Drugs - Legal and Illegal

There are a variety of drugs that youth use, such as:

Socially Legal

• alcohol
• prescribed
• over-the-counter cough, cold, sleep, and diet medications
• inhalants (glues, aerosols, and solvents)

Socially Illegal

• stimulants (cocaine, crack, and speed)
• hallucinogens (LSD, PCP, Ecstasy, Mescaline, Magic Mushrooms)
• opiates (Heroin, Opium, Morphine)
• marijuana (pot)

Preventing substance abuse

"Family, peers, school, community, and society protect against substance abuse. For youth at risk, connection to these five interwoven domains clearly plays an important role in effective prevention efforts."

The national cross-site evaluation of high-risk youth programs. To learn more, visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services / Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website.

Also, for more prevention and intervention information, check out the web links in the Web Resources section below.

Some statistics

For the year 2005, results from the New Mexico Youth Risk & Resiliency Survey (YRRS) show that, for high school students:

Regarding alcohol

• 42.3% had a drink of alcohol within the past 30 days
• 28.6% had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row, that is, within a couple of hours, on one or more of the past 30 days
• 30% had their first drink of alcohol other than a few sips before age 13

Regarding marijuana

• 26.2% used marijuana one or more times during the past 30 days
• 18.3% tried marijuana for the first time before ages of 13 and 14

Regarding other drugs

• 33.5% were offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property by someone during the past 12 months
• 7.5% sniffed glue, breathed the contents of aerosol spray cans, or inhaled any paints or sprays to get high one or more times during the prior 30 days
• 7.9% used any form of cocaine, including powder, crack, or freebase one or more times during the prior 30 days
• 4.6% used methamphetamines during the prior 30 days
• 2.9% used heroin during the prior 30 days

For more New Mexico statistics regarding high school students and drug & alcohol use, click on the report below:

• NM Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey Report

Factors associated with teen alcohol and drug use

Teen alcohol and drug use is associated with various factors, including:

• peer pressure
• lack of parental involvement/supervision
• engaging in violent behavior
• availability of drugs or alcohol
• family history a substance abuse
• depression
• low self-esteem
• cigarette smoking
• sexual abuse
• gender
• lack of good role models

Sources

• Department of Health & Human Services / Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The national cross-site evaluation of high-risk youth programs
• Department of Health and Human Services - Publications
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) YRBSS: Youth online comprehensive results
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Teens: alcohol and other drugs

Web Resources

From the National Institute of Drug Abuse: Talk to your kids about drugs. En Español - Drogas

Make a difference: Talk to your child about alcohol is a 28-page publication for parents with facts about teens and alcohol, and prevention and intervention tips. (From the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.) En Español - Alcohol.

Multiple publications from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for a variety of audiences, including parents and teens. (also in Spanish)

• About Drugs & Alcohol for teens (also in Spanish)
• Talking to Your Child about Alcohol provides information for parents. (also in Spanish)
• Talking to Your Child about Drugs provides information for parents. (also in Spanish)
• Talking to Your Child about Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco provides information for parents. (also in Spanish)