When does an adolescent need to get admitted into substance use treatment programs, and when do they need a little bit of understanding from their parents and guardians? Some parents and guardians may not know where to draw the line regarding inappropriate addictive behavior they see in their children. However, substance use disorders should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. Perhaps a look at current adolescent substance use statistics can help point them in the right direction. If you’re looking for a healthcare facility in North Carolina offering substance use treatment programs, contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery. Call 866.300.5275 or reach out to our team online.
What Are Some Helpful Adolescent Substance Use Statistics?
Did you know that alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco are substances most commonly used by adolescents? In recent years, experts have observed that almost 65% of 18-year-olds use alcohol, while 45% of the same group uses marijuana and a little over 30% smoke cigarettes. By 12th grade, about two-thirds of students have tried alcohol. Nearly half of 9th through 12th-grade students have used marijuana, and about 40% of the same group smoked cigarettes.
Cigarette use has declined dramatically over the past several decades. However, marijuana use and e-cigarette use or vaping has become more prevalent in recent years.
Although it’s illegal for people under 21 to drink alcohol, people from 12 to 20 years of age consume about a tenth of all alcohol consumed in the US. Furthermore, there’s also some worry when it comes to more illicit substances. Prescription medication use is also common in teens. Among 12th graders, nearly 20% have used these medicines without a prescription.
What Can People Learn From Adolescent Substance Abuse Data?
Before getting into what parents and guardians can learn from adolescent substance use statistics, let’s discuss the risks of substance use among teens, which can include the following:
- Continuing to use substances and developing substance use problems later in life
- Development of more health problems as adults, such as heart disease or high blood pressure
- Negatively affect brain development during the teenage years
- Risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and dangerous driving
Taking all of these risks into consideration, it should be clear to parents and guardians that they should do as much as they can to prevent adolescents from developing addictions. The best way to deal with your teens’ problems is to ensure that communication lines are open. But barring that, it’s best to model healthy behaviors when you drink or smoke in front of your teens. You can also evaluate the people your teens spend time with regularly. If they’re modeling addictive behavior, you can restrict contact or talk to your teens about substance use disorders and how dangerous they can be.
Why Should Teen Substance Use Be Treated Immediately?
If there’s anything we can learn from adolescent substance abuse data, it’s that teens typically only try certain substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. However, as they get older, the addictive behaviors they’ve learned early in life will increase the risk of them trying more dangerous substances, such as meth or opioids. Immediately dealing with substance use disorders may help in preventing future addictions from developing.
Some teens may also have co-occurring disorders that will need treatment. Unfortunately, co-occurring mental health conditions and addictions can become increasingly severe. Having a dual diagnosis can make daily functioning difficult for clients and can make successful recovery unlikely.
Getting treatment for both disorders as soon as possible is the recommended way to deal with a dual diagnosis. Recovery is possible for teens with a dual diagnosis, but each day that passes makes it a more significant challenge.
Seek Treatment at Foothills at Red Oak
If your teen is one of the many who are battling drugs or alcohol, we can help. Contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery by calling 866.300.5275 to learn about our treatment programs.
