Teens Misuse Prescription Drugs As Early As High School - New Report

A new study conducted by the University of Michigan Medical School reveals that drug use among teenagers do not actually peak when they are in college. Apparently, this happens earlier. The latest finding said that kids begin to experiment with prescription drugs and other stimulants at an alarming age falling between 16 to 19 years old, according to Drug Discover and Development Magazine.

These high school kids resort to these substances in order to perform better at school. It's a behavior that has been previously associated with college students. As the data from the study show, however, at least one percent of teens at 16 years old begin to take prescription drugs like Ritalin, which is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They take the drugs to cope with school demands, or achieve a sense of euphoria, or get over a hangover.

The study was conducted through an anonymous survey of 240,000 young adults and teenagers and also made use of data gathered by the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration from 2004 to 2012, according to Psych Central.

The researchers conclude that having an education program regarding substance abuse must now begin in middle school to prevent this problem from escalating. The kids should be taught about the risks of drug dependency or its side effects like hallucinations, suicide and sudden death.

Schools and doctors are recommended to take an active part in the intervention during adolescence as impressionable young people are easily misled. Parents, on the other, hand should also be monitoring the medical supply at home, and be on alert for hints of substance abuse.

"We need to have a realistic understanding of when young people are beginning to experiment with stimulants, so we can prevent them from misusing for the first time," said Elizabeth Austic, one of the study's authors. "To prevent someone from using for the first time is often more cost efficient and effective than trying to intervene once they have done it, whether a few times or for years," Austic added.

Education about these stimulants are mostly focused among college students, the study also said, but as Austic and her team has learned, the rate of users between the ages of 20 to 21 are almost the same as those in their teens.  "People have been thinking this is a college problem, but they just don't realize how prevalent it is at younger ages," reiterated Austic.

The whole study will be published in the July issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence report.