According to the National Center for Drug Abuse, in a study reported from 2022, around 8% of teens 12-17 have reported using drugs. 

It’s important to teach teens that the risk almost always outweighs the reward when it comes to experimenting with drugs. Teens may not realize what they are consuming or how it affects their long-term health and development. Parents, schools, and community leaders all play a role in educating and preventing substance abuse among youth. 

Read on to understand the rates of drug use in teens, how to recognize the warning signs, and effective strategies to prevent teenage drug abuse. 

Understanding Teen Drug Abuse

It’s important to understand what substances teens are abusing to create more tailored prevention strategies. Fortunately, the rates of use have decreased since the pre-pandemic levels. However, the overdose rates among teens nearly doubled after 2020 and remained elevated into 2022. 

This is partially due to the rise in illicitly manufactured fentanyl, which teens are often unaware they are consuming, especially if it is laced with more common drugs among teens, such as marijuana or stimulants [2]. 

Some drugs may be more easily accessible either in the home, school, or community than others, leading them to have higher rates of use among teens. 

According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics [1]:

• Around 40% of teens have abused alcohol
• Almost 43% of teens report using marijuana 
• Over 2% of high school seniors report abusing stimulants
• Over 15% of teens report having misused prescription pain pills
• Nearly 5% of high school seniors have experimented with psychedelics (e.g., LSD, MDMA, magic mushrooms) 
• Over 1 million high school students report currently using a tobacco product (most commonly in the form of vapes) 

Causes

There is no single cause of substance use among teens. The risk of drug abuse is influenced by a combination of biological, environmental, psychological, and social factors. 

Some of the factors that can increase the risk of drug abuse in teens include: 

• Genetic vulnerabilities 
• Trauma (such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse)
• Family history of substance abuse 
• Underlying mental health conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder) 
• Academic stress
• Peer pressure 
• Growing up in a community with high levels of drug abuse 
• Victims of bullying or discrimination 
• Curiosity and experimentation 

Warning Signs 

There is a wide range of warning signs that substance use can cause. Sometimes drug abuse can be mistaken for other mental health conditions or even physical health problems. However, if you find drugs or alcohol on your teen or in their belongings, paired with some of the warning signs below, it may indicate a substance abuse problem. 

‍

Strategies for Preventing Teen Drug Abuse

Preventing drug abuse in teens is not only a problem for parents in the home but a widespread public health initiative that schools, health professionals, and community leaders play a role in. 

What Parents Can Do

• Trust and Open Communication: Actively listen to your teen and build trust by having open conversations about mental health and substance abuse in the home. Don’t avoid the topic or treat it like a taboo, as that can make them more curious to experiment. 

• Educate Them: Provide them with accurate information about the risks substance abuse can have on their mental and physical health. Consider showing them videos of athletes, musicians, social media influencers, or celebrities who have spoken out against drug abuse.  

• Stay Involved: Although allowing teens to have more independence than when they were children is important, remember they are still not adults. Make sure you know who they are spending their time with, where they are going, and what daily activities they are involved in. Explain to them that this isn’t to control them but to ensure they are safe. 

• Set Limits and Consequences: Create clear rules and consequences around drug use and follow through with them. 

• Model Healthy Behavior: One of the ways teens learn is through observation. Teens who grow up around drug use in the home are around ten times more likely to develop a substance abuse problem [3]. Encourage your teen to partake in healthy behaviors and positive coping strategies by modeling these. 

• Bonding Time: Have days where you spend quality time doing an activity with your teen or as a family. These can help foster connection and decrease feelings of isolation in youth. 

• Teach Them Boundaries: Teach your teen that it is okay to say no and help build their self-esteem so that they don’t feel like they need to experiment with drugs to gain validation from peers. 

What Schools Can Do

Schools play a significant role in the lives of teens by giving them a space to foster connections with peers and providing them with skills for long-term success in adulthood. There are several strategies schools can implement to help educate teens about substance use and prevent drug abuse. 

Some of these include: 

• Incorporate education about drugs into health curriculums (without using scare tactics).

• Host events that increase awareness around the effects of drug use and bring in speakers to talk about their personal experiences with addiction and substance abuse. 

• Train teachers and staff to recognize the warning signs of drug abuse or mental health problems in their students 

• Increase access to early intervention and mental health services. 

• Ensure every school district has at least one guidance counselor.  

Residential Treatment for Teen Substance Abuse     

Lotus Behavioral Health helps teens recovering from substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders break the cycle of addiction and develop healthy habits to support their long-term recovery. Our residential, PHP, and IOP treatment programs take a family-first approach to help teens build a sustainable lifestyle that encourages sobriety & success. 

If you are concerned that your teen is struggling with a substance abuse problem, reach out to our admissions team today for support.  

Sources

[1] Drug Use Among Youth: Facts & Statistics. 2023. National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. 

[2] Unintentional Drug Overdose Death Rates Among US Youth Aged 15-19. 2023. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

[3] Youth Growing Up in Families Experiencing Parental Substance Use Disorders and Homelessness: A High-Risk Population. 2019. National Library of Medicine. 

‍

‍