Suicide and Violence

Suicide

Experimentation with illicit drugs stronger than marijuana is directly correlated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation. Kids who use drugs harder than marijuana are almost 3 times more likely to self report thinking about suicide than kids who did not use drugs or alcohol.

Violence

Kids who use drugs or alcohol are far more likely to engage in violent acts, and also to experience violence committed against them.

Kids who self reported having participated in a group violent assault were twice as likely to have also used drugs or alcohol in the past year as kids who had not, and over half of all kids who reported having committed two or more types of violent assault over the past year had also used alcohol or drugs.

Estimates have over 800 000 American kids carrying handguns each year, and the odds of carrying a hand gun are greatly increased by concurrent use of illicit drugs or alcohol, and kids who had used illicit drugs were 3 times more likely than non users to carry a gun, kids who binge drank 4 times more likely and kids who drank heavily 5 times more likely.

Whether due to the behaviors of intoxication, association with other risk taking youths or other factors, the data clearly indicates that teens who engage in illicit drug or alcohol use are far more likely to also engage in violent acts…and the heavier the use, the more likely the violence.