Abuse and addiction of alcohol and other drugs can lead to major issue in a society causing problems at home with families, at work, in the community and one self. Examples are:
- Breakdown of relationships
- Decrease in self-care
- Inability to attend classes/do school work
- Inability to work
- Financial problems
- Illegal behavior (fighting, stealing)
- Underage violence on the rise.
- Contribute to significant accidents in and outside work.
- Drinking & Driving is common.
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- Psychiatric and other medical risks and illness
- suicide/death
TEENAGERS and ADOLESCENCE are more at risk
This is the time when most substance abuse occurs, and where people start forming their first addictions because of the following reasons:
- Escape from reality for a while
- peer pressure and so to fit in with a group of friends.
- Risk-taking, curiosity
- Want to be independent
- Just boredom
- Psychiatric /social problems (ADHD)
- Family issues, Bad parenting
- Need to obtain money for drugs – engage in sexual activity, predators, stealing, prison, suicide/death, etc.
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While we as parent are so busy as ever increasing demanding world. We need to make effort to be on the look for signs of abuse and addiction. These include:
- Loss of interest in school
- changing friends (to hang out with kids who use drugs)
- become moody, negative, cranky or worried all the time
- ask to be left alone a lot
- have trouble concentrating or sleep a lot (maybe even in class)
- gets into fights
- significant weight loss
- recurrent red or puffy eyes, unexplained coughing at all times and a runny nose all of the time
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