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Why & How Do Drugs & Alcohol Affect Younger People?

The abuse of abusing substances and alcohol can affect the life of any person but, according to the Center on Addiction & the Family, can affect the life of a younger person in ways that are difficult to measure. In the life of an adult, the Teen Drug Abuse website reports alcohol and substance abuse can have long-term effects including a damaged liver, some cancers and shrinkage of the brain.

  1. Alcohol Abuse

    • According to the Teen Drug Abuse website, research conducted by the British Medical Association uncovered an increase in the number of 11- to 15-year-olds who abused alcohol on a regular basis, alongside a rise in the amount of alcohol regularly used. Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream of a younger person from the stomach lining in as little as 5 to 10 minutes, with effects that last several hours.

    Injuries

    • The Teen Drug Abuse website explains alcohol abuse in younger people results in a number of problems, including injuries and deaths caused by drunk driving. Accidents involving vehicles are reported by Teen Drug Abuse to be the most common cause of death amongst younger people aged 15 to 20. The rate of fatal wrecks caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol in people aged 16 to 20 is almost double that of drivers 21 and older.

    Substance Abuse

    • The effects of substance abuse on a younger person can be seen in symptoms listed by the Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base. A younger person abusing substances can often be seen by changes in their behavior and appearance, including falling grades and failure to attend school. A person abusing substances can begin to have mood swings and have a changing physical appearance that they no longer seem to care about. In social settings, a younger person can often describe new friends they become secretive about and refuse to introduce to their parents or caregiver.

    Parents

    • According to the Center on Addiction and the Family, reports alcohol and substance abuse can cause problems in the life of a younger person when a parent or caregiver is abusing a substance. Families affected by substance abuse can find the behavior of the abuser is erratic with communication amongst the family often confused. The Center on Addiction and the Family explains that children are often frightened and confused by the behavior of an abusive parent and often attempt to change their own behavior to stop the parent or caregiver from drinking or abusing other substances.

    Abusive Behavior

    • The Center on Addiction and the Family explains that younger people living with parents abusing substances can often becomes victims of violence and sexual abuse. After suffering from some form of domestic violence or abuse, younger people can often suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, resulting in communication and sleep disorders. In younger people who abuse substances themselves, sexual assault such as rape is often encountered by women in late adolescence and young adulthood, according to the Teen Drug Abuse website.

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