teenage dependency

If your thinking about using drugs and you’re in your teens you should consider that your brain is changing. The brain is re-wiring itself. It is organizing itself to be useful to you. It is prioritizing the data and the bits that aren’t being used are being archived. This way the brain can be more effective and process for you faster. Drugs will have an impact on this re-wiring and confuse the brain so that it may not now what is relevant and what needs archiving.

Reasons why people start using drugs can include:

• to escape problems they may be having in other parts of their life
• peer pressure and fitting in with another group of people
• being curious about the effects of drugs

Becoming dependent on drugs can affect your family relationships and friends. It can also have a serious impact on your own physical and mental well-being.

Drug overdoses can be fatal, and you can die instantly from misusing drugs that you can buy over the counter. This includes things like aerosols, glues and other solvents.

Don’t feel under pressure to try drugs if you don’t want to. Because the effects of drugs can be much greater in crowded and busy places, don't take anything if you're surrounded by large numbers of people.

If someone who has taken drugs is showing unusual symptoms or seems to be in distress, they may have had an allergic reaction to a drug or they may have overdosed.

Behaviours to look for;

• changes in school performance (falling grades, skipping school, tardiness)
• changes in peer group (hanging out with drug-using, antisocial, older friends)
• breaking rules at home, school, in the community
• extreme mood swings, depression, irritability, anger, negative attitude
• sudden increases or decreases in activity level
• withdrawal from the family; keeping secrets
• changes in physical appearance (weight loss, lack of cleanliness, strange smells)
• red, watery, glassy eyes or runny nose not due to allergies or cold
• changes in eating or sleeping habits
• lack of motivation or interest in things other teenagers enjoy (hobbies, sports)
• lying, stealing, hiding things
• using street or drug language or possession of drug paraphernalia/items
• dizziness
• sickness or nausea
• sudden tiredness
• headaches
• muscle cramps and aches
• irregular breathing
• heavy slurring of speech