Teens and Drug Abuse

Everyone wants to be liked and accepted. Most teens first try drugs when they are with friends. Robert, who was mentioned in the introduction, wanted people to like him, but he didn't want to take drugs. Wanting approval from his peers made it difficult for Robert to stand his ground.

Many teens start with depressants or alcohol because they are easy to find. A 1999 survey conducted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, (MADD), suggests that teens who begin using alcohol are seven times more likely to use any illicit drug, and fifty times more likely to use harder drugs such as barbiturates. Nearly every household contains liquor and many others contain prescription depressants such as sleeping pills or pain medications. For many teens, stealing alcohol and medications from parents is the beginning of their drug experimentation.

More teenagers use alcohol than any other drug. The same survey by MADD estimated that on any typical weekend in the United States, an average of one teenager dies each hour in a car crash—with 50 percent of those crashes involving alcohol.

Taking a drink or using a drug to feel accepted and more comfortable with your friends is an easy choice to make. But, in the long run, it is harmful and counterproductive. You are more likely to find success in your social life if you are yourself. If you change your personality to suit your friends or take drugs that alter your personality, you aren't being true to who you really are. It takes courage to be yourself, but it is worth it in the end.