How Substance Abuse Mental Health Affect Young Teenagers

Introduction

Health is very important to all of us. When we are in ill health, we do not feel as happy, we cant get as much done, our thinking is clouded and we just don't enjoy life as much. Anyone can fall into ill health at any time especially if they are not taking care of themselves. Eating healthy, drinking lots of water, exercising, reducing stress and eliminating unhealthy habits are certainly great things to do to prevent ill health but it will not guarantee that you do not fall ill.

One aspect of health that many people do not seem to think as much about is mental health, particularly substance abuse mental health. Anyone can suffer from mental health problems at any time but certainly substance abuse carries a real risk for a lot of people, especially teenagers. A young person may think they are only drinking a little bit once and a while or just trying a certain drug once in a blue moon, but the risk of addiction is there and with addiction comes mental health problems. Below is some information on how substance abuse mental health affects young teenagers.

History

While it is inevitable that teenagers will experiment with alcohol and a smaller percentage of them will experiment with drugs, a surprising number of these teens find themselves in trouble. Binge drinking, alcoholism, dependency on drugs and physical health problems are just some of the problems that can arise from teenage substance abuse but substance abuse mental health is a rising concern and one that is affecting all areas of society and is getting worse in recent years.

A teen may not notice that they are having substance abuse mental health problems because they are too young to know what is happening, they may not noticing what is happening or they may just not care what is happening because whatever substance it is that has a hold on them is clouding their judgment. That is why it is important that parents and teachers and other influential people in a teens life know the symptoms and signs of problems that are already occurring or may be developing. Some signs of substance abuse mental health include:

• Change in attitude
• Failing grades in school
• Not remembering things that they used to remember
• Not as knowledgeable or intelligent as they were just a short while ago
• Slurred speech
• Violent outbursts
• Uncaring or non-empathic attitude
• Has stopped caring about thing they once cared about

Features

Substance abuse mental health can affect people of all ages but it is particularly troubling with teenagers because their bodies, in particular their brains, are still developing and they have not reached peak intelligence or physical development yet. Most addictive substances affect the whole body but it is the brain that is affected the most. Most times brain damage of this nature is irreversible which means any substance abuse mental health problems may be permanent. This could mean that a teenager who once has a lot of promise and may have gone on to great things such as a university degree or high-paying job may find themselves unable to cope with such things and may find themselves living a life they never thought they would or worse, not being able to work or support themselves at all.

Alcohol has been known to kill off brain cells, reduce memory and brain function, slow down response times and cause someone to act completely out of character. Long-term use has long-term and permanent effects on many parts of the body. Drugs are more damaging in a lot of ways because certain ones are known to cause substance abuse mental health problems such as bipolar, depression and schizophrenia and this can happen after only one bad hit or just a couple.

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