Chapter 13: Drug & Alcohol Use Among Adolescents

By: Briana Tennon, Khanda Ward,

Skyyla Ray, Callon Green, Torie Bowie, Alivia Robinson, Shasha Carpenter, & Catherine Lamb

Adolescent Psychology

November 28, 2011

Introduction

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1. How old were you when you first experimented with drugs/alcohol?

2. What were your reasons for trying it? (peer pressure, home problems, depression, etc.)

3. Did your drinking habits affect those around you?

4. Has your drinking alcohol or using drugs ever caused you any of the following problems?

-car crash-arrested-trouble in school-damaged relationships-did something sexual that you later regretted-hurt someone else

5. How would your parents react if they found out?

Study of Jerald Bachman and His Collogues

• Analyzed more than 38,000 individuals

• Evaluated from high school seniors up through out their twenties

• Findings:– College students

drink more than youth who end their education after high school• Those who don’t

go to college smoke more

• -Singles use marijuana more than married couples

• Drinking is heaviest among singles and divorced in individuals

• Individuals who considered religion to be very important in their lives and who frequently attended religious services were less likely to take drugs than their less religious counterparts.

The Facts

• Usage– Most common from youth – Underage drinkers

• Drink more than adults• 190,000 emergency room

visits • Drinking levels

– Survey• 42% drank some amount of alcohol.• 24% binge drank.• 10% drove after drinking alcohol.• 28% rode with a driver who had been

drinking alcohol.• Other national surveys indicate

(Continued)• Consequences

– School • Absence• Bad grades

– Social• Fighting• Lack of participation

– Legal• Arrest• Physical altercations

– Physical • Hangover • Illnesses

– Sex• Unwanted• Unplanned• Unprotected

– Disruptions• Growth• Development

• Risk– Suicide – Homicide

• Memory problems• Use of other drugs • Death

– Alcohol poisoning

Teenage Drunk Drivers

• Causes many deaths – Also injuries

• Teens who drive drunk put themselves, passengers, and other drivers at risk.

• One third of teen deaths – 2000 of them

alcohol related

• When teens drive and drink, they usually :– Drink too much– Binge drink

• Most of them don’t think about the consequences of driving drunk.

Teen Alcohol Abuse

• Can be an issue– Hard on even the

most level headed parents

• Some think that teen alcohol abuse is a phase

• Teens who go through alcohol abuse become dependents of alcohol

• Average age is 14 – Age when

adolescents abuse alcohol

Sequence of Factors Related to Whether an Adolescent Would

Take Drugs by Age 12• Being born into a

high-risk family• *Experiencing an

increase in harsh parenting in childhood

• *Having conduct problems in school and getting rejected by peers in childhood

• *Experiencing increased conflict with parents in early adolescence

• *Having low parental monitoring by parents

• *Hanging out with deviant peers in early adolescence and increased substance use

Factors in Adolescents and Emerging Adult Drug

Use • Most adolescents become drug users at some point in their development

• Special concern involves those who begin in early adolescence

• Parents play an important role in preventing drug use

• Study facts:– A longitudinal

study of individuals from 8 to 42 years of age also found that early onset of drinking was linked to increased risk of heavy drinking in middle age.” (Pitkanen, Lyrra, and Pulkkinen, 2005)

**Trends**

• 1960’s and 70’s – Illicit drugs

• Youth– Turned to dugs• Political and

social unrest • University of

Michigan– Surveyed• 46000

students• Declined in

1980’s• Increased in

1990’s

• Most notable drugs– LSD– Cocaine – Cigarettes – Sedatives– Tranquilizers– Ecstasy

• Emerging adulthood– Drug use

increased

• Statistics– 20% of 18-25

year olds• Illicit drug use

– 11% of adolescents reported

The Facts!• Definition– Drug that alter an

individual’s perceptual experiences and produce hallucinations; also called psychedelic (mild-altering) drugs

• LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethlyamide)– Low dose still

strike perceptions

– Objects glow and change shape

– Colors become kaleidoscopic

– Emotional and cognitive effects

• Usage– Increased in

1990’s • Adolescents

Marijuana • Addictive • Statistics

– 1 in 6 becomes addictive if they start at an early age.

• Brain– Complex text

• Social Life & Academics– Poor grades– Goals– Low stamina (Athletes)

• Health– Lung injuries– Bronchitis

• Cure– Behavioral therapy

Methamphetamine • Known as “Crystal

Meth” • Stimulant to

cocaine – More addictive &

hazardous

• Danger– Increase blood

pressure– Rapid heart rate– Damage to brain

cells

• Effect on adolescents– Violent behavior– Anxiety– Paranoia– Insomnia

Ecstasy • Hallucinogen– Made in street

labs – Provides energy – Combats the

effect of other drugs• Downers• Depressants

• Comes in pill form– Many colors and

designs

• Adolescent usage– May suck on

pacifiers or chew gum to relieve tension in jaws

– Usually removes clothes

– Drink large amounts of water

• Symptoms– Irregular

heartbeat – Stroke– Jaw clenching– Seizures– Dilated pupils

Stimulants

The Facts • Definition– Drugs that

increase the activity of the central nervous system

• Can be physically addictive

• Most widely include:– Caffeine – Nicotine– Amphetamines– Cocaine

• Symptoms – Increase heart

rate, breathing, and temperature

– Decrease appetite

– Increases energy

• After effects:– Tired– Irritable– Depression – Headaches

Puff. . . Puff. . . Puff. . .

• Most wide spread dependencies– Nicotine

• Age– Usually start

under 21 years old

• Quitting – 9 out of 10 want

to stop – Once you start,

it’s hard to stop!

• Consequences– Cancer– Emphysema– Heart Disease

• Financial – Costly– Users spend

thousands each year• Side effects

– Stained teeth– Bad breath – Bad odor – Skin wrinkled

• Staying smoke free– More energy– Better performance

& looks– More money– Longer life to live

• Better health

Bath Salts• Most commonly

referred to a set of synthetic drugs. – Also known as plant

food

• It’s labeled not for human consumption – Anesthetic lidocaine

is what gives the adolescents their high.

• Form– Crystal or capsule

• Adolescent usage– Smoke it or snort it

• Effects– The nervous

system • Creates a

burst of energy• High blood

pressure• Fast heart rate• Anxiety • Muscle cramps

• Drugs that slow down the central nervous systems, bodily functions, and behavior

• Medically used to reduce anxiety and induce sleep

• Most widely used depressant is alcohol, barbiturates, and tranquilizers

• Opiates (extremely dangerous) are less frequently used– depress the

activity of the central nervous system

• Commonly known as narcotics

• Among the most physically addictive drugs

• Barbiturates: induce sleep or reduce anxiety

• Tranquilizers: reduce anxiety and induce relaxation

Roofies

• Depressant– Relaxation– Drowsiness

• Dangerous– Combined with

alcohol or any other depressant

• Also known as the “Date Rape” drug – Sedates victims – Temporary

amnesia

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlrqaAjBwS4

Coricidin & Dextromethorphan • Latest

substance abuse trend involves taking over the counter cold remedies containing.

• These are abused by teens and preteens because they can be purchased.

• Adolescence may have sighs similar to alcohol intoxication – Difficulty walking – Vomiting – Confusion – Drowsiness

Hmmm. . . . . Did you know??

• Drugs derived from the male sex hormone, testosterone

• Promotes– Muscle growth – Increase lean

body mass

• Abused by athletes

• Health risk– Physical – Psychological

• irritability, uncontrollable bursts of anger, severs mood swings, impaired judgment, paranoid jealousy

• Changes in sexual characteristics– In males

• Change in testicles

• Reduce sperm count

• Impotence• Premature

baldness• Enlargement of

prostate gland• Pain in urinating

– In females• Acne on face and

body • Weakening of

tendons • High blood

pressure • Reduce good

cholesterol

INHALANTS

Sniff….Sniff….Sniff….

• Ordinary household products that are inhaled or sniffed by children and adolescents to get high

• Use higher among adolescents – Use among

adolescents has decreased in the 21st century

• Example of inhalants – Model airplane

glue– Nail polish

remover– Cleaning fluids

• Short term use– Can cause

intoxicating effects

– May last for several minutes or possibly even hours

• Long term use– Can lead to heart

failure – Death!

Intervention

Intervention for Adolescents • Providing a

confidential supportive environment for teens and families to explore concerns

• Intervening before concerns or problems become unmanageable

• Offering teens information about alcohol and drugs

• Providing tools for teens to make healthy decisions

• Helping build motivation for change when change is needed

• Connecting teens and families with appropriate community resources

• Identify strengths (what is going well) and risks (areas of concern)

• Determine the level of current or past alcohol or drug involvement

• Identify any related problems

The End!!Thanks for watching!!

Any questions???