The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA, knows that many teenagers are doing, what they shouldn’t be doing. They combined the data on a number of surveys, including the National Survey on Drug Use, which uses in-depth interviews of more than 60,000 people, to arrive at the following shocking data about teenagers in the U.S.A. Today for the first time in their lives: nearly 8,000 adolescents drank alcohol, 4,300 adolescents used an illicit drug, 4,000 smoked cigarettes, 3,600 adolescents used marijuana, and 2,500 youngsters abused pain relievers. According to reports, these statistics for first time users are valid on any given day.

What about those teenagers in the U.S.A. who are not first time users, what are their statistics? On any given day according to the SAMHSA report, nearly 1.2 million teenagers smoked cigarettes, 631,000 drank, 586,000 teenagers used marijuana, nearly 50,000 used inhalants, 27,000 used hallucinogens, 13,000 teenagers used cocaine, and 3,800 used heroin. To put that into perspective in 2006 one out of every three U.S. adolescents aged 12 to 17 drank alcohol and one in every five used an illicit drug.

Why do so many teenagers try alcohol and drugs everyday or keep using them? Some of the reasons include curiosity, to feel good, to reduce stress, to feel grown up, or to fit in. Issues that increase the risk for developing serious alcohol and drug problems include a family history of substance abuse; depression, low self-esteem, and feeling like you don’t fit in.

Children who have been adopted at an older age typically fit most of these high-risk profiles. Therefore as adoptive parents of older children, we need to be especially aware of these statistics. Another study showed that each adverse childhood experience, ACE, increased the likelihood for early drug and alcohol initiation two to four fold. Each time your adopted child changed caregivers, or suffered abuse, the risk would increase.

Some of the warning signs of teenage alcohol and drug abuse may include:

Physical: lasting fatigue, repeated health complaints, red and dull eyes, and a steady cough.
Emotional: personality change, sudden mood changes, irresponsible behavior, low self-esteem, poor judgment, depression, and a general lack of interest.
Family: starting arguments, breaking rules, or withdrawing from the family.
School: decreased interest, negative attitude, drop in grades, many absences, truancy, and discipline problems.
Social problems: new friends who are less interested in standard home and school activities, problems with the law, and changes to less conventional styles in dress and music.

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