Causes for Substance Abuse and Addiction

Being a teenager and raising a teenager are individually, and collectively, enormous challenges. For many teens, illicit substance use and abuse have become part of the landscape of their teenage years. Although most adolescents who use drugs do not progress to become drug abusers or struggle with addiction in adulthood, drug use in adolescence is a very risky proposition. Even small degrees of adolescent substance abuse can have negative consequences. Typically, school and relationships, notably family relationships, are among the life areas that are most influenced by drug use and abuse.

There are numerous causes of adolescent drug use and addiction. Certain circumstances have been identified as risk factors for developing a drug habit at an early age. There is no single cause of adolescent drug problems. Drug abuse develops over time. It does not start as full-blown abuse or addiction. There are different pathways or routes to the development of a troubled teen's drug problems, but there are certainly factors that help to increase the chances of a teen's participation in drug use. These factors include lack of supervision and communication in the home, peer pressure, the media, and the availability of the drugs being used.

Talk With Your Teen About Drug Use

Whether the causes of teen drug use come from genetics, family, or community, it is important to talk with your teen about drug use before it happens and seek help for teens who have already started experimenting. The earlier one seeks help for their troubled teen's behavioral or drug problems, the better. There are many treatment options for teenagers that are struggling with drug abuse. If you are the parent or loved one of a teenage drug addict and are seeking help for him/her, it is important that you make note of any other mental and/or physical illnesses that they may have, as treatment for both their addiction and other illnesses will be of greater success in their road to recovery.

Our professionals at Therapy Insider specialize in placing troubled teens and troubled young adults into treatment facilities that suit the needs of each. At Therapy Insider, our professionals are dedicated to hearing your story and providing you with a treatment option that will be of the greatest benefit to the troubled teen and his/her family. Therapy Insider is here to help.

To read more about the causes, signs, and symptoms, and treatment for addiction (whether a substance addiction or a behavioral addiction); see our about addiction page.