Drug and substance use in adolescents

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Substance use among adolescents ranges from sporadic use to severe substance use disorders. The acute and long-term consequences range from minimal to minor to life threatening, depending on the substance, the circumstances, and the frequency of use. However, even occasional use can put adolescents at increased risk of significant harm, including overdose, motor vehicle crashes, violent behaviors, and consequences of sexual contact (eg, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infection). Substance use also interferes with adolescent brain development in a dose-dependent fashion. Regular use of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine , or other drugs during adolescence is associated with higher rates of mental health disorders, poorer functioning in adulthood, and higher rates of addiction.
(See also Overview of Substance-Related Disorders.)
Adolescents use substances for a variety of reasons:

To share a social experience or feel part of a social group
To relieve stress
To seek new experiences and take risks
To relieve symptoms of mental health disorders (eg, depression, anxiety)

Additional risk factors include poor self-control, lack of parental monitoring, and various mental disorders (eg, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression). Parental attitudes and the examples that parents set regarding their own use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, and other substances are a powerful influence.
According to national surveys, the proportion of high school seniors who report lifetime abstinence from all substances has been steadily increasing over the past 40 years. However, at the same time, a broad range of more potent and dangerous products (eg, prescription opioids, high-potency marijuana products, fentanyl ) has become available. These products put adolescents who do initiate substance use at higher risk of developing both acute and long-term consequences.