36. TOBACCO, CANNABIS (SMOKING)
• the younger the age the smoking or drinking begins, the greater the risk of
(respiratory ailments, gum disease, poor lung growthand overall poorer physical health and fitness),
engaging in dangerous behaviors. aggressive behavior, carrying weapons,
attempted suicide, depression and hi-risk sexual behaviors.
• parents can do is to keep their children from starting to smoke.
• Parents need to talk with their children about the harmful effects of smoking
• Try to never use tobacco in front of your children, and don’t leave it where they can easily get to it.
• Talk about ways to say “no” to tobacco use, even if the child/teen has a friend who is already smoking.
• If the parent discovers that the child is already using tobacco, try to avoid threats .
• Find out why your child is smoking or using other forms of tobacco. Is smoking an attention seeking device or a way to
fit in with peers? Show an interest in understanding your child/teens motivation for smoking and find ways to help
them quit.
• If they are trying to stop, be supportive and offer some tips, such as deep breathing, drinking water, talking about the
craving and looking for alternative, healthy activities.
• Helping a child/teen to quit tobacco use is one of the best parenting activities a parent can do for their child. And if you
are a smoker, the second best thing may be quitting yourself.
teen addiction Reham Abdelmohsen
37. • In the hours following cannabis use, observed cognitive impairment involves attention, reaction time,
working memory, and executive function.
• “acting out” behaviours (attempted suicide, bulimia, unsafe sexual behaviours, etc.) due to lowered
inhibition.
• This cognitive impairment tends to disappear within a month of stopping use. In adolescents, some of
this impairment may persist, including after weaning, especially if use began before the age of 15
years. Long-term cognitive impairment is observed in proportion to dose, frequency, duration of
exposure and age at first use of cannabis.
• Regular use of cannabis has long-term effects that may affect school results and personal
relationships.
• precipitate psychiatric disorders (anxiety disorders, depression, symptoms of psychosis and
schizophrenia) in adolescents. This risk influenced by certain genetic factors, age of exposure and pre-
existing vulnerability to psychosis (family history).
teen addiction Reham Abdelmohsen
38. ALCOHOL USE
• among adolescents, especially massive intoxication, has more marked neurotoxic
effects on the brain, both at the structural level (the production of new
neurons/neurogenesis) and the functional level, as reflected by a greater
interference with cognitive function (learning/memory). It has been documented
that the morphological and functional impacts are greater for girls than for boys
of the same age. The deficits observed in the medium term are proportional to
the quantity of alcohol consumed.
• Young people are less sensitive to the “negative” effects of alcohol (drowsiness,
hypothermia, lack of motor coordination, etc.), but are more receptive to effects
experienced as “positive” (disinhibition, facilitation of social interaction, etc.).
teen addiction Reham Abdelmohsen
39. HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
• drinking alcohol extracted from hand sanitizer/ anxiolytics
• Gas /inhaled products such as adhesives, solvents or poppers
• Bath salts ”Bliss” and “Vanilla Sky,” for example—it’s easy for your teen to sniff these dangerous products, which
contain amphetamine-like chemicals. teens can easily access them by ordering online, so monitor Internet
activity.
• Cough syrup is another way teens are getting high. Robotripping has become a scary trend among teens who
are drinking multiple bottles of cough syrups, such as Robotussin, to get a high from the active ingredient
dextromethorphan (DXM).
•
fragrance of potpourri,This fragrant spice and flower mixture that is often found in the bathroom at Grandma’s
house is actually being smoked by teens. In addition to paranoia and hallucinations, it’s also known to cause
dangerous heart palpitations.
• air conditioner! If it’s been breaking down a lot, you may just want to investigate. A current trend involves teens
prying open the machines with screwdrivers and smoking the Freon that gives air conditioners their cooling
ability. The results are slurred speech, frostbite, and even brain damage.
• Dust Off. This popular keyboard cleaner can be used for “dusting,” but not just your keyboard! “Dusting” in the
substance abuse world is snorting the gas of keyboard dusters to get high.
• Whip-Its, which are basically any aerosol spray cans of whipped cream, are an easy way for teens to get their
hands on nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas. This is the same substance sometimes used by
dentists to knock patients out for their wisdom teeth operations. This substance causes a high that can last
teen addiction Reham Abdelmohsen
43. INTERNET ADDICTION
• not necessarily about pornography, gaming or gambling;
it is about the excessive use of any online activity.
This can also include instant messaging, social networking (like Facebook), or blogging.
• Internet addiction and depression in adolescents, ADHD, hostility and social phobia.
• sacrificing sleep for time online; losing track of time while on the Internet; becoming agitated,
depressed, irritable or angry when Internet time is interrupted, sacrificing homework or chores;
preferring time on the Internet rather than social time with family or friends. overweight
• 1.4 % to 17.9 % of adolescents are addicted to the Internet.
• boys
• Internet usage needs to be monitored by parents
• incorporate the Internet as part of a healthy part of home life not something that is done in privacy or
in secret.
• every parent to learn the terms (both technical and popular) and be comfortable with the computer, at
least enough to know what your child is doing online.
• cut down Internet time by helping their children develop other enjoyable activities that are not
computer related, such as sports or other outside activities.
teen addiction Reham Abdelmohsen
44. ‘SELFIE’
A MENTAL DISORDER
– The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has officially confirmed what many
people thought all along: taking ‘selfies’ is a mental disorder.
The APA made this classification during its annual board of directors meeting in
Chicago. The disorder is called selfitis, and is defined as the obsessive
compulsive desire to take photos of one’s self and post them on social media as a
way to make up for the lack of self-esteem and to fill a gap in intimacy.
APA said there are three levels of the disorder:
Borderline selfitis : taking photos of one’s self at least three times a day but not
posting them on social media
Acute selfitis: taking photos of one’s self at least three times a day and posting each
of the photos on social media
Chronic selfitis: Uncontrollable urge to take photos of one’s self round the clock and
posting the photos on social media more than six times a day
teen addiction Reham Abdelmohsen