Teen Substance Use & Abuse

This video tells the story of Jeremiah, a teenager who experiments with substances like alcohol and marijuana, and the negative effects it has on his life. It emphasizes the dangers of substance use, the importance of knowing what you're taking, and the potential for casual use to turn into a substance use problem.

It may seem common for young people to experiment with different substances, like vaping, weed, tobacco, molly, and alcohol. Some may even consider hard drugs such as cocaine, meth, or opioids like heroin. Regardless of the substance, if it's not prescribed by a doctor and taken as prescribed, experimenting with substances can have negative effects. Meet Jeremiah. Jeremiah hangs out with his friends on the weekends. They drink alcohol and occasionally smoke marijuana to relax and get away from the stresses of life and school. One time at a party, Jeremiah smoked something a girl handed to him, not knowing what it was. Later, he found out that it was K2, a synthetic type of weed. His friends told him that he was hilarious, started acting crazy, and that they couldn't wait to party with him again. Jeremiah was concerned because he has no memory of what happened. He wants to be with his friends and have a good time, but he hated not remembering and doesn't want to take another substance like that again. He also feels new pressure to be the life of the party and act a certain way. What happened to Jeremiah is all too common. You start out taking one substance and end up taking something else. A danger in using any substance that isn't prescribed to you is not knowing exactly what it is you're taking and how it will impact you. Unfortunately, young people are being exposed to substances that can have dangerous physical and mental health consequences. As a good rule of thumb, if a drug isn't prescribed to you, you shouldn't take it. Pretty quickly, what feels like casual or experimental substance use can turn into a substance use problem, which has long-lasting and negative consequences. Before you decide to use a substance, know the risks and potential consequences, or reach out to a counselor to talk about it.