Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Preferred Drugs of Youth and Children
By Emily Battaglia
According to a report by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), a key component of preventing and treating drug addiction is to educate people about the most common illicit drugs used by youth and children, how to identify them, signs of use, and the effects. Information for three of the most commonly used substances – alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine – is given below:
Alcohol goes by many names, especially among youth. These names include juice, cold ones, brewskies, poison, booze, hooch, sauce, as well as many others. Common signs of alcohol use include an odor on breath, nausea, vomiting, headaches, change in behavior or moods, and lack of concentration. The effects and/or dangers of alcohol abuse include addiction, death, permanent brain damage, physical and mental health problems, risky sexual behaviors, physical violence, drunk and/or dangerous driving, suicide, and depression. According to recent research, approximately 81 percent of youth drink alcohol, approximately 12.6 million people (over age 12) are heavy drinkers, and 25 percent of 8th graders have been drunk at least once.
Marijuana, the second most commonly used substance by children and youth, is referred to as pot, herb, grass, weed, Mary Jane, Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, gangster, kif, ganja, Texas tea, Maui wowie, chronic, and at least 200 others. Marijuana contains over 400 chemicals and is most often smoked. It may be green, brown, or gray in color and appear as dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers. Signs of use include an odor on clothes or in the room, frequent use of incense or deodorizers to mask the smell, frequent use of eye drops (to alleviate bloodshot eyes), changes in sleeping habits, drug paraphernalia, anger, hostility, fatigue, and withdrawal from interaction.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug; approximately 76 percent of illicit drug users use marijuana. Approximately 47 percent of high school seniors have use marijuana. A study conducted in Sweden found that long-term use of marijuana can increase the risk of serious mental illness. Marijuana users have also been found to be 104 percent more likely to use cocaine than non-marijuana users.
Cocaine/crack is also known as coke, C, snow, flake, powder, sugar, nose candy, rock, base or blow. Cocaine is ingested as a fine, white powder that is snorted, sniffed, or injected. Crack is derived from cocaine, more highly addictive, and is smokable. Signs of use include irritability, mood disturbances, paranoia, and hearing things (auditory hallucinations). Both cocaine and crack are highly addictive, can cause heart distress (such as rhythm disturbance or even cardiac arrest), chest pain, respiratory failure, strokes, seizures, headache, abdominal pain, and nausea. A study conducted in 1999 found that at least 9.8 percent of high school seniors and 4 percent of 8th graders had used cocaine at least one time.
