How Many Teens Actually Smoke, Drink, or Do Drugs?
27 Comments How Many Teens Actually Smoke, Drink, or Do Drugs?
It’s natural to be curious about your peers—especially when it comes to things that we know can be dangerous, like alcohol and drug use. You’ve probably heard rumors of kids drinking beer at a party or may have a friend who smokes cigarettes.
You may wonder how many teens actually smoke, drink, or do drugs. It’s a question we hear frequently from teens. During NIDA’s 2011 Drug Facts Chat Day, students from the around the country asked NIDA scientists questions such as:
- “How many teens smoke every year?”
- “Has the number of people who abuse drugs increased or decreased in the past 5 years? And why?”
- “What percent of teens has tried drugs?”
- “How many kids are doing drugs?”
Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Director of NIDA, announcing the release of the 2011 Monitoring the Future survey results.
In December 2011, NIDA released the 2011 Monitoring the Future Study, and it seems that more teens are making better decisions when it comes to smoking and alcohol use, but not so much when it comes to using marijuana and abusing prescription drugs.
Here’s a glimpse at the most recent trends in teen drug and alcohol use.
Cigarette and Alcohol Use at Historic Low
Teen smoking has declined in all three grades included in the study—grades 8, 10, and 12. Still, almost 19 percent of 12th graders reported current (past-month) cigarette use.
This decline shows that more teens realize the harm smoking does to your body and are making the decision not to start. Also, teens’ attitudes about smoking have changed. They increasingly prefer to date nonsmokers and believe smoking to be a dirty habit.
Likewise, among nearly all grades, trends over the past 5 years showed significant decreases in alcohol use—including first-time use, occasional use, daily use, and binge drinking. As with smoking, this decline may be the result of more teens understanding the risk of drinking alcohol and disapproving of this behavior.
Marijuana Use Continues To Rise
Unlike cigarettes and alcohol, marijuana use is increasing. Among 12th graders, 36.4 percent reported using marijuana at least once in the past year, up from 31.5 percent 5 years ago. This accompanies a decrease in the number of 12th graders who perceive that smoking marijuana is harmful. For example, only 22.7 percent of high school seniors saw great risk in smoking marijuana occasionally, compared to 25.9 percent 5 years ago.
Of course, we know the risks: marijuana can affect memory, judgment, and perception, and it can harm a teen’s developing brain.
Prescription Drug Abuse Remains Steady
Prescription drug abuse hasn’t changed much since 2010. Abuse of the opioid painkiller Vicodin and the nonmedical use of Adderall and Ritalin, stimulants meant to treat ADHD, remained about the same as last year. Also, the abuse of the opioid painkiller OxyContin remained steady for the past 5 years across all 3 grades surveyed.
To drive this trend downward, NIDA recently launched PEERx, a prescription drug abuse awareness campaign that gives teens science-based information about the harmful effects of prescription drug abuse on the brain and body.
When teens understand the health risks of abusing drugs, they do it less. So, tell us, how would you convince your peers that marijuana use and prescription drug abuse are harmful?
These estimates come from the Monitoring the Future Study’s national surveys of approximately 47,000 students in about 400 secondary schools each year. The survey was conducted in classrooms earlier this year. View all of the 2011 data.
Advices coming from your parents are very important factor to avoid this kind of habit. It’s always a matter of guidance and support from your family. We have to talk to our children and discuss these issues that they may encounter. Showing them how much you really care will really help them to have a better future.
[commercial link removed, per guidelines]
i think its wrong to drink or do drugs.
its not goood and you can die very quickly from it, think before you do the actions your going to end up doing
This is a sad news.
“To drive this trend downward, NIDA recently launched PEERx, a prescription drug abuse awareness campaign that gives teens science-based information about the harmful effects of prescription drug abuse on the brain and body.” is a joke?
[name, Web site removed, per guidelines]
i think this is a very good article and i think that the amount of teens that do smoke, drink, or do drugs has increased. you hear kids walking through the hall way talking about the party or how they dont remember what happened because they were to wasted or high to remember. in my opinion all three of those things are very bad for you.
Smoking is definitely a dirty habbit, it is wonder why people actually take this habbit in the first place and the rise in marjiuana usage is undescribable
[commercial link removed, per guidelines]
smoking is not good for the human body.
Smoking is a bad habit and when teens got that habit it becomes worst for them. Save your teen from smoking because this is an addiction which can cause even death. [commercial link removed, per guidelines]
Drags addiction is one of the social problem nowadays . I think it is same as to kill him\her by him\her self.I suggest all classes people to avoid this bad habit.
marijuana isn’t bad.
take a look at the facts:
Annual deaths from:
Tobacco: 435,000.
poor diet/exercise: 365,000
alcohol: 85,000
prescription drugs: 32,000
vehicle crashes: 26,347
homicide: 20,308
aspirin: 7,600
peanuts: 10.
marijuana: 0.
it’s safer than peanuts!
As for it making your brain slow and killing brain cells, when I smoke, I feel that I can think better than when I’m not high.
Why is alcohol legal when it kills people, and destroys families? Marijuana isn’t harmful at all.
The only reason people think that it’s bad is because society makes it look bad.
@amymullis Marijuana does have several known harmful effects. Please visit http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_mj1.php for more information
@Catalina Sima No joke. Visit the PEERx site at http://teens.drugabuse.gov/peerx/prescription-drug-facts/ and discover for yourself.
I hate to say this but just in our streets alone, gangs of boys smoking weed and doing drugs are a day-to-day occurrence. They aren’t even afraid of the police anymore. With these kind of kids as the future of the nation, I don’t know how else we can survive another decade or two…
NIDAminds, unfortunately NIDA is not a source for accurate information about drugs, especially marijuana. Their “facts” seem to be provided by the DEA, not physicians.
IT IS JUST SOOOOOO SAD THESE DAYS OUR HILDREN INE TOOMUCH MESS!!!
i agree with amymullis 100%. there has been no reported deaths from just smoking marijuana. so why is it illeagl? in my opinion the should make alcohol and tobacco illeagle. this is bs how everyone is spazzing out about marijuana
Save your teen from smoking because this is an addiction which can cause even death.[commercial link removed, per guidelines]
marijuana has no harmful side effects.
Get a clue.
It is really bad for you! yellow finger nails, wrinkles! urgh!!!
who would want that at so young age?!!!!
im only 12 and im already doing this xx (i dont smoke im way way against it) I DO NOT SMOKE
@phk Actually, our information comes mostly from researchers – both scientists and physicians – but we do analyze, use and share information from numerous other reliable sources as well – including the DEA.
Tobacco and other similar lobies are simply to strong! They buy anyone who tries to really fight against it! There is not much we can do about it!
Regards from Sarajevo from [commercial link removed, per guidelines] (auto oglasi) team
Marijuana is not bad it already came of this earth the only thing bad about it is all the crime that goes on about it and that is because it is illegal if you legalize it your problems will be gone and there will be less crime. This society just makes it look bad when really people don’t even know that much about it. Don’t conform to anybodys standards
smoking is bad as drugs. marijuana is bad it has more then 400 chemicals. yuck
smoking is bad so is drugs. marijuana is bad it has more then 400 chemicals. yuck
A coommon nickname for marijuana is cookies or feeding the turrtles!