Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse (Link 1 2 & 3)

• What risks are associated with substance abuse?
Substance abuse often results in physical & mental  health damage, ruined relationships, increased illegal activity, slowed progression in school, work, & other activities, and communities and neighborhoods are endangered.

• What does Figure 1 graph show?
For link 1 it shows that the primary substances abused for older adolescents (15-17 years) are marijuana, alcohol, and stimulants/other drugs. In link 2 it showed that about 40% of adolescents perceived great risk from binging on alcohol and low alcohol binging rates.

• Were these results surprising to you? Why or why not?
I think it surprised me a little to know that so many teens thought that binging alcohol brought great risk, because so many teens take part of substance abuse.

• Why do you think males are more likely to abuse marijuana than females? (Link 2)
Because less percentage of men adolescents perceive great risk from taking marijuana than girls.

• At what age would you think most teens are likely to have their first illegal substance use?
In link 1 it said that over half of teens first took drugs when they were 14 or younger and didn't really do substance abuse until they were 15 or older.

• What does Figure 3 say?
On link 1 it says the ages at which teens first took drugs, with 14 years-old being the highest and age 17 the lowest. But it also says that some kids 9 years or younger was when they first took drugs.

• Are you surprised by this? Why or why not?
I was a little surprised that even 12 year-olds were affected by the pressure or surrounded by other drug abusers so much that they took it themselves. I was even more surprised to see that for some of them their first drug usage was when they were kids. It surprised me because I didn't think that kids would consider taking drugs; that they were too innocent to think about it.