Is Your Teenager Using Illegal Street Drugs? I Started at 15, Here's My Advice

In the early 1970's rock 'n' roll and drugs were just the "way of life" as some would call it. With Woodstock and many other rock 'n' roll events, people gathered in groups to share their love for the type of music and to get what they called "wasted and blazed." Back then though, it was more of an adult recreation. Today for some, including young teenagers, it is a hardcore addiction. The most commonly used drug among teenagers is marijuana, and has been for years. It is one of the cheapest highs out there many teens would say. A new recent report shows that kids are turning away from illegal "street" drugs, but now have resorted to "popping pills." This has become a great concern for many parents, and has become so widely abused that it has even been presented in front of the president. They are taking prescription RX pain relievers (vicoden, lortab, oxycotin,etc.) and also taking Over The Counter (OTC) cold remedies to get high.

What some do not realize is the more common uses of drugs that can cause very deadly results. For instance, let's view the illegal street drug Cocaine. According to the Holistic Addiction Treatment Center, Inc., ( you can view information on how to treat cocaine addiction) 1.5 million Americans in 1997 age 12 and older were not just users they state, but CHRONIC abusers of cocaine. In 1985 the tally was up to 5.7 million. Of course in the late 1970's and into the 1980's was when there were huge drug cartels where cocaine was shipped by the kilo from Columbia into the United States. Cocaine abuse is on the decline luckily but is still used quite often, and more and more teenagers are using it.

Another drug that has caused quite a scare all throughout America is Methamphetamines. "Meth,"which is a short term for the drug, is a stimulant which speeds up the human body and the brain. It is produced in pill form, powder form, and even in big chunks that look like glass, which is called "ice". It is made by the people who abuse it. Basically, if you take your cleaning supplies from underneath your sink and some of your auto supplies from your garage and mix them all together you'll have methamphetamine. The danger to this is that these abusers are not scientists and the stuff they are messing with his highly explosive and could blow up an entire house at anytime. When these abusers make methamphetamine or "ice" it is called a "meth lab." Meth makes you full of energy. Some users state that it makes you feel like superman, like no task is impossible, when your on meth.

There are many other drugs that are being abused by teenagers, but the truth is no matter what drug it is, we as American Parents and Society need it to stop. There have been many attempts by the Federal Government, Local Schools, and the Criminal Justice Departments to stop the use of drugs in our youth. Such as these is the program D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) which was founded in 1983 by Los Angeles. It has has great results in many schools. There are many other programs that have been set up by individual schools. The most important thing you can do as the parent of a drug abuser is talk to them. If you just watch them day in an day out get high and destroy their lives, then you are just as much to blame as them. It is time for parents to stand up, stop worrying about whether or not your kid is going to hate you. Because honestly, yes at first they will hate you, but it is when they heal and get into rehab and clean their self's up and when they remember how good life was that they will thank you for what you did. There are many stories of what could happen to your child if you don't act now. Some of these stories are:

As you can see it can happen anywhere at anytime. Read books on how to stop and how to notice if your teen is using drugs. Take classes, look into programs like D.A.R.E and search for others. The youth has been using illegal drugs for years and they are dieing out there. It is time we try and put a stop to it. Our youth deserves more than death in some ditch somewhere, let's fight back.