Could Your Teen Be Dealing with Substance Dependency?

Could I have a substance dependence? 
Adapted from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, 2000

Substance dependence is more than abuse.  It could indicate an addiction. A diagnosis of substance (drug) dependence requires at least three of the following:

• Tolerance:  getting less effect with continued use of the same amount of the drug, or needing higher doses to get the same effect, or both.
• Suffering withdrawal symptoms, and using the drug to relieve them.
• Taking more of the drug than intended or for a longer time than intended.
• Persistently want to - or unsuccessfully trying to - cut down or control drug use.
• Spending a great deal of time obtaining the drug, using it, or recovering from its effects.
• Giving up other important activities as a result or for the sake of drug use.
• Continuing to use the drug even though it causes serious physical or psychological harm.

How can I tell if a friend or a loved one has a problem with alcohol, marijuana, or other illicit drugs?

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Addiction, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

Sometimes it is difficult to tell.  Most people will not voluntarily come to you and ask for help.  In fact, he or she will probably do everything possible to hide or deny the problem.  However, there are certain warning signs that may indicate that a family member or friend is using drugs and drinking at high risk levels.

If your friend or loved one has one or more of the following signs, he or she may have a problem with alcohol or other drugs:

• using licit drugs for non-medical purposes, getting high on drugs, or getting drunk on a regular basis (at least once a week).
• lying about things, or about the amount of drugs or alcohol they may be using
• avoiding you and others in order to get high or drunk
• giving up activities they used to do such as sports, academics, or spending time with friends who don't use drugs or drink
• having to increase amounts of drugs or alcohol to get the same effects: i.e. increased tolerance
• constantly talking about using drugs or drinking
• believing that in order to have fun they need to drink or use other drugs
• pressuring others to use drugs or alcohol
• getting into trouble with the law, with the university, with family member or with friends
• taking risks, including sexual risks and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs
• missing classes or poor academic performance because of drinking or drug use
• feeling tired, hopeless, depressed or even suicidal

Many of the signs, such as sudden mood changes, difficulty in getting along with others, poor academic performance, irritability, and depression, might be explained by other causes.  Unless you observe drug use or high-risk drinking, it can be difficult to determine the cause of these problems.  A good first step is to get more information by contacting qualified drug and alcohol professionals for further advice.  The Counseling and Wellness Center is available for information or for consultation.  To make an appointment, call 832-1945.

Marijuana: Does it cause addiction?

Many people believe that marijuana does not cause addiction, and therefore there is no withdrawal.  However, six recent studies have produced a list of marijuana withdrawal symptoms.  This included such items as irritability (87%), aggression (76%), depression and craving (93%).  Additionally, withdrawal from marijuana has similar symptoms to withdrawal from other drugs with symptoms that may include violent outbursts, sweating, shakiness, chills, stuffy nose and diarrhea.  The researchers concluded, "The consistency of the specific symptoms reported within this study and across other studies suggests that a valid marijuana withdrawal syndrome occurs in a substantial number of marijuana abusers who abruptly stop using marijuana."  They add that these symptoms are severe enough to make it difficult for those wanting to stop marijuana use to actually do so.

Information taken from the following article:  Budney, A.J., Novy, P.L., & Hughes, J.R. (1999).  Marijuana Withdrawal Among Adults Seeking Treatment for Marijuana Dependence.  Addiction 94, 1311 - 1321.

For more information go to: http://www.ForReal.org/

Marijuana Use Among Students at Institutions of Higher Education

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention  This article can be found at:  http://www.campusblues.com/drugs8.asp

Marijuana is the most frequently used illicit drug in the United States, with approximately 33 percent (72 million) of all Americans having tried it at least once in their lifetime.¹ Following a decade of decline in the 1980s, the use of marijuana among youth has risen since the early 1990s.  Of additional concern, studies have found that "nearly all adolescents who use illicit drugs other than marijuana also used marijuana. The proportions of those who used other illicit drugs prior to (or without any) marijuana use are for the most part less than 5 percent."² Frequent marijuana use may be physically and emotionally harmful and is also associated with a host of other social and behavioral problems, including isolation, poor academic performance, violence, and crime.

College Use

The Core Institute’s annual data on alcohol and other drug use at colleges and universities indicate that the trend of increased marijuana use holds true among college students. According to this data, annual usage (defined as the prevalence of use in the last year) among college students has steadily increased since 1990.

The Harvard School of Public Health conducted three surveys between 1993 and 1999, examining the drug and alcohol use of 44,265 college students nationwide.4 The study found that 9 out of 10 students (91 percent) who use marijuana participate in other high-risk activities such as heavy drinking or cigarette smoking.

Core Institute 1995–1996 data also suggest that marijuana use is higher among students who engage in other high-risk behaviors. For example, comparing marijuana users with nonusers, 98.7 percent versus 75.4 percent had also used alcohol, 75.7 percent versus 30.2 had used tobacco, 30.5 percent versus 12.5 percent had drunk alcohol the last time they had sexual intercourse, and 13.3 percent versus 0.7 percent used other drugs the last time they had sexual intercourse.³

According to the Harvard study, other factors associated with marijuana use include spending more time at parties and socializing with friends, spending less time studying, and perceiving religion and community service as not important. Students at large schools, commuter schools, and coeducational schools were also more likely to use marijuana, while students from historically black colleges and colleges in small or rural towns were less likely to use the drug. Marijuana use was also associated with poorer academic performance. Students who used marijuana were less likely than those who did not use it to study for two or more hours a day and were more likely to have a grade point average of B or less.

Annual Marijuana Usage Among College Athletes  1985-19974
Year	Annual Usage
1985	35.3%
1989	27.5%
1993	21.4%
1997	28.4%
2001	27.3%

Athletes

In June 2001, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) surveyed 21,225 college athletes from 713 institutions across the United States. Past surveys had shown a sharp decrease of marijuana use in the late 1980s and early 1990s (see table 2). In a reversal of that trend, 28.4 percent of the athletes surveyed in 1997 reported using marijuana at least once during the previous year. This figure dropped slightly to 27.3 percent in 2001.

The majority of the athletes surveyed had started using marijuana prior to coming to college. Specifically, 63.7 percent of users started in high school, while 12.9 percent started during their first year in college and 8.6 percent after their first year in college. By ethnic group, the highest rate of marijuana use was found among Caucasians, a trend also found among college students in general.

Among athletes, 60.4 percent of marijuana users state that they use marijuana to serve recreational or social purposes, and 33.8 percent say that they use it because it makes them feel good. For those who do not use marijuana, 27.1 percent said that they refrained because they had no desire for the effects created by marijuana, 24.1 percent refrained because they were concerned about their health, and 13.4 percent refrained because it was against their religious or moral beliefs.⁵

Consequences

Marijuana is seen by some college students as a "recreational" drug that serves as a rite of passage from adolescence into adulthood. Just as with the use of alcohol, this dangerous perception fails to acknowledge the potential dangers of marijuana use. Contrary to popular opinion, marijuana can be addictive.

 The use of alcohol and other drugs may be associated with a wide range of negative consequences, such as decreased academic performance, fighting, vandalism, acquaintance rape, and unprotected sex.^6,7 While these consequences are associated with marijuana use, there is no evidence that marijuana use directly causes these behaviors to happen.

The specific effects of marijuana depend upon the type of cannabis used, the way in which it is taken, the setting in which it is used, the expectations of the user, and whether or not it is used in conjunction with other drugs.⁸

Potential short-term effects of marijuana use are as follows:9

Long-term effects.¹⁰ Because marijuana use is highly associated with cigarette smoking, determining which consequences may be attributed to marijuana use rather than to cigarette use is difficult. While not enough research has been done to determine the specific effects of marijuana, according to the American Council for Drug Education there is growing evidence that it may affect the brain, lungs, heart, and immune system. Marijuana use may

• lead to a decreased ability to concentrate
• lead to a decreased ability to learn and remember things
• delay the onset of puberty in men
• decrease sperm production in men
• disrupt the menstrual cycle and inhibit discharge of eggs from the ovaries
• damage the immune system
• increase cancer rates
• increase rates of respiratory problems and disease

Implications for Academic Success

Sustained marijuana use may directly affect academic achievement among college students who may experience increasing difficulty in problem solving and poor long-term memory. Long-term use might also lead to "amotivational syndrome,"10 in which students are unmotivated to be involved in campus life or to achieve academic, career, and personal goals. Long-term use may also lead to a decreased ability to deal with the stress that often accompanies personal growth and achievement in college. It should be noted, however, that whether or not marijuana use causes this syndrome, leads to it, or is merely associated with it has not yet been determined.