Many teens try alcohol, tobacco, household chemicals, prescription medicines and illegal drugs. According to a recent report, above 2.3 million children currently use marijuana at least once a month. A growing number of teenagers tend to try new things and take risks, and they choose to try drugs or alcohol because it seems exciting.

More teens say it is easier for them to acquire prescription drugs that it is to buy alcohol. On the other hand, studies show that millions of underage drinkers get their alcohol from an adult for free. According to the 13th annual survey on attitudes about drug abuse released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, 43 % of teens surveyed said they could buy marijuana in less than an hour. The study found that only 14 of parents knew their teens leave their homes in the evening to hang out with friends and sometimes use drugs and alcohol. But almost half of teens said they were out on school nights. Alcohol and drug abuse is a leading cause of teen death or injury related to car accidents, suicides, violence, and drowning.

The authors of the study said there are lots of factors that led to this situation. Some parents are not paying attention to this problem and they don’t take it seriously. As an example, if a teen has tried drugs only a few times, talking openly about the problem and being supportive may be all that you need to do in order to make him decide to quit doing what is wrong and start doing something positive for the future.

These findings may send a message to parents and other adults, encouraging them to play a role in helping influence for better young people’s behaviour.