Teenagers Who Use Drugs Are Motivated by 4 Factors
There’s a new study out that explores the reasons why teenagers drink and use drugs. They’ve isolated four motivations for using: experimentation, thrill-seeking, relaxation and dealing with problems or anger issues. According to the study published in the December issue of Prevention Science, a peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Prevention Research, those teens who drink and use drugs as a way of getting away from their problems or dealing with their anger as well as those who use for more reasons than one will most likely face addiction issues sooner than later.
Donna Coffman, PhD. at Penn State was a part of the study. She says, “Our study found that for the graduating class of 2004, students who had multiple reasons to drink and use drugs, including reasons related to coping, were also more likely to begin drinking and using at an earlier age, more likely to be drunk in the past year and more likely to drink before 4:00 pm, compared to students who drank to experiment with alcohol, to experience the thrill of using or just to relax.
“It is important to know why high school seniors are using drugs so parents, teachers and high school counselors can pay special attention to the needs of the small but high-risk group of seniors who offer multiple reasons for using and who also have anger or frustration issues. Research shows that patterns established during adolescence are likely to continue through adulthood,” according to Coffman.
Prescription painkillers are often abused by teenagers because it is easy to get them from parents and other relatives who are being treated for chronic pain. Occasional use can quickly turn into addiction, with the teen taking more and more pills, higher doses and mixing drugs with alcohol. Opiate prescription medications are a special source of concern as it is easy for kids to overdose without meaning to. For teenagers over the age of 15, Suboxone treatment is one way to get help for drug addiction without having to drop out of school and enter a drug addiction treatment program. Organizations like Meditox can help your teen get the help she needs quickly without a lot of fanfare and attention to help her avoid undue stigma for her drug use, which more often than not only exacerbates the underlying problem.
For more information on this study and others like it, check out the Society for Prevention Research.
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