As prices drop and availability increases, the number of people becoming addicted to illegal drugs is also climbing steadily. With an estimated one in three U.S. families ravaged by alcohol and drugs, and 87 percent of adults in a recent survey calling drug abuse among teens a very serious problem, preventative action is now necessary within every home. Surveys report that one in every three fourth graders feels pressure to drink. Research indicates that the average age at which children first experiment with alcohol or marijuana is 12. And according to a recent Gallup poll, more than 4 million children ages 13-17 said they had been offered illegal drugs in the previous 30 days.
Teenage bodies are three times more susceptible to alcohol addiction than adults.
Many become alcoholics within six months of their first drink. Chemical substances produce real feelings of euphoria or relief, especially in the early stages of use. Defense mechanisms such as denial and repression sabotage decisions to quit. Finally, addiction takes over when the substance actually alters brain chemistry so that the drug becomes vital to the brain s normal functioning. With time, the user learns to trust the substance and its effects, and learns that the effects are controlled by the amount of intake.