Teen Deaths From Drugs
During the period 1999 through 2006 only 1 percent of those who died in the United States were young people ages 12 to 19. The figure, which amounts to about 131,000 lives lost, is tragic because the leading causes of these teen deaths were all preventable -- motor vehicle accidents, homicides and poisoning--usually from drug use. Young men are most at risk--the death rate for male teenagers is 46 percent higher than the rate for females.
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Teen Drug Exposure
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Teenagers have ready access to drugs--10 percent of children age 12 to 17 regularly used drugs in 2009, principally marijuana. The second most commonly abused drugs were prescription drugs. Drug use declined between 2002 and 2008, but began to rise again in 2009. Marijuana use rose to 7.3 percent of teenagers, prescription drug misuse to 3.1 percent and more dangerous drugs such as Ecstasy increased to .5 percent. As teens age, their rate of drug use rises. The rate for older teens and young adults ̵1; those aged 18 to 25 ̵1; was 21.2 percent in 2009.
Death Rates from Drug Use
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In 2005, unintentional drug overdoses comprised 95 percent of the accidental deaths due to poisoning in the United States. Poisoning deaths exceeded firearms as a cause of death in the U.S. beginning 2004. In 2005, 32,691 deaths occurred in the U.S. due to poisoning. The peak ages for poisoning deaths begin when individuals reach their mid-40s and early 50s. Only one in five poisoning deaths involve those under 20 or over 54, Beginning at age 19 and until age 31, poisoning is the third most prevalent cause of death. After age 31, the rate of deaths by poisoning climbs and peaks by age 54.
Alcohol As A Drug
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Alcohol is the most dangerous drug consumed by teenagers. In 2009 14.7 percent of teenagers ages 12 to 17 used alcohol and almost 11 percent engaged in binge or heavy drinking. The combination of alcohol and driving is especially deadly for teenagers. In 2007, vehicle accidents were the leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 20. Although this group accounts for only 6 percent of drivers, they accounted for 19 percent of fatal accidents. A total of 7,650 drivers or passengers aged 15 to 20 died in 2007. Over half ̵1; 57 percent ̵1; of the young drivers had measureable blood alcohol levels. The alcohol leads to dangerous decisions ̵1; 75 percent of the young, drinking drivers who died had not fastened their seat belts.
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Deaths
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Each year in the U.S. 17,000 to 18,000 people with AIDS die. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that AIDS is one of the main causes of death for young Americans. Most acquired the HIV virus during their teen years, when the infection rate due to risky sexual behavior is higher. One-fourth of the sexually-active high school students were using alcohol or drugs. Two-thirds of HIV infections are due to sexual activity, and almost 20 percent due to intravenous drug use. As of Dec. 2007 over 45,000 youths aged 13 to 24 received a diagnosis of AIDS. Both male and female teenagers are at risk ̵1; in 2005, 43 percent of new AIDS cases among teenagers were girls.
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Education is an important tool in preventing your teen from using drugs. As a parent, you must take an active role in preventing your child from experimenting with these substances. This is especially important during transitional periods, such as a
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Lets face it—you think differently than adults. You have different needs and concerns than adults seem to have. You care about things that adults may not understand, and you dont get why adults worry so much about some things. One thing you do ha
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Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Many high school students would turn 18—the previous legal age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes in most states—during their senior year of high school. Often, they would
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