What drugs do teenagers use?
When we think about drugs we often latch onto well-publicised, illegal drugs like cannabis, heroin, or cocaine. But legally available drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and some prescription drugs have the same potential for dependence or other drug-related problems. Teenagers most often use the same drugs that are popular with adults. These are: • Alcohol • Tobacco • Analgesics (headache tablets like aspirin, paracetamol etc.). As well as being the most popular drugs, these three are also the first drugs that most teenagers experiment with. The most frequently-used illegal drug by teenagers is cannabis (marijuana), but most teenagers who smoke cannabis say they smoke cigarettes first. Teenagers use drugs for the same reasons that adults do – to relax, fit in socially, have fun, or to mask uncomfortable feelings. Teenagers could come into contact with all of the following drugs: • Nicotine (in tobacco) • Alcohol (in wine, beer, spirits) • Caffeine (in tea, coffee, chocolate, cola) • Opioids
