FCYU-Feature Story

What Drugs Do to You
(Even the legal ones)

To understand more about how drugs affect teenagers, we interviewed Dr. James A. Hall, a professor of pediatrics and behavioral health at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. Hall has spent many years researching teenage drug use.

Q: How do I know if I have a problem with drugs or alcohol?

A: There are several warning signs that drug dependence is destroying your ability to live a healthy, happy life.

If you drink or use drugs when you’re alone, can’t trust yourself to get through certain situations without having to use, or can’t remember things that happened when you were high, you should seek help.

If your drug use and hangovers cause problems for you at work or in school (being late, getting loaded instead of studying, falling behind, or getting kicked out), you are also on dangerous ground.

Another sign you are in trouble is when drugs begin destroying your relationships: Your friends or foster parents are on your back about your temper, mood swings, unreliability or inability to pay attention and stay alert. Or you lie to people about what you’ve been doing and prefer getting high to being with people who care about you.

You need help if you have to get high in order to feel good or have fun, or if you turn to pills, pot or alcohol after fights or confrontations to calm down or feel better.

Building up a tolerance is also sign of physical addiction: When you need more and more of something in order to get the same effect, you are getting addicted.

Q: Are foster youth at greater risk for abusing substances than other teens?

A: Yes. Family troubles increase the risk that a teen will turn to drugs or alcohol to manage his or her feelings of loss, rejection and pain. Also, many youth in care have parents or caretakers who used drugs. Having a role model who abuses drugs or alcohol increases the risk that you will copy that behavior.

Q: What’s so bad about smoking weed or popping pills like cold medicines?

A: Adolescence is a time when you figure out who you are as an individual in society. You go from having external controls (other people telling you what to do) to internal controls (making decisions and thinking things through for yourself). Kids who are on drugs—even marijuana—can’t handle these challenges very well because they aren’t able to figure out their problems and interpret the world with a clear head.

If you spend a lot of time smoking, you will have delays in learning how to cope with life and how to solve problems, and be slower in developing the confidence and skills you need to overcome the obstacles every adult encounters. When you come down, all the same problems are still there.

Also, many studies show marijuana use interferes with learning. You’re slower to understand and respond to things when you’re high and get really bad at remembering things. This makes it more difficult to do well in school, to keep yourself safe and to analyze situations so you can make good decisions.

Even over-the-counter medications can be harmful if you’re taking more than you’re supposed to take, or taking them for a reason other than the problem that the medicines are designed to help. (Like, if you’re taking cold medicine when you don’t have a cold!) Many over-the-counter drugs can be every bit as dangerous as street drugs if you take too much.

Q: What’s the difference between taking street drugs and the medications doctors prescribe?

A: Lots of teenagers do street drugs or use over-the-counter drugs because they have an underlying condition such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or a learning disorder. They medicate themselves to get more energy, to focus or concentrate, or to feel calmer or happier.

The problem is that illegal drugs have many unpredictable side effects that can make you extremely sick. Also, you are likely to build up a tolerance—if you stop using them, you crash. Reality can become unbearable and withdrawal can be agony.

Drugs that your doctor prescribes are better because their effects are more predictable. Scientists have tested them for purity and quality, established safe dosage amounts, and their side effects are known. Also, the doctor monitors your consumption to make sure the drugs are working right and that you don’t take too much.

It’s a bad idea to take illegal or over-the-counter drugs if you are already on antidepressants or other psychiatric medications. Combining these substances can make you very sick.

(Reprinted from the May/June 2005 issue of Represent.)