Your teenage years can be some of the most stressful times of your life. There is a lot of pressure to make big life decisions which can be a lot to handle. Thinking about college or your next big step in your life gets overwhelming, to say the least. New pressures, changes, and big life experiences are all hallmarks of “teenagedom.” It is no wonder these stressors might make you want to turn to substances. The problem is that doing so can lead to some harsh consequences.
Using substances can seem fun and harmless at first. It gives you temporary relief from all the burdens of the outside world. The problem is that eventually, you become dependent on those substances for escape, even for pleasure. They become essential for you to function, at which point you have developed substance use disorder (SUD).
There are many reasons why you may start taking substances. No matter the reason, there are things you can do to correct that behavior.
Trying to escape something might be the most common reason for abusing substances. Perhaps for you, this looks like trouble with your home life. Home struggles can be hard when you are a teen because you may have little ability to remove yourself from the situation. You know that home life is difficult but feel there is little you can do to change it. This is where substances can come into play. You might use them to escape your difficult home circumstances.
To begin correcting this reason for use, try addressing the problem that is making you want to turn to drugs. Maybe you need to have a difficult conversation with your parents about why you do not feel comfortable at home or whatever the specific issue is. The important thing is that you address the root of the problem instead of creating other problems by using substances.
There is the belief that, as a teen, you are too young to have experienced real trauma. This is false. As a teen, you can very well experience trauma or find that trauma you may have experienced in childhood begins to manifest. Those feelings can be overwhelming. It can be hard to know what to do or how to cope with your trauma responses.
When you use substances to try and escape from difficult feelings, you teach your brain improper coping mechanisms. SUD stems from a brain dysfunction where your neuropathways and neuroreceptors become rewired. This can be difficult to correct, especially on your own. It may take therapy and reprioritizing to recover natural brain function. The best thing to do if you are experiencing the effects of trauma is to stop using substances and seek professional help.
In your teenage years, trying to fit in feels like one of the most important things. This does not always mean being popular in school. At your core, you just want to be accepted by your peer group and have friends who support you. If that group wants to use substances, this is where problems can lie. While you may not feel pressured to use substances by your friends, it can be hard not to want to participate when it seems like the only way to stay friends with those people is to join in.
Joining these activities can manifest the idea that using substances is how you “fit in” with others. They may seem like they help you by easing social anxiety or improving your focus but, again, this does not address the deeper issue at hand. It can be tough, and it is cliche to say, but working a little harder to find where you fit in by being yourself while sober is better than fitting in with a fake version of you while under the influence.
Each of these scenarios is not easy to deal with. These challenges take time to overcome but using substances is not the answer. All that using substances does is prolong and repress the emotions associated with the problem at hand.
To overcome your problem with substances, try facing these problems more directly with the help of a professional. That could be in the form of learning effective communication or therapy. There are lots of problems you have to face in life; when you use substances to cope with those problems, you get further from fixing them. It is not easy, but facing the problem head-on is the only way to see serious change and positive results in your life.
You can overcome substance use and know that there is no shame in asking for help. There are people out there who want to help you get better. They want you to enter your adult life as someone free of substances. It is possible—it may not be easy when you struggle with deep life issues, trauma, or difficulty fitting in, but it can be done.
As a teenager, there are many things in life that you may struggle with and sometimes those struggles can lead to substance use. Keep in mind that you are not a bad person nor a failure for struggling with substance use. There are many different reasons why you may choose to use. A lot of the time it can be the result of your environment, people, and trauma. When addressing these issues, it is best to seek professional help and remember that you are not weak for seeking help. So long as you have a desire to better yourself and your daily ways of life, there are always people out there who are willing to assist. At NorthStar Transitions, our team of highly trained professionals is here to help. Do not hesitate to reach out to us today by calling (303) 558-6400.
