What Are The Risks to Teen Girls?
Back to the document's frontpageBy the time teen girls enter drug treatment, they often suffer increased physical and mental consequences of their abuse as compared to teenage boys.
Sadly, although teen girls are now more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, they are also the most harmed by the effects of abuse. Teen girls do not metabolize drugs or alcohol as efficiently or quickly as boys and the physical damage of an equivalent quantity of a substance can be far greater in teen girls.
Teen girls who drink or use drugs are 250% more likely to become depressed or suffer other mental health issues; and because teen girls using drugs often become moody instead of acting out, parents often have no idea that abuse is occurring, attributing behavior changes to the normal transitions of adolescence instead of to drug or alcohol abuse.
Teen girls who drink are 63% more likely to become teen mothers and are at a far greater risk for HIV and other STD's. Teen drug and alcohol abusing girls suffer bodily developmental and cognitive delays, and abuse leads to problems and addiction far more readily amongst teenage girls than teen boys.
The newest trend in teenage girl drug abuse is the abuse of prescription medications, and teen girls are almost twice as likely to abuse prescription medications as teen boys. Teen girls are attracted to the weight control, confidence and well being enhancement and perceived safety of these very dangerous and addictive drugs.
Because the physical and mental effects of abuse are experienced more quickly and with more intensity, early intervention and drug treatment for teenage girls is vital.
