Ill Effects of Substance Abuse

Awareness Sessions at LMHSS, Amaravila

Ratheesh handling the session

CHILDLINE Trivandrum conducted an awareness session on Ill Effects of Substance Abuse Issues among children.

Key Points:

Substance use among adolescents ranges from experimentation to severe substance use disorders. All substance use, even experimental use, puts adolescents at risk of short-term problems, such as accidents, fights, unwanted sexual activity, and overdose. Substance use also interferes with adolescent brain development. Adolescents are vulnerable to the effects of substance use and are at increased risk of developing long-term consequences, such as mental health disorders, underachievement in school, a substance use disorder, and higher rates of addiction, if they regularly use alcohol, cannabis (marijuana), nicotine, or other drugs during adolescence.

substance use is an easy way for adolescents to satisfy the normal developmental need to take risks and seek thrills. Not surprisingly, substance use is common as adolescents get older, and many adolescents will try alcohol before high school graduation. Recurring or ongoing substance use is much less common, but even occasional substance use is risky and should not be trivialized, ignored, or allowed by adults. Parental attitudes and the examples that parents set regarding their own use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, and other substances are a powerful influence.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a mixed impact on adolescent substance use. During stay-at-home periods, the rate of adolescents who started to use substances decreased, but, at the same time, the rate of heavy use increased because some adolescents who were already using substances increased their use as a mechanism for coping with stress.

The substances that are used most by adolescents are alcohol, nicotine and cannabis.

For most children, adolescence is a period of good physical health. The most common problems during adolescence relate to

• School
• Growth and development
• Childhood illnesses that continue into adolescence
• Mental health disorders
• Consequences of risky or illegal behaviors (including injury, legal consequences, pregnancy, substance use disorders, and infectious diseases)