Teen Addictions: Dangers of Marijuana, Tobacco & Alcohol

Teen addictions are increasing drastically in the United States. Based on a recent study, there is 15 percent of teens engaging in substance abuse, and 15.5 percent of teens have smoked, while 30 percent of them tried drinking alcohol. Reportedly the most common teen addictions would likely include but not limited to the use and consumption of marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol.

An estimated of 9 percent of the Marijuana users become addictive to the cannabis, and its addiction level is higher among teens, with 1 in 6 users getting hooked to it. According to DrugAbuse, teens addicted to marijuana may harm their developing brain, lower IQ, and seriously impair the ability to drive safely, especially when combined with alcohol.

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco causes 480,000 premature deaths in the United States each year- both active and passive smokers-about 1 in every 5 U.S. deaths, or 1,300 deaths every day. Nearly 3,200 teens smoke their first cigarette every day. Smokeless tobacco teen user count is 490,000 with 85 percent male users and 15 percent females.

On the other hand, alcohol is experimented by teens at an early age. According to a national survey, more than half of young adults in the U.S. between the ages of 12 and 20 have consumed alcohol at least once. Among teens, the percentage of current drinkers is 15 percent of boys and 14 percent of girls). Adolescents who do not control themselves and start drinking alcohol at the age of 14 have six times more risk to develop alcohol problems than those who do not try until the legal drinking age.

Culture is playing a great role in increasing the dangers of addiction among teenagers, as parents provide artificial and virtual means to satisfy children's needs to make them happy and entertained. In the past, kids used to spend time outdoors playing games, attend different programs, etc. today, all kinds of artificial and external stimulation has ended up in making teens addictive to something or the other.