Teen Alcohol and Drug Trends on Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to influence teens. Recent studies indicate that these sites are being used by adolescents to promote alcohol and drug use. Common sense suggests that these same sites can be used to discourage alcohol and drug use, and to promote recovery.
Alcohol and drug trends have not improved among high school aged children. Efforts to keep kids off of drugs have not softened, but this ever-evolving world creates new challenges for those of us who work to that end. Technology advancements, in terms of youth substance abuse, have created an entirely new world for teens to pressure each other into alcohol and drug use.
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Social media seem to be contributing to the overall trend, with 75 percent of teens saying that seeing photos of other teens partying on Facebook, MySpace or other social networking sites made them want to do the same.
Nearly half of teens who have seen such pictures perceived that the teens in the photos “are having a good time.”
Kids who had seen such photos were three to four times more likely to have used marijuana, alcohol or tobacco compared to kids who had not viewed this type of picture.
The numbers may seem out of reach, but we must keep in mind that the battle to keep teens drug-free has never been easy. Education is a tried and true method of turning adolescents away from alcohol and drugs. Social media needs to be used to educate teens about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse, or they will only see what they believe is “a good time”.
Tarzana Treatment Centers has been successful in promoting recovery on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. One message can be seen by thousands of individuals when only a few of our Friends and Followers click on a link. Our services, like Vivitrol treatment, gain exposure, and some new clients have informed us that they contacted us after seeing a social media post.
It is likely that everyone reading this, with a social media account, has at least one teen Friend or a Friend with one. This means that they can see what you post. Imagine how much of a positive impact we can all make if we post anti-alcohol and anti-drug messages on our Walls and Tweets.
Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides a full array of health care services including adult and youth alcohol and drug treatment. We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley and specialized services for HIV/AIDS care. If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders or from other services we offer, please call us now at 855-738-4010 or contact us using our secure contact form.
Telemedicine services are also available with online medical care, online mental health treatment, and online alcohol and drug treatment.
Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.