Adolescent Substance Abuse And Addiction
Many people often confuse substance abuse with addiction and use these terms interchangeably. However, these are two different terms. There is a slight but significant difference between substance abuse and addiction. Substance abuse means use of drugs or toxic substances in an illegal way. A person can take drugs, alcohol or cigarettes occasionally, without getting addicted. However, an addiction begins as abuse. A person having an addiction has no control over the use of the substance. Someone can abuse substance without being addicted to it, but addiction starts with the abuse of the substance. Addicts start out by abusing the substance and they slowly get addicted by taking the substance regularly.
Substance addiction is a serious disorder characterized by uncontrollable and obsessive drug use. When a person gets addicted, he/she may feel an overwhelming desire to take the toxic substance even in the face of adverse consequences. Addiction can be physical and psychological. However, the route to addiction starts with experimentation. The curiosity to try out substance leads a person to take drugs, alcohol or consume prescribed addictive medications. A person also takes up drugs to reduce stress or simply out of peer pressure. Initially, the substance seems to make the person feel good, but regular use causes significant harm to mental and physical health of the addict.
However, as the addiction progresses, use of the addictive substance becomes more and more important. Drug abuse becomes a compulsive need for the addict. Urge to have the drug goes beyond the control of the addict. Drug abuse implies that the person implements his choice to abuse a substance. However, addiction implies a loss of choice. Drug abuse is only a step further on the path to addiction but it is no longer done for experimentation or recreational reasons. When the need for drug becomes irrepressible, it takes the form of addiction.
Although most people who start experimenting with drugs do not progress on to become drug abusers or addicts, it is important to pay attention to drug abuse since it contains within it the seeds of the compulsivity that can cause dependency and addiction. Even small degrees of substance abuse can have negative implications on the future of the person taking drugs. Continual patterns of drug use in a teenager are a sign of some problems in that adolescent's environment. One should pay attention to the behavior of the drug user and immediately address the problems.
Adolescent drugs abuse and addiction problems may arise either because of one factor or occur as a result of the combination of various factors. Substance abuse develops over time and does not start off as a full-blown abuse or addiction. It is a dangerous sign when substance abuse by a teenager becomes a part of the teen's daily life. Adolescent's increasing involvement with addictive substances is one step towards the development of serious addictive problems. To minimize the risks posed by substance abuse and addiction, adequate parental supervision and help from friends and family members are required. Rehabilitation centers can also help addicts to get over their addiction.