Are you aware of the effects drugs have on teens? Drugs is a serious topic that captures the attention of those who are concerned with their own well being as well as kids and teens that have subdue to them. Teens beginning at the age of twelve to eighteen take drugs for their own personal reasons. Some teens might take drugs because they want to feel more mature, they believe if they do drugs they will be accepted by their peers or there might be a personal problem and they think turning to drugs will help the problem. Teens take drugs to relieve stress, to relax and feel good and/or to put emphasis on a situation.

The most common types of drugs most teenagers take are; amphetamines/ methamphetamines, is a prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD) in adults and children; inhalants, drugs that are inhaled as a gas, vapor, or aerosol; marijuana, cigarette smoking, and cocaine. When teens take these drugs they don’t realize how it will affect them in the future.

Taking amphetamines/ methamphetamines may cause the consumer to become paranoid, irritable, violent, or in some cases have a stroke. There are effects for marijuana like impaired memory, anxiety, panic attacks, and symptoms of chronic bronchitis, daily coughing and phlegm. Inhalants’ effects are memory loss, increased heart rate, nausea/vomiting, and lethargy.

Some teens think that teens should not smoke like 9th grader Victoria Coates and 10th grader Karen Tobon who both say “No” to drugs. There are others that love drugs. “I love drugs,” said Douglas Coates, 10.

You can tell a teen is on drugs because they might look stressed, gained or lost a lot of weight, sleep habits have changed, dropped out of school or doesn’t come as regularly.