many problems for young bodies and brains. Alcohol use during the teen years can interfere with important developmental processes and can cause problems with thinking and learning.

• MDMA (ecstasy, XTC, X, Adam, hug, beans, love drug) is a drug that creates feelings of emotional warmth, mental stimulation, enhanced sensory perception and increased physical energy. MDMA can be dangerous to health, however, and on rare occasions, lethal. People who abuse MDMA can experience increases in heart rate and blood pressure and other symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness and chills or sweating. In high doses, MDMA can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature. This can lead to a sharp increase in body temperature (hyperthermia), resulting in liver, kidney and cardiovascular system failure.

•Methamphetamine (meth, speed, chalk, ice, crystal, glass) is a very toxic stimulant associated with serious health conditions, including potential heart and neurological damage, psychotic behavior, memory loss and aggression. It also contributes to increased transmission of infectious diseases, especially hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

•Dangerous substances abused by children and teens may be found in the home. These toxic substances are collectively referred to as inhalants — breathable chemical vapors that produce mind-altering effects. A variety of common products contain substances that can be inhaled. Many people do not know or understand that products such as spray paints, nail polish remover, hair spray, glues and cleaning fluids present any risk of abuse, because their intoxicating effects are so totally unconnected to their intended uses. Yet, young children and adolescents are among those most likely to abuse them, and do seek them out for this purpose. Chronic use can lead to brain or nerve damage, damage to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. Inhalants can cause death, even the very first time they are used.

• Prescription and over-the-counter drugs misused by teens today include pain killers and cold medicines with dextromethorphan (DXM). Misusing these medications can cause respiratory distress, cardiac stress, seizures, dependence and serious withdrawal symptoms. Misuse of DXM can cause nausea, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations and even death.

• Anabolic (muscle-building) steroid abuse is associated with increased risk for heart attacks, strokes and severe liver problems. People who inject anabolic steroids put themselves at risk for contracting dangerous infections, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis

• B and C and bacterial endocarditis. Anabolic steroids can also cause undesirable body changes. Men may develop enlarged breasts, and women’s bodies may become masculinized. Both sexes can develop acne and hair loss.

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