Teen Drug Use: Why Would My Child Use Addictive Substances?

10/16/17

methadone treatment centers

There's no question that the U.S. is currently facing an opioid epidemic and a high death rate correlated to that epidemic. Up to 591,000 Americans were suffering from heroin addiction in 2015 alone. Of those Americans were 155,000 young adults and 6,000 teenagers.

Teen drug use is a major concern because of the long-term complications. Unlike adult heroin abuse, which is often the result of addiction to pain medication, teenagers often turn to drugs for stress relief, which can make them more dependent on substances in the future as a means of treating anxiety.

Why do teens begin using drugs?
Four out of five heroin users began using heroin due to addiction to opioid pain medication. However, teenagers don't often have access to this kind of medication. The most common reasons behind teenage drug use include:

Misinformation
Some teenagers become addicted to drugs because they underestimate the dangers associated with their use. In a study, up to 40% of teenagers didn't understand the risk of experimenting with heroin. However, heroin is one of the most addictive drugs because of its relatively low price, easy application, and the speed at which it hits the person's system.

Coping mechanisms
Teenagers and college students nowadays are suffering from greater anxiety and depression, more so than American adults. To help ease these overwhelming feelings of stress, many teenagers turn to drugs to help reduce the pressure.

Easy access
Teenagers have relatively easy access to drugs. If they aren't already aware of someone who sells drugs, they can find someone who does. Easy access makes it that much more tempting for teenagers to experiment, especially if their peers are experimenting with drugs as well.

The desire to fit in
Peer pressure isn't always about friends pressuring others into trying drugs or alcohol. In most cases, a teenager will readily use these substances themselves so as to fit in and be more accepted by their peers.

Treating your teen's opioid addiction
Whether your child is suffering from addiction to opioids or addiction to heroin, methadone treatment centers are readily available to help your teen get their life back on track. Methadone treatments work by blocking the pain receptors in the brain to relieve symptoms of withdrawal while simultaneously blocking the pleasurable side-effects of addictive substances.

This makes methadone treatment centers one of the best available options for heroin detox. Methadone treatment centers, which are FDA-approved, are also more successful in treating addiction than abstinence-only programs.

However, before you suggest visiting a methadone rehab center to your child, it's essential that you talk with your teen. Listen to them, ask questions, and don't automatically assume what's going on. Communication is essential, both prior to heroin addiction treatment and after.