Facts and Information about Substance Misuse

Avon Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Preventing Youth Prescription Use:

Prescription medication use among teens is an important topic. While alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are considered the more prevalent substance abuse issues for teens, 2 in 10 seniors in high school reported using prescription drugs (stimulants, opioids, and depressants) without a prescription. 14% of all high school students report having ever used opioids without a prescription.

Prescription opioids are highly addictive. There is a serious risk of abuse, addiction, and overdose when using prescription pain medication outside of a physician’s guidance. Physicians are trained to know how much and how often a medication should be administered to avoid these risks, and medications should only be taken within these guidelines. Aside from these risks, improperly using prescription drugs can lead to drug tolerance, physical dependency, decreased pain tolerance, confusion, and depression. 

Prescription drug misuse also increases chances of experiencing physical or sexual dating violence. High schoolers who reported misusing prescription drugs also reported higher rates of physical and sexual dating violence.


(Information accessed from Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).)


What you can do to help your child avoid prescription drug misuse:

  • Educate yourself and your child on the dangers of prescription drug misuse.

  • Have a conversation with your child about what it means to take prescribed drugs (if applicable), and explain why it’s important to avoid abuse of these drugs. Taking these drugs outside of a provider’s guidelines can be consequential and potentially fatal.

  • Make sure to keep your own prescription drugs in a safe place and properly dispose of any unused medication.

  • If you believe your child has a developing prescription abuse issue, you can reach out to your primary care or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline - 1-800-662-HELP

  • In case of suspected overdose or any emergency immediately call 911

There’s a reason only doctors should prescribe medication.

Preventing Youth Suicide:

There is hope.

Suicide rates are increasing. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in highschoolers aged 14-18. 19% have considered ending their lives, and 9% have made an attempt. From 2009-2018 there was an increase from 6 to 9.7 per 100,000 high school students that ended their lives--62% increase. For every suicide there are 100-200 attempts. 

Educate yourself on warning signs. Warning signs include: Withdrawal, talking about suicide, making statements implying their death would be better, displaying severe emotional distress, self-harm, expressing hopelessness, and worrisome changes in behavior. Suicidal thoughts don’t spawn on their own, but rather are influenced by risk factors including underlying mental illness, significant life changes, substance abuse, family history of suicide or mental illness, physical illness, rejection in coming out, and more. 

Those contemplating suicide need support more than anything else. If your child is experiencing symptoms make sure to reach out, provide support, and have a conversation. Make sure your child feels safe and heard. 


(Information accessed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Columbia University Department of Psychiatry.)

What you can do if you suspect your child is suffering from suicidal thoughts:

  • Listen. The greatest thing you can do for someone who is contemplating taking their own life is to listen to what they have to say and how they are feeling. Approach the conversation from a place of concern and avoid trying to convince them that life is worth living or minimizing the issue. Mental illness isn’t to be reasoned with, but rather treated like any other illness--it needs to be healed.

  • Ask your child directly if they are contemplating suicide. Suicidal thoughts cannot be put into the mind of someone who is not already thinking this. Direct language can open the conversation up.

  • Take care of your child. Work with them to find a fitting mental health professional, keep track of medications, and be patient with your child. They don’t wish to be in this situation. Don’t let any threatening objects such as weapons be accessible and keep an eye on your child. Most importantly, continue to ensure your child that you are there to help, and that there is hope.

  • The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention provides resources that can change the life of someone experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. If you suspect your child is going to attempt to end their life or does immediately call 911. Calling 911 can be scary but can also be the difference between life and death.

Preventing Youth Alcohol Use:

Underage drinking is always dangerous.

Too many kids drink underage. In 2019, it was reported that currently 29% of high school students drank alcohol, 14% binge drank, 5% of drivers drove after drinking, and 17% drove with a driver who had been drinking. Each year, 210,000 years of potential life of young people is lost to excessive drinking related deaths. Underage drinking impairs judgement.

Many underage drinkers believe they can control themselves while drinking, but alcohol causes a physiological response that makes it impossible for the brain to practice good judgement. This effect on the brain causes unawareness and can lead to severe consequences such as injury, sexual assault, rape, and even death. When a group of teens is drinking, it’s very easy for situations like these to occur due to no one being aware.

Underage drinking is also associated with adult drinking and can lead to addiction. 46% of those experiencing alcohol dependence began drinking at age 16 or younger. Research has shown that the impact of brain development creates a greater chance of developing alcoholism in teens that participate in underage drinking.

(Information accessed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).)


What you can do to help your child avoid alcohol abuse:

  • Educate yourself and your child on the dangers of underage and excessive drinking. Ask your child what he or she knows about alcohol, what pressures are like at school, and encourage your child in avoiding alcohol use.

  • Control exposure. Many parents believe that allowing their children to drink at home “responsibly” is the key to developing a healthy relationship with alcohol. In reality, any underage exposure makes alcohol seem more acceptable, and increases risk of abuse.

  • Set a good example. Limit amount and frequency of alcohol intake to reflect a healthy relationship with alcohol.

  • If it seems your child has a developing or developed issue, reach out to them. Talk about what’s happening in their life and listen, and work with them to find help, whether it be through a primary care doctor, therapist, or other substance abuse resource.

Preventing Youth E-Cigarette Use:

 E-cigarettes aren’t a safe alternative.

Over the past few years, e-cigarettes have become increasingly popular among teens and young adults. 51% of highschoolers in Massachusetts have tried e-cigarettes, whereas 18% have tried cigarettes. Very few students currently smoke cigarettes regularly (~0.5%), rather, e-cigarettes have become much more popular with 32% of students currently using them. In fact, 1 in 5 young adults vape.

There are several dangers with vaping, some of which many people are not aware of. These e-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals in the e-liquids. These products are not harmless water vapor. E-cigarettes contain aerosols, which contain substances such as ultrafine particles that embed into the lining of the lungs, chemicals that cause cancer, heavy metals, diacetyl--a chemical linked to lung disease, and nicotine. Due to a lack of regulation and marketing schemes, some e-cigarettes can falsely claim to not contain nicotine or other harmful ingredients.

Nicotine is highly addictive and toxic to the body and mind. Repeated use of nicotine products is harmful to brain development in youth under age 25, and can lead to irreversible damage to memory, attention, and learning centers in the brain. The problem with nicotine is that because of its addictive nature, the more a person uses it, the more there is a desire to use it, and the harder it becomes to stop using.  

(Information accessed from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).)

What you can do to help your child avoid e-cigarettes:

  • Educate your child and yourself. Inform them on the dangers of vaping but also talk to them about the power of peer pressure.

  • Be open to conversation. Open up for conversation about vaping and peer pressure and allow your child to speak freely about their experience with vaping without fear of being punished. Setting expectations is important, but initially allowing for conversation and honesty is crucial in developing your child’s trust.

  • Set a good example. Refrain from allowing tobacco products into your home. If you yourself are a smoker, keep products away from common living spaces and consider seeking help treating yourself.

  • If your child has a developing or developed issue, be sure to encourage rather than discourage in the process of quitting, and supply support and resources.

Videos on Addiction and Prevention

Patrick St. Martin - The New Look of Tobacco Addiction

Patrick St. Martin is Prevention Program Coordinator and a Greater Boston Tobacco Free Community Partner with Bay State Community Services. In this presentation at the Avon's Coalition for Everyone's Success meeting, he talks about all things tobacco and trends that are prevalent to the community.