Adolescent Substance Use in Dallas
90% of addictions start in the teenage years, according to the Center on Addiction.
The most recent Region 3 Texas School Survey found that current use (last 30 days) AND lifetime use of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, prescription drugs and illicit drugs has steadily increased among students grades 7th-12th since 2014. It also found that 25% of Texas college students report an increase in drug usage since entering college, and Dallas County has the second highest school dropout rate of all of Region 3, 8.7%, which is above the Texas dropout rate 5.9%.
The brain develops rapidly throughout the teenage years, a process that continues until around age 25. Brain structures that control judgment and self-control are the last to develop, which is why youth can often struggle with unhealthy coping mechanisms. The most recent Regional Needs Assessment found marijuana, alcohol and benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, etc.) were the most frequently used substance by youth in Dallas. These are all depressants. Research demonstrates people use depressants to cope with anxiety because they work quickly, slowing down the nervous system, helping an individual to relax. However, these depressants can lead to unwanted side effects such as dependency, increased substance use, slow brain function, poor concentration and much more. The higher the dose, the more intense these side effects typically are, which is what we are seeing with our youth in Dallas.
Data from the most recent Texas Regional Needs Assessment also suggests that admission into treatment centers peaks at age 16 (33%) with the spike starting at age 14 (13%). In Region 3, there is a significantly small amount of youth receiving treatment for co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse disorder (14%) in comparison to substance abuse inpatient and outpatient treatment, 41 percent and 45 percent respectively. Additionally, Region 3 had the second largest number of Texas Department of State Health Services-funded youth substance abuse admissions in the state, next to Region 6 (Houston area).
When we take a deeper look at the growing body of research, it suggests substance use is rarely ever an isolated incident and can often result in debilitating consequences that can hinder normal youth development. Research shows:
- More than 70 percent of adolescents receiving treatment for substance abuse have a history of trauma exposure (National Survey of Adolescents, 2008).
- Over 60 percent of adolescents in community-based substance use disorder treatment programs also meet diagnostic criteria for another mental illness (National Institute on Drug Abuse).
- 40 percent of homeless youth who met diagnostic criteria for substance use also met criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin, 2010).