Understanding the challenges that face Sober Schools and the challenges that face our children helps us to share a realistic view of the reasons why our commitment and yours will take an abundance of resources and support to see Blue Horizons Academy come to fruition and remain sustainable year after year.

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FACTS

Even though the percentages and frequency of particular public health crises facing teenagers differs for every state in the country, they all have their common problems that must be discussed and tackled. In Georgia, one of the toughest challenges facing lawmakers and parents is addressing teenage drug abuse. Medical professionals all agree that the earlier a person starts using drugs, the likelier they are to develop substance abuse disorder, so it behooves the people of Georgia to try and further curb drug abuse by the youth.

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In a recent CDC study, 11.1% of American citizens ages 13 and up use an illicit drug at least one time per month.

 

In Georgia, some 70,000 adolescents, reported illicit drug use within the past year.

 

“35% of the teenage Georgians surveyed said that they did not believe smoking at least one pack of cigarettes daily to be a significant risk.

 

56% of teenagers did not believe drinking five or more drinks more than once a week to be hazardous to health.”

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There are a variety of drugs and substances used and abused by teenagers within the state, but below are the most commonly used by people under the age of twenty.

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Alcohol

According to a state study in 2013, underage drinking cost the people of Georgia $1.2 billion annually due to medical care, pain and suffering and work loss. On average, 700 teenagers are admitted for alcohol treatment, annually, accounting for 4% of all treatment admissions within the state. It is estimated that 300,000 teenagers drink at least one time every single year. A Georgian Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance study by the CDC reported the following:

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•  59.2% of teenagers had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more days during their life.

•  18.1% of teenagers had their first drink of alcohol, other than a few sips, before age 13.

•  27.9% of teenagers had at least one drink of alcohol on one or more occasions in the past 30 days.

•  13.3% of teenagers had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row (binge drinking) in the past 30 days.
   

“During 2012, an estimated 33 traffic fatalities and 1,602 nonfatal traffic injuries were attributable to driving after underage drinking. An estimated 37 homicides; 16,000 nonfatal violent crimes such as rape, robbery, and assault; 31,700 property crimes including burglary, larceny, and car theft; and 594,000 public order crimes including vandalism, disorderly conduct, loitering, and curfew violations were attributable to underage drinking. In 2013, an estimated 761 teen pregnancies and 21,882 teens having high-risk sex were attributable to underage drinking.”

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Marijuana Abuse

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States for adults, but particularly for people under the age of 20. Georgia is no outlier here and falls right along the line of national averages. An estimated 106,000 teenagers within the state reported using marijuana at least one time in the past year. Georgia is one of 10 states with the highest rate of monthly adolescent’s marijuana use. According to the CDC, one third of all Georgian teens have tried marijuana at least one time. While marijuana is not deadly in and of itself, with no risk of overdoses, there are serious ramifications to marijuana use for teenagers. Using marijuana while developmental changes are occurring can have lasting and harmful effects on their developing brain. Marijuana can also lead to a host of negative physical effects such as, elevated heart rates and blood pressures, poor lung health and respiratory issues. Teenagers that use can also develop emotional addiction to marijuana that stunts their ability to deal with pressure and in turn leads to declining academic performance and other problematic behaviors.

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Other Substances

While specific studies and numbers within the state of Georgia are difficult to come by, harder drugs such as cocaine, opiates, psychedelics and psychoactive drugs do pose a serious issue to the teens of Georgia. Opiates, specifically, are the number one threat to Georgian youths. On average, 1,300 Georgians citizens overdose on opiates annually. A reported 4.6% of Georgian citizens, used pain relievers for non medical purposes and during the same time, 6.24% of Georgian teenagers reported using pain pills non-medically. Shockingly, roughly 50% of high school seniors within the state do not believe it is harmful to try crack or cocaine once or twice and 40% believe it’s not harmful to use heroin once or twice. The fact that almost one in two teenagers think it is not a big deal to try heroin a single time is terrifying. Each and every one of these substances can and do have extremely negative consequences to teenage youth and can lead to addiction and overdoses.

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Source: CDC and Georgia Drug Detox

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For more facts, visit our Partner, Foundation for a Drug-Free World