Drinking and Alcohol Use Disorder in Youth-Resource on Adolescents and Substance Use

Resource on Adolescents and Substance Use

Pdf Summary

The opioid overdose crisis is increasingly affecting adolescents. Key points from a fact sheet on adolescent substance use include the need for developmentally appropriate care, where the age, maturation level, and cognitive skills of the individual are considered. Parents are advised to establish a strict "Not in my house" policy on substance use to delay it until after age 18, which can reduce the likelihood of substance use disorder (SUD).<br /><br />Psychosocial treatments such as family-based therapy, motivational enhancement, and cognitive behavioral therapy are identified as effective interventions. For adolescents who develop opioid use disorder, medications like buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone are recommended.<br /><br />In 2022, about 8.7% of American adolescents had a SUD, with alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco/nicotine being the most commonly used substances. Notably, within four years of starting cannabis use, over 20% of adolescents develop a use disorder. Additionally, mental health issues frequently co-occur with substance use among adolescents. Alarmingly, almost all adults with SUD began experiencing problems before age 18, and nearly 80% of adolescent drug overdose deaths involved opioids, with significant increases among Hispanic and Black adolescents.<br /><br />Various risk factors contribute to high-risk substance use among adolescents, including a family history of SUD, mental health issues, childhood sexual abuse, and exposure to substance-using peers. Despite these alarming trends, there has been a decline in substance use among youth over the past two decades. Over 60% of 12th graders and more than 70% of 10th graders have refrained from using alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco/nicotine in the recent past.

Keywords

opioid overdose crisis

adolescent substance use

developmentally appropriate care

substance use disorder

psychosocial treatments

opioid use disorder medications

mental health co-occurrence

adolescent overdose deaths

risk factors

substance use decline