Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a big problem impacting teens around the world. Substance abuse is when teens get addicted to drugs or alcohol. People should care about substance abuse because overdoses can happen and you wouldn’t want your teen to get addicted. For example, in 2016 over 64,000 people had an overdosed death in the U.S.


https://www.facebook.com/verywell. “The Symptoms Used to Diagnose Substance Use Disorders.” Verywell Mind, 2013, www.verywellmind.com/ dsm-5-criteria-for-substance-use-disorders-21926. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021.

https://www.facebook.com/verywell. “How to Find the Right Addiction Recovery Program for You.” Verywell Mind, 2019, www.verywellmind.com/ finding-the-right-addiction-recovery-4588438. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

Usually with a problem comes a solution. So parents of teens are trying to give their kids treatment for their substance abuse. The only problem is that treatment costs a lot of money. This wasn’t effective because some parents couldn’t afford treatments for their teens.


Schools are helping teens who have lots of substance abuse. They are giving their students lots of support. Support looks like taking care of them and having their guidance counselor have a talk with them.



Elsevier Clinical Solutions. “What Is Substance Use and Abuse, Teen.” YouTube, 11 May 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ZAhDTivIM. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

Strand, Katie. “Addiction Treatment Statistics.” National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, 16 Apr. 2018, www.naatp.org/addiction-treatment-statistics. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021.

I think a good solution would be recovery systems and some treatments. Recovery places will help teens recover from their substance abuse experiences. It depends on the treatment because some treatments like I said earlier have been pretty expensive. Parents need to find a perfect treatment for their teens. These solutions are going to succeed because these are professionally recommended.

Teenagers should get involved with these treatments because you might not know if any of your peers are going through substance abuse. One way to help is to put signs around your school, also SAY NO if you are asked to try “drugs or any alcohol." Use consent and tell a trusted adult if anything is happening. This will impact lots of your peers' lives.





RecoveryConnection. “College Students: Peer Pressure and Substance Abuse.” Recovery Connection, 6 Dec. 2011, www.recoveryconnection.com/college-students-peer-pressure-substance-abuse/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

By: Millie Cohen