The use of both legal and illegal drugs among teenagers and young adults is widespread. Teenagers are likely to experiment, test boundaries and take risks. Smoking, drinking and trying drugs are some of the most common ways in which many young people do this.
Young Minds
Cannabis (marijuana/pot/dope/weed/grass/spliff) is the illegal drug most used by young people but there is also a long (and ever-changing) list of pills, powders, liquids and other substances that are taken into the body using a variety of different methods, with a variety of different effects.
The penalties for possession, use and dealing can be harsh so young people are usually careful to cover their tracks. Parents are also unlikely to be familiar with the language, not to mention the law, and the signs of misuse to look out for. It’s helpful to find out as much as you can.
Drugs have well-known generic names, such as cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms, but all of these are also known by a huge variety of other slang names. Parents might overhear some of these in their children’s conversations with friends.
Drug paraphernalia - equipment or material that can be used or modified for preparing and taking into the body ‘recreational’ drugs - includes tin foil and spoons (for heating), pipes and bongs (for smoking), rolled up banknotes (for snorting), and syringes (for injecting).
Parents might come across some of these items at home. Drugs can act as stimulants, depressants or hallucinogens, or a combination of these. They can make you feel more energised, confident, relaxed, ‘spaced out’, speeded up, slowed down and bring on a distorted perception of reality. They can be very harmful to both body and mind, especially in still-developing young people, affecting heart rate, organ function, temperature control, mood and mental health.
Child and adolescent smoking causes serious risks to respiratory health both in the short and long term. Children who smoke are two to six times more susceptible to coughs and increased phlegm, wheeziness and shortness of breath than those who do not smoke.7 Smoking impairs lung growth and initiates premature lung function decline which may lead to an increased risk of chronic obstructive lung disease later in life. The earlier children become regular smokers and persist in the habit as adults, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer or heart disease.8
Children who experiment with cigarettes can quickly become addicted to the nicotine in tobacco. Children may show signs of addiction within four weeks of starting to smoke and before they commence daily smoking.10 One US study found that smoking just one cigarette in early childhood doubled the chance of a teenager becoming a regular smoker by the age of 17.11 A UK study suggests that smoking a single cigarette is a risk indicator for children to become regular smokers up to three years later.12
In the 2016 survey of school-children in England, 47% of young people who have smoked for under one year say they would find it difficult to stop for one week compared to 70% for those who have smoked more than one year.4 During periods of abstinence, young people experience withdrawal symptoms similar to the kind experienced by adult smokers.7 13
Many of the adults in a child’s life drink alcohol regularly and there is often a ready supply of it in the home. Despite minimum age restrictions in shops and bars, young people often find ways of getting hold of alcohol and drinking with friends. This often involves drinking as much and as fast as they can. The average age that a young person first drinks alcohol is 13 years. There are a lot of risks particularly associated with under-age drinking: damage to liver and brain functions, mental health problems, physical problems such as headaches, poor sleep, weight fluctuations, aggression and violence, under age sex and subsequent STDs and teenage pregnancy, accidents, vulnerability and alcohol poisoning.
Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking – however, it is not risk-free. Vaping is not for children and young people, whose developing lungs and brains are more sensitive to its effects.
That's why there's a minimum age of sale for vaping products in the UK. It is illegal to sell nicotine vaping products to anyone under 18 or for adults to buy them on behalf of under-18s.
It is very difficult to know when exactly using drugs or alcohol is more than just ‘usual’. Addiction becomes more obvious when the young person spends most of their time thinking about, looking for or using drugs. Drugs or alcohol then become the focus of the young person’s life. They ignore their usual work, such as not doing their schoolwork, or stop doing their usual hobbies/ sports such as dancing or football. How do I know if there is a problem or addiction? Occasional use can be very difficult to detect. If the young person is using on a regular basis, their behaviour often changes. Look for signs such as:
unexplained moodiness
behaviour that is ‘out of character’
loss of interest in school or friends
unexplained loss of clothes or money
unusual smells and items like silver foil, needle covers Remember, the above changes can also mean other problems rather than using drugs
Reach - offers a FREE confidential drug and alcohol service for under 25’s who live in the county of Dorset.
We are with you - services support young people under 18 who are at risk of drug or alcohol misuse.
NHS Stop Smoking - Stop smoking services
Quit Vaping - Smoke free teen, resources to support quitting vaping.
Drugsand.me - Parents’ page has a range of advice for parents and carers on how to tackle conversations with kids about drugs, useful links and a downloadable version of their toolkit.
The Children’s Commissioner’s response to ‘Youth vaping: call for evidence’
Talk about Trust - The TALK ABOUT Trust is a small dedicated youth charity that works across the UK to ensure young people make safer choices around alcohol and other substances such as vaping and cannabis. The TALK ABOUT Trust supports young people age 11- 25 with advice, workshops and resources on a range of life choices via schools, children’s homes, pupil referral units, youth and sports clubs.
ASH - Resources on youth vaping.
Don't be a zombie - Information for young people on different types of substances including alcohol and resources for support.
TalktoFrank - Honest information about drugs and vaping.
Young Minds - guide of facts on drugs and alcohol, how they can affect mental health, and advice on what to do if you need support.
OKrehab - Drug & Alcohol Addiction Rehab
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