Decades of “just say no” and other campaigns have had teen drug and alcohol use on the decline… until now.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the MetLife Foundation sponsored a survey of teens in grades nine (high school freshman) through twelve (high school senior). More than 3,200 teens returned anonymous questionnaires about drug use, alcohol use, and other risky behaviors.
Both alcohol and marijuana use are up from 2008. Thirty-nine percent of teens reported drinking alcohol in 2009 — up from thirty-five percent in 2008. That works out to nearly six million teens across America. A quarter of teens surveyed reported using marijuana — up from nineteen percent in 2008. Another drug on the rise? Ecstacy. Six percent of teens surveyed had used the party drug in 2009 — up from four percent in 2008.
Teens are still abusing prescription medications, too. Cough medications and prescription pain relievers were the top two prescription medications showing up on the anonymous survey.
Prior to 2009, drug and alcohol use rates had been on a steady decline since 1988. At that time, nearly fifty percent of teens used alcohol and nearly thirty percent smoked pot.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America fears that this is just the beginning of a bad trend. It’s not unusual to see an increase in recreational drugs like alcohol and marijuana prior to an increase in use of harder drugs.
Talk to your children early and often about drug and alcohol abuse. Set ground rules and stick with them — like not allowing drugs or alcohol into the house. Monitor your children closely — know where they are and who they are with. Make sure you meet their friends.
If you suspect that your child is using recreational drugs, get help. Talk to a health care professional (like your doctor) or a mental health professional. Don’t turn a blind eye, or assume that your children won’t get into trouble. It can happen to anyone.