For teens all around, the new normal is drinking and vaping. Everyone knows one person that does or has done these things. Students and staff alike turn a blind eye to it and don’t say a word unless they see an issue being caused because of drug usage.

Many kids start these habits because their friends or someone they know indulges in these often harmful acts. Many feel that in order to fit in or be considered cool, you need to start doing these things. 

By age 15, nearly 33% of teens have had at least one drink and at 18 it increases to 60%. Most underage drinking begins because of peer pressure, they’ll start hanging out with new people that convince them to start drinking. Kids who start drinking under the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent in the long run.

Underage teens are extremely vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol: long-term risks, binge drinking, openings to drugs, physical wellbeing and more. Underage drinking is usually influenced by friends, 61% of teens said they are influenced by friends according to the North Carolina ABC Commission.  Every year there are more than 4,300 alcohol-related deaths in teens under the age of 21. This includes car accidents, homicides, suicides, and alcohol poisoning.

In 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed over 14,500 middle and high school students about vaping. Research showed that 27.5% of high school students and 10.5% of middle school students said they’ve used an e-cigarette. The rise in e-cigarettes as a young teen eventually turned into those teens smoking cigarettes or using marijuana and other drugs at an early age.

In 2020, 17% of eighth-graders, 31% of 10th graders, and 35% of 12th graders said they vaped in the past year. This is roughly the same as the past years but double what it was in 2017. Since the high increase in vaping from 2017 to 2019, it prompted new national policies to reduce access to teens. In 2021, the CDC reported more than 2 million middle and high schoolers currently using an e-cigarette. Roughly 1.72 million of those teens are in high school. 

Once young teens get addicted, it’s hard to make them quit, especially if friends or even family are doing it with them or allowing it. Peer pressure is a big issue with all of this. Most kids want to be able to fit into what the new normal is. So, let’s start a different normal.