Young People; Drugs and Addiction...

Drug Addiction is commonly defined as the habitual and uncontrollable use of a drug. It is often used interchangeably with other terms such as drug abuse and drug dependence...

Addiction is the disruptive behaviour or activity associated with obtaining and using a drug that a person is dependent on. An addiction falls into two categories: physical and psychological, and it doesn't have to be a severe problem to be classed as an addiction - there is such as thing as a mild addiction...

• Physical addiction occurs after you blitz a substance so much it actually alters your body's chemistry. This means your body develops a hunger for this drug that you have to keep feeding. If you don't, your body goes into withdrawal and you get all sort of nasty symptoms until you feed it again...

• Psychological addiction is when your brain gets hooked to a particular substance or behaviour that 'rewards' it, i.e. makes you feel good. The mind is a powerful thing and therefore an addicted brain can produce physical manifestations of withdrawal, including cravings, irritability, insomnia, and depression...

When it comes to alcohol, nicotine and illegal drugs, it's possible to develop either a physical addiction, psychological addiction, or a mixture of both...

According to studies made, it is evident that the earlier drug use is initiated, the more likely it is for a person to develop drug problems later in life. Substance abuse in youth can lead to many other problems like the development of delinquent behaviour, anti-social attitudes and health related issues. Drug related problems do not affect the child only, but rather the family and the community as well...

Drug users often don't start using drugs to become addicted on purpose. But with many drugs containing substances that are addictive, young people who use them casually in their spare time can then become regular users...

Reasons why people start using drugs can include:

• to escape problems they may be having in other parts of their life

• peer pressure and fitting in with another group of people

• being curious about the effects of drugs...

Alcohol is the most often used substance among young people. There are certain risk-factors that would determine whether an adolescent will try alcohol or not. Social acceptability and media advertising are among those that can easily influence the vulnerable minds of young people...

As mentioned, becoming dependent on drugs can affect your family and friends. It can also have a serious impact on your own physical and mental well-being. Drug overdoses can be fatal, and you can die instantly from misusing drugs that you can buy over the counter. This includes things like aerosols, glues and other solvents...

A 2003 survey of more than 10,000 school children aged between 11 and 15 showed that 9% were regular smokers, 25% had drunk alcohol in the last week, 21% had taken drugs in the last year, and 4% had used a Class A drug such as cocaine or heroin...

The British Crime Survey showed through its 2010 research, one in five people aged 16-24 has used illicit drugs in the last year...

But the BCS gathers all its data by knocking on people's doors, and therefore misses out people without doors. This includes prisoners, homeless people, and students living in halls of residence. Obviously it's a stereotype, but you'd expect people in these groups to take a lot of drugs. So the number may well be much higher...

The research conducted by TheSite.org, found through their research in 2010 where they asked more than 600 young people about their drug-taking habits in their 'High or dry' online survey, showed results that 63% have taken recreational drugs, and 33% have done so before their 16th birthday...

What makes you more likely to take Drugs and Alcohol?...

Your age is the biggie, with 16-24 years being the group most likely to experiment with illicit substances. Next is your gender. That's right. If you're male, you are twice as likely to use class A drugs as females...

Income also shapes your drug-taking habits. The cliché of drug users being broke prostitutes in poverty-stricken crack dens is not true, with drug use highest in areas classified as displaying 'urban prosperity'...

And your relationship status isn't just a Facebook declaration - it can also impact your drug taking tendencies. Single people are much more likely to dabble with drugs compared with all other marital-status groups...

Therefore, with the continued rise in the number of young people drinking underage and taking illegal drugs there are a number of negative consequences. One of the most important is the huge health risk of binge drinking to young people...

Tackling this issue means looking at the reasons why young people are drinking and using drugs from an early age and the role of peer pressure...