Cannabis is the most popular drug for young people, and the teenage use of cannabis has halved and the use of cocaine or ecstasy has reduced by 30 per cent. These are good news, in fact we can say that teenagers today are less likely to use drugs than the young people of the past. This is demonstrated by a research that shows in 2016 twenty two percent of teenagers said they had tried an illegal drug, compared to thirty seven percent of teens in 2001.
Different substances act in different ways on the brain and often fit into three categories: stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens.
The stimulants excite, or speed up, the brain and its functions: Use of stimulants can cause increased energy, faster breathing, more rapid heartbeat and higher body temperature. Depressants inhibit, or slow down the brain and the body. Use of depressants can cause lowered energy, slowed breathing, slowed heart rate and lower body temperature. Hallucinogens impair the brain and the body’s perception of reality. Use of hallucinogens can cause delusional thoughts, bizarre physical motions, and the experience of sights, sounds, tastes. and sensations that are not there.
Now we are going to see some long-term effects of chronic marijuna use (that is, like i said before the most popular drug). They are impaired problem solving, arrested emotional development, difficulty with memory recall. disruptive, chronic and persistent lack of motivation, increased risk of mental health disorders other than addiction, including: mood disorders, anxiety disorders and psychotic disorders. If these effects were known by the teenagers, probably, the use of drugs would decrease, and for this reason young people should be more informed on this theme by the adults.
Adolescents experiment with drugs or continue taking them for several reason, including:
- to fit in: many teens use drugs because others are doing it and they fear not being accepted in a social circle
- to feel good: abused drugs interact with the neurochemistry of the brain to produce feelings of pleasure. The intensity of this euphoria differs by the type of drug and how it is used.
- to feel better: some adolescents suffer from depression, social anxiety and physical pain. Using drugs may be an attempt to lessen these feelings of distress. Stress especially plays a significant role in starting and continuing drug use as well as returning to drug use for those recovering from an addiction.
- to do better: ours is a very competitive society, in which the pressure to perform athletically and academically can be intense. Some adolescents may turn to certain drugs like illegal or prescription stimulants because they think those substances will enhance or improve their performance.
- to experiment: adolescents are often motivated to seek new experiences, particularly those they perceive as thrilling or daring.
It is important to teach your son or daughter about alternative ways to feel better, like, for example, doing sports, spending time with them doing activities they like and doing some walks in nature.
Giorgia Peroni 3AL
