Teens at Risk - Youth and Drugs

http://www.tmwmedia.com/teenriskseries.html#Q367DVD Children generally believe that alcohol and drug use is safe. Bombarded by media from an early age, the average 18 year old has seen well over 100,000 television commercials encouraging them to drink. Any illicit drug use by adolescents can have immediate, long-term health and social consequences. Overall, mental health problems including depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal, conduct problems, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide and other psychosocial dysfunction's, are frequently linked to substance abuse among adolescents. Arrest, adjudication and intervention by the juvenile justice system are eventual consequences for many youths engaged in alcohol and other drug use.