The teen years have been strongly associated with the time to get to know new people and dig deep into their own lives. In fact, being a teen involves getting to the crux of what you really want in life. There is a general opinion that teenagers demonstrate an ultimate commitment to push boundaries in an effort to find out who they are; and generally testing/experimenting their boundaries has been nourished by drug and alcohol use. It is not an exaggeration to say that an unremitting desire to evoke critical responses in parents, friends, and/or instructors represents an integral part of their daily reality.

Teens have been found to use drugs to show their independence or deal with depression and sadness. In addition, there are numerous cases where drugs create a platform for teenagers to fill their curiosity and get started on the path towards their intentions. The last decades have seen a dramatic increase in substance use among teenagers. The question naturally arises as to which measures need to be adopted to combat drug abuse problem. Yes, drug use into high school has become a big issue facing the United States and a logical and systematic approach is what can bring the problem under control. Much emphasis must be placed upon letting both parents and caregivers realize that they have the opportunity to instill good decision making processes in children. Certainly, teenagers with great bonds with their parents are less likely to use drugs. Sometimes telling kids to not use drugs may be sufficient to break their bad habits. Mental health professionals believe that there is a strong correlation between harmonious family relationships and a lower risk of drug use among teenagers.

In sum, it would be reasonable to indicate that the reluctance to give children a sufficient amount of care and attention pushes them into a state of desperation; it follows from this that the future of addiction treatment lies in an increased focus on children.