Drug Use in Teenagers and Young Adults
Recently my friend came home to find her thirteen-year-old and his friends smoking cannabis in their backyard. I didn’t know whether to dismiss it to my friend as kids being kids or express my concern that he was quite young and she should monitor the situation carefully. This kid goes to a GPS school and was raised ‘in a good home’. It made me wonder, how prevalent drug taking is in teenagers and what can be done to steer young adults and teenagers away from drugs.
Prevalence of drugs in teens and young adults
Alcohol remains the most common misused drug for people aged 12 to 17 years with approximately ten percent consuming alcohol at a dangerous age at least once a year (ABC, 2018). The age of initiation is 14.8 years.
In regards to illicit drugs, the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 25% of people had tried illicit drugs by the time they were 19 with the average age of first-time illicit drug use being 19.8 years. Cannabis is the most common illicit drug used by young adults. Curiosity and peer influence were the largest factor contributing for teenagers to try drugs in the first place.
The chart below shows the prevalence of drug use in Australia in 2016 for people 14 years and older.
Source: The Conversation
What can a parent do?
A World Health Organization study (2000) found that teenagers who have difficulty communicating with their parents are likely to drink dangerous levels of alcohol more often than adolescents who have good communication with parents. This is not to say that those with close relationships with their parents are immune but some frequent tips that kept appearing in my research included:
- Foster a close relationship with your teenager and have open and honest discussions about drugs – keep yourself informed and don’t exaggerate statistics to your teenager
- Encourage your teenager to have more than one group of friends – e.g. join a sports team
- Encourage a healthy lifestyle including exercise regularly and eat well – the parents should practice what they preach
- Don’t drink excessively in front of your kids
No matter how much drug education there is, some teenagers curiosity will take over.
While ecstasy use has been on decline since 2004 it is still quite popular with young adults in their twenties. There has been a lot of press in NSW over this past summer due to deaths at festivals. Despite a presence of sniffer dogs, it appears that the deterrent is not working.
You may not think your child takes drugs, you may agree or disagree with sniffer dog presence and you may agree or disagree with pill testing. Whatever your stance is, it is likely that your teen or one or more of their friends has taken illicit drugs. The next step then is, what happens if your teenager or your friend’s teenager gets caught for possession or even supply? Seek legal advice through defence lawyers such as Sydney Criminal Lawyers. They can be found at https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/. For teenagers or young adults struggling with substance use, accessing professional rehabs in Melbourne can provide the structured support and guidance needed for recovery.
This teenager, you unwittingly know, that takes drugs will likely come ‘from a good home.’ My advice through researching this article is don’t become complacent, model a healthy lifestyle and keep an open dialogue and seek legal advice if required.
Sources:
