Dependency on alcohol and other drugs was once thought of as a moral problem. The addict was looked upon as a weak-willed individual who did not care about other people or even himself or herself. Today, of course, medical doctors, the clergy, and other professionals realize that chemical dependency is a disease which responds to treatment.

Addiction is a pathological relationship with a mood or mind-altering substance or behavior which renders one powerless and produces harmful consequences. The addicted person is often the last to accept the disease concept. But parents, spouses, and other people close to the addict are slow in identifying the disorder as an illness. This is because they, too, are simply too involved emotionally with the disease process. Addictions do not exist in a vacuum.

The American Medical Association has given formal recognition to the disease concept since 1956. Their recognizing alcoholism and other drug addiction as an illness implies several things:

The illness can be described.
The course of the illness is predictable and progressive.
The disease is primary – that is, it is not just a symptom of some other underlying disorder.
It is permanent.
It is terminal. If left untreated, it results in insanity or premature death.

from: http://www.sosdallas.com/addiction.htm

1. Alcohol kills 6.5 times more youth than all other illicit drugs combined.
2. Traffic crashes are the greatest single cause of death for all persons age 6–33. About 45% of these fatalities are alcohol-related crashes.
3. More than 60% of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school.
4. Crystal Meth has become the most dangerous drug problem of small town America. Kids between 12 and 14 that live in smaller towns are 104% more likely to use meth than those who live in larger cities.
5. Youth who drink alcohol are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than young people who never drink alcohol.
6. About 64% of teens (12-17) who have abused pain relievers say they got them from friends or relatives, often without their knowledge.
7. While rates of illicit drug use are declining, the rate of prescription drug use remains high. 15.4% of HS seniors reported non-medical use of at least one prescription medication within the past year.
8. In 2006, more than 2.1 million teens abused prescription drugs.
9. Around 28% of teens know a friend or classmate who has used ecstasy, with 17% knowing more than one user.
10. By the 8th grade, 52% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 41% have smoked cigarettes, and 20% have used marijuana.
11. Teenagers whose parents talk to them regularly about the dangers of drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don’t, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.

Sources:
US Dept. of Justice Statistics
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base Prescription for Danger

posted from: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-shocking-facts-about-teens-and-drug-use