Substance abuse among teens

This is a continuation from yesterday’s post. I don’t mean to scare parents, but some of this is scary — it has to do with substance abuse among teens and young adults related to recreational drugs. Molly, K2, Krokidil — these are just some of the names of dangerous recreational drugs. When you learn about these drugs, if you’re a parent, it’s frightening to think that your teenager would do something like this, but peer pressure is powerful and young people make impulsive decisions.

There’s no way to protect kids from all dangers, but, as I wrote yesterday, talking openly and honestly to your children early can be effective. The key to talking to kids about a subject such as club/recreational drugs is to know what you’re talking about. Talking to kids early is better than having the conversation later in the midst of a substance abuse problem. Once a person is in their mid 20s, they may not be as receptive as when they are still impressionable and amenable to parental guidance.

This is from WebMD regarding Molly, Spice/K2 and Krokidil. These are harmless sounding names for very harmful substances. Here’s an excerpt:

1. Molly

Between 5% and 7% of high-schoolers have tried what they thought was Molly, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Molly is popular at parties and concerts, and some bands have sung about it.

When it first came out, it was a pure form of a banned drug called MDMA or Ecstasy, which is known for producing feelings of euphoria and friendliness.

“The buzz about Molly is the result of widespread misconceptions about what the drug really is,” says David Sack, MD, an expert in addiction psychiatry and addiction medicine. “Teens think it is pure Ecstasy … and that it is somehow safe.”

Molly today is neither pure nor safe, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. “Molly can be pretty much anything,” says Special Agent Joseph Moses. “Molly is whatever the seller wants to say is Molly. In one region, only about 13% of the samples that were submitted to our lab that were supposedly MDMA contained any.”

Molly has been tied with a number of overdoses and deaths nationwide. Molly, or MDMA, has left people with severe muscle tension and seizures as well as dangerous overheating. It can lead to depression and anxiety that can last for days, and can even cause memory loss.

“Most of the time,” says Sack, “Molly is a mixture of any number of synthetic drugs, many of which are more dangerous and less predictable than MDMA.”

If you don’t know about the history of MDMA, here’s an article. It’s actually been around for a long time in one form or another, although Molly, on the street, may be MDMA or it may be something else similar. Teens aren’t prepared for these drugs, if anyone at any age is really prepared, and the consequences can be tragic.