1        Drug Abuse

• Drugs increases a person's chances of developing addiction.
• Drugs can cause many mental problems to your brain.
• Preventing early use of drugs or alcohol may go a long way in reducing these types of risks.
• Preventing young people from experimenting with drugs, this will prevent early drug addiction.
• Risk of drug abuse increases greatly during times of transition.

           1        Drug Abuse

• Drug abuse may cause alot of side effects.
• Like for and adult, a divorce or loss of a job may lead to drug abuse.
• For a teenager, risky times include moving or changing schools.
• In early adolescence, when children advance from elementary through middle school, they face a new and challenging social and cigarettes and alcohol for the first time.

           1        Drug Abuse

• Often during this period, children are exposed to abusable substances such as cigarettes and alcohol for the first time.
• When children enter school, they will encounter a greater availability of drugs and alcohol.
• Many behaviors that are a normal aspect of their development, such the desire to try new things or take greater risks, may increase teen tendencies to experiment with drugs.

           1        Drug Abuse

• Some teens may give in to the urging of drug-using friends to share the experience with them.
• Others think that taking drugs will improve their appearance or their athletic performance or that abusing substances such as alcohol or MDMA will ease their anxiety in social situations.
• Growing number of teensare abusing prescription ADHD stimulants such as Adderall to help them study or lose weight.

           1        Drug Abuse

• Using abusable substanceswat this age can disrupt brain function in areas critical to motivation, memory, learning, judgement, and behavior control.
• Not surprisingly that teens who use alcohol and other drugs often have family and social problems, poor academic performance, health-related problems, and involvement with the juvenile justice system.
• National drug use surveys to indicate some children are already abusing drugs by age 12 or 13.
• The programs have been rationally designed based on current scientific evidence, rigorously tested, and shown to produce positive results.

           1        Drug Abuse

• Scientist have developed a broad range of programs that positively alter the balance between risk and protective factors for drug abus in families, schools, and communities.
• Studies have shown that research-based programs can significantly reduce early use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs.
• These prevention programs work to boost protective factors and eliminate or reduce risk factors for drug use.
• Programs are designed for various ages and can be designed for individual or group settings, such as the school and home.

           1        Drug Abuse

• There are three types of progams: 

1. Universial programs
2. Selective programs
3. Indicated programs

• When research-based substance use prevention programs are properly implemented by schools and communities, use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs is reduce.
• These programs help teachers, parents, and health care professionals shape youths' perceptions about the risk of substance use.