Week 9: Substance Use

Issue of Teen Nicotine Use

One of the drugs that are most likely to induce chemical dependence in teens is also one of the most accessible: nicotine. Nicotine use is also often a prelude to the abuse of harder drugs, like alcohol or cocaine.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) notes that a high percentage of teenage smokers also abuse alcohol. In fact, the NIAAA reports that in one study, 80 percent of teens that smoked while they were going through alcohol treatment were still using nicotine four years after they completed rehab.

Among recovering alcoholics, nicotine abuse is seen as a lesser threat, a relatively harmless habit in comparison to alcohol addiction. In reality, tobacco-related illnesses are a leading cause of death among alcoholics going through treatment.

What Makes Nicotine So Dangerous?

One of the greatest dangers of nicotine is its addictive power. In the 1990s, scientists discovered similarities in the way rats’ brains responded to nicotine and cocaine. A study that appeared in Science in 1997 showed that both drugs activate many of the same regions of the brain, inducing the same compulsive behaviors in lab animals.

For teenagers, experimentation can quickly lead to dependence when it comes to nicotine. The British Medical Journal notes that children and teens become tolerant to the effects of nicotine more quickly than adults and that they don’t need to smoke every day in order to become addicted.

Although daily smokers are more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to give up tobacco, occasional smokers can also experience withdrawal symptoms such as:

•    Severe cravings

•    Anxiety

•    Irritability

•    Headaches

•    Depression

•    Changes in appetite 

Difficulty Concentrating

Prevalence of the Problem

The American Cancer Society (ACS) states that almost 4,000 young people under the age of 18 try smoking for the first time each day.

About one-third of children and teens who smoke will die before their time of cancer, emphysema or another condition related to smoking.

Fortunately, public education and negative social attitudes toward smoking have had a positive effect on young people. The popularity of smoking has declined since the 1990s, and fewer adolescents than ever are picking up cigarettes.

Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used in the United States by teens as well as adults. The growing belief by young people that marijuana is a safe drug may be the result of recent public discussions about medical marijuana and the public debate over the drug’s legal status

·      Some teens believe marijuana cannot be harmful because it is “natural.” But not all natural plants are good for you—take tobacco, for example.

These functions are the ones most affected by marijuana:

·      Learning and memory

·      Coordination

·      Judgment

Effects on health:

•       Increased heart rate

•       Respiratory (lung and breathing) problems

•       Increased risk for mental health problems

•       Increased risk of problems for an unborn baby