5 things teenagers should know about drugs

Growing up is tough. You have to learn how to balance your social life with school and find out who you are as a person. You also need to make so many decisions for yourself, which can be difficult if you're not sure what the right choices are. You are likely to fall for habits introduced by your peers such as drug abuse.

Peer pressure plays a significant role in teenage drug use. Your friends may pressure you to do drugs with them, or they might be using the substances themselves and bringing it up constantly. For example, if a friend tries to convince you that smoking pot isn't as bad as taking ecstasy because "everyone's doing it," they're wrong.

Being a misinformed teen makes you gullible and susceptible to peer tricks and bad habits, in this case, drug abuse. Here is what you need to know about alcohol and drug abuse.

Drugs and the methods of intake

Drugs include any substance that alters your mood or awareness. This includes alcohol, prescription drugs used for non-medical reasons, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and cocaine. These drugs have many modes of consumption, for example:

Injections: Drug users mostly share the syringes risking the spread of infections such as HIV/AIDs among them.

Inhalation: Leads to cause lung cancer and brain damage.

Ingestion: It could be consumed either in food or drink to avoid detection or as a way to calm an upset stomach (most common with marijuana).

Effects of drug abuse

Teenagers should know about drugs that there's no such thing as "safe" drug use. Even one time of consumption can lead to addiction and irreversible health problems in the future.

Drug abuse affects your life in many ways: physical health (heart disease, infections), emotional health (depression, anxiety), and social connections with friends and family.

The effects vary depending on the type of drug being taken: cocaine stimulates your central nervous system for about 15 minutes; when this wears off, you may experience a crash with symptoms like depression, anxiety, and exhaustion.

Heroin slows your breathing to the point of death if taken in high doses; methamphetamines speed up your heartbeat while also increasing blood pressure (often leading to heart attacks). In addition, these drugs have many other adverse effects on health, such as collapsed lungs, heart complications, liver damage, kidney failure.

Drug abuse can lead to addiction, making it difficult to stop drug use or withdrawal symptoms if you quit abruptly.

Legal consequences

Teenagers often feel like they are immune to problems and the effects of their actions. That explains the reason for their daring character to try every dangerous and life-threatening practice. However, as they say, no one is above the law. Therefore, it is essential to know that there are legal charges for possessing, trafficking, or peddling these illegal drugs.

Depending on the type, quantity of drugs in possession, and the laws of the land, the penalty can be more than 10 years in prison for trafficking.

Strategies to avoid peer pressure

Knowing how you feel and what is beneficial will help you avoid or resist the temptation of taking these substances. Knowing your values and sticking with them reinforces positive self-esteem.

To build resilience against pressures, teenagers need to have an intense sense of self and be confident in their ability to make decisions. It is also crucial for them not to feel pressured into making these decisions because they cannot please everyone.

Avoid friends and groups that put pressure on you about drug abuse.

Seek help

If you or someone close has been struggling with drug abuse, the best thing is to get help as soon as possible. It is a challenging process, but it will be worth the effort in the end. Treatment for drug abuse includes detox and rehab programs that can help someone break their addiction cycle or manage an addiction without needing drugs all the time.

As a teenager, be aware of the dangers and consequences that come with drug use. By knowing what drugs are, how they are used, the effects on your body and brain, and legal ramifications, you can avoid addiction or help a friend make better decisions. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, seek help. Create awareness and form support groups to help your fellow teens from the dangers of drugs.