Your Health

Get The Facts On Drug Abuse

Posted 11/12/2010

Talking with teens about drug risks can make them less likely to use drugs.

(NAPSI) - The questions teens ask about drug use and abuse might surprise some adults. Since 2007, the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) annual Drug Facts Chat Day has offered high school students from across the country the opportunity to set the record straight on drug abuse addiction through question-and-answer sessions with top NIDA scientists.

Year after year, questions about marijuana pique teens’ interest, with the frequently abused drug being the top topic of questions, capturing 10 percent of questions on average. Beyond questions about specific drugs, teens also show interest in learning about why drugs-like alcohol and tobacco—can negatively impact them and the science behind it.

Talking with teens about these issues makes a difference: Teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not, yet only 30 percent of teens report learning a lot from their parents.* To get the conversation started and to shatter the myths about drug abuse and addiction, NIDA developed the National Drug IQ Challenge. Take the challenge to test your own drug knowledge and start a conversation with the teens in your life.

1. What’s the substance most abused by high school seniors? A. Marijuana B. Tobacco C. Alcohol D. Ecstasy

2. What percentage of people who try marijuana will become addicted to it? A. 9 percent B. 1 in 6 if use begins as a teen C. About 50 percent of daily users D. All of the above

3. How many Americans die from diseases associated with tobacco use each year? A. About 1,500 B. About 13,200 C. About 50,500 D. About 440,000

4. Which of the following is associated with teenage drinking? A. Memory problems B. Getting into fights C. Teenage pregnancy D. A, B and C E. None of these

5. How many teens (ages 12 to 17) are treated for substance abuse in a year? A. 1,000 B. 28,000 C. 142,000 D. 1.2 million

Answers: 1. C. Forty-four percent of high school seniors drank alcohol in the past month. 2. D. Marijuana is addictive-with the risk increasing among those who start early and those who use daily. 3. D. Of the 440,000, 49,900 deaths were attributed to people who were exposed to secondhand smoke. 4. D. All of these, plus school failure and injuries, are associated with teenage drinking. 5. C. If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-662-HELP.

For more information on teens and drug abuse, visit teens.drugabuse.gov/ or, to take the full Drug IQ Challenge (available November 2010), visit drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov.

* Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Attitude Tracking Study, 2005