National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week - March 21-27

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, or NDAFW, is an annual, week-long, health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. It provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners—to help advance the science so that we can improve the prevention and awareness of substance misuse in our own communities and nationwide. 

It was launched in 2010 by scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to stimulate educational events in communities so teens can learn what science has taught us about drug use and addiction. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism became a partner in 2016, and alcohol has been added as a topic area for the week. NIDA and NIAAA are part of the National Institutes of Health.

What Happens During Drug and Alcohol Facts Week?

This awareness week provides an opportunity for teens to “Shatter the Myths” about drugs and drug use. Teens, scientists, and other experts come together to discuss how drugs affect the brain, body, and behaviors, in community and school events all over America.

Facts About Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Marijuana is not a stress reliever but is used to self-medicate.

“Research shows that some teens are using drugs to alleviate feelings of depression (‘self-medicating’), when in fact, using marijuana can compound the problem. The report shows a staggering two million teens felt depressed at some point during the past year, and depressed teens are more than twice as likely as non-depressed teens to have used marijuana during that same period. Depressed teens are also almost twice as likely to have used illicit drugs as non-depressed teens. They are also more than twice as likely as their peers to abuse or become dependent on marijuana. Marijuana use is associated with depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts.”

Reasons teenagers use drugs

Teenagers use and abuse drugs for many different reasons, including the desire for new experiences, to fit in with their peers, or to cope with problems/stress. Adolescents are “biologically wired” to seek new experiences and take risks, as well as to carve out their own identity. Trying drugs may fulfill all of these normal developmental drives, but in an unhealthy way that can have severe long-term consequences.

Many factors influence whether an adolescent tries drugs, including the availability of drugs within the neighborhood, inherited genetic variability, one’s academic environment and whether the adolescent’s friends are using them. The family environment is also an essential factor to consider. Violence, physical or emotional abuse, mental illness, or drug use in the household increases the likelihood an adolescent will use drugs.

However, even if you think you are doing everything right as a parent and are providing a safe and healthy environment, that does not automatically protect your child against experimenting with drugs or becoming addicted to drugs. National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week can help make a difference by sharing educational facts with your teen.

Consequences Associated with Alcohol Addiction in Teenagers

Addiction is a psychological condition affecting the brain that is characterized by compulsive drug and alcohol-seeking behavior. Chronic drug and alcohol use changes the brain chemistry and communication systems by rewiring the reward and pleasure pathways in the brain creating more intense cravings for these illicit substances rather than natural rewards. Addiction results in compulsive and harmful behaviors that can affect every aspect of an individual’s life including their occupation, relationships, and home life.

The following are known consequences of alcohol addiction among teenagers.

• School problems, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades
• Social issues, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities
• Legal issues, such as arrest for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk
• Physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses
• Unwanted, unplanned, and unprotected sexual activity
• Disruption of healthy growth and sexual development
• Physical and sexual assault
• Higher risk for suicide and homicide
• Alcohol-related car crashes and other unintentional injuries, such as burns, accidents, and drowning
• Memory problems
• Abuse of other drugs
• Changes in brain development that may have life-long effects
• Death from alcohol poisoning

Teen Substance Use and Risks

Parents play a critical role in their children’s lives. As their children grow to pre-teens and teens, parents worry about new risks they may experience. One such risk is the use of substances, such as alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and other drugs. Parents can help by talking to their teen’s pediatrician about screening for substance use.

Substance use by teens can have a big impact on their health and well-being. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developed a guide for implementing substance use screening in pediatric practices to help pediatricians address substance use concerns. The AAP recommends screening for substance use in children, starting at 9 years of age.

Underage Drinking

Underage alcohol consumption is common in the United States and can have harmful outcomes. A comprehensive approach that includes effective policy strategies can prevent underage drinking and related harms.

Underage drinking is a significant public health problem in the US. Excessive drinking is responsible for more than 3,500 deaths and 210,000 years of potential life lost among people under age 21 each year. Underage drinking cost the U.S. $24 billion in 2010. There were approximately 119,000 emergency rooms visits by persons aged 12 to 21 for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol in 2013.

The 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among high school students, during the past 30 days:

• 29% drank alcohol.
• 14% binge drank.
• 5% of drivers drove after drinking alcohol.
• 17% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

Rates of current and binge drinking among high school students have generally been declining in recent decades. Although males historically had higher rates, in 2019, female high school students were more likely to drink alcohol and binge drink than male high school students.

Other national surveys find that

• 19% of young people aged 12 to 20 years reported drinking alcohol and 11% reported binge drinking in the past 30 days.
• 10% of 8th-grade students and 34% of 12th-grade students reported drinking alcohol during the past 30 days, and 5% of 8th-grade students and 17% of 12th-grade students reported binge drinking during the past two weeks.

State alcohol policy environments influence underage drinking, as well as excessive drinking among adults. Comprehensive approaches that include effective population-level policy strategies can reduce underage drinking. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends several effective strategies for preventing excessive drinking, including:

• Increasing alcohol taxes.
• Having commercial host (“dram shop”) liability laws.
• Regulating the number and concentration of alcohol outlets.
• Enforcing laws prohibiting alcohol sales to minors.
• The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health describes other strategies that can complement effective alcohol policies, such as national media campaigns targeting youth and adults, reducing youth exposure to alcohol advertising, and the development of comprehensive community-based programs.

Sources:

https://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week

https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/public-education-projects/national-drug-alcohol-facts-weekr

https://discoverymood.com/blog/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week/

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/features/teen-substance-use.html

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/underage-drinking.htm