Adolescent rehab programs in the US have stated that drug and alcohol abuse among adolescents is a real problem that should be confronted. One of the prominent teen rehab in Pennsylvania states that parents have a huge responsibility to ensure that their kids are not being induced by drugs.  They should not be harsh with their kids but at the same time, they shouldn’t be too lenient and maintain a watchful eye because this phase of life can be quite vulnerable and be the base of how he or she would be as an adult.

The teen drug abuse statistics are alarming to say the least; just goes to show where the future of this country is heading thanks to the callous attitude adopted by adults and the open culture existence perpetrated by the media and the Internet.  In the US, there are about 3,500 teenagers who smoke every day. Nearly 27 percent of teenagers have confessed to abusing any one drug in the year 2004.  The drug that is most abused in this age group is Marijuana. Teenagers who socialize and frequent parties are known to abuse the Club Drug ‘Ecstasy’. A survey of 10th graders four years back showed that 15 percent used Marijuana, 13 percent of them used inhalants and 6 percent used a club drug

Why do teenagers abuse drugs? According to the reports put forwarded by teen treatment centers that have examined this situation and treated many youngsters, peer pressure and lack of confidence are the biggest reasons.  When a fellow teenager boasts about taking drugs and seducing a girl in his class, or when a group of drug-struck teenagers talk about the ‘highs ‘that they get by taking drugs, an impressionable teenager develops the interest in trying it out and that’s where the trouble starts brewing

Drugs are known to have dangerous effects that can harm a person’s physical and mental development. For one, it can harm the teen’s ability to absorb information and pay attention. Teenagers who have drugs are more likely to indulge in unprotected sex and even have physical relationships with a complete stranger. Teenagers who abuse drugs are usually the ones who are getting into this bad habit from a young age and if the person does not stop his or her addiction, it can be very difficult to get rid of this problem and even when treated, there are chances of relapse when quitting the drug addiction.

Anabolic steroids cause a lot of sexual problems in both the sexes. The reproductive organs are not developed properly, men tend to become impotent, and women suffer from hair loss and clitoral enlargement. Additionally, there are other repercussions like acne, skin diseases, baldness, stunted growth, stroke, liver diseases, cancer and risk of HIV/AIDS in both sexes, given the fact that some of the drugs can make a person promiscuous in nature

Substance abuse can affect the body systems and depending on whether the body is able to process the drug or not, there have been many instances of interrupted breathing from sedatives, permanent brain damage from inhalants and heart attacks from stimulants.  Needless to say, all of these drugs can lead to death as well.   Drugs according to teen rehab centers, may be taken by teens to mask their fears and anxieties but in retrospect, they actually increase these worries after the momentary ‘high’ is lost and due to increased depression, a person can actually commit suicide, kill someone or even become a homicide victim.