For America's 10 million alcoholics and 23 million drug abusers, the war on drugs is not only a national crisis--it's a personal battle. It is a war waged within their bodies, minds, and souls.

Drug addiction afflicts people of' all ages, income groups, and ethnic backgrounds. Teenagers are no exception. By tl1e most recent count, 56.6 percent of high school seniors had tried illegal drugs. Nearly 25 percent had used an illegal drug within the past 30 days. And although drug use among high school students has declined since the late 1970s, many experts still find today's rates alarming.

Why do young people turn to drugs? What can help them avoid the dangers of addiction? Where can they turn if drugs have already taken control of their lives? On the following pages, you'll hear from four young people who have traveled down--and up--the slippery slopes of drug abuse.

As a group, teenagers run a high risk of drug abuse. "Teens are at an age when they have a terminal case of the awkwards," says Dr. Miller Newton, director of KIDS of Bergen County, a drug treatment program in New Jersey. "Drugs may seem like the only hassle-free thing available." As teenagers pull away from their parents, they come to depend on their friends for emotional support and (I sense of identity. for many, that means "joining the crowd," even if they don't feel comfortable with the crowd's activities--such as drug use.

Whatever their reasons for abusing drugs, many teens need help to stop. But, by one estimate, only one fifth of drug abusers are enrolled in treatment programs.

UPDATE visited two treatment centers. Phoenix Academy is a live-in treatment center and school in Westchester County, New York. It is run by Phoenix House, a leading drug-treatment foundation. KIDS of Bergen County, in New Jersey, relies on intensive group therapy to help teenagers to overcome drug abuse and other compulsive behaviors. The two KIDS patients asked that they be identified only by their first name and last initial.

Each of the four teenagers profiled below stated abusing drugs for different reasons. Yet, in working to overcome their problems, they share a common struggle and sense of achievement.

Paula F. didn't learn about drugs on the street. Like many teenage addicts, she learned about drugs at home. "My Dad was an alcoholic," she says. "I'd seen him get into fights and go to jail. I'd seen my brother shooting up heroin. I'd seen my sister doing all kinds of drugs. But for as much as I'd seen, I still did it myself."

Paula took up the family habit at age 14. Her boyfriend sold drugs and Paula tried whatever he had to offer--alcohol, pot, mescaline, PCP, cocaine.

Paula thought the drugs helped her escape from problems at home. With three of her siblings addicted, Paula's family was scattered between home, drug treatment centers, and the streets. "I thought my druggie boyfriend was the only one who loved me."

Yet Paula's escape route created troubles of its own. "I became this mean girl, getting into fights on street corners, dealing drugs," she recalls. "I would let my boyfriend beat me up. I thought I deserved it."

Only (l few months after she started taking drugs, Paula discovered she was pregnant and had an abortion. Afterwards, Paula withdrew further and further from her family. "I was so ashamed I would just go into my room and lock the door," says Paula. "I would sit there, listen to the music, rock back and forth, look out the window", and cry myself to sleep. My Mom would want to talk to me, but I would say I was getting dressed or something like that.

Paula began visiting her brother and sister at a drug treatment program. There she realized drugs were the problem. "By that point, I just hated myself," says Paula. "I couldn't stand looking in the mirror. I felt ugly and dirty. I finally said" 'Hey" I need help, because I don't like the way I'm going."

Paula joined the program at KIDS of Bergen County. For 15 months, she has worked to come to grips with her addiction. Each day in group therapy, she talks about her struggles with loneliness, her family" and drugs. Each night, she writes down the number of days she has lived free of drugs: 487 on the day she spoke to UPDATE.

"A lot of times, I come home and break down and cry," says Paula. "I feel like an outsider at school because I've got a drug problem."

At difficult times" Paula finds inspiration from other families that have completed drug treatment. Her own family is making progress, too. While her oldest sister is still using drugs, her other sister and older brother are in treatment. And her father has stayed sober for two months. Paula dreams of the day her entire family will be reunited and free from drugs.

Paula intends to have children someday, but she doesn't believe they'll be as tempted as she was by drugs. "In a way, I think I don't have to worry," says Paula. "Because my kids won't ever see me near drugs."

Tom B used to be an All-American boy. He lived on a quiet suburban street in Wyckoff, New York, with his father, a banker, his mother, a homemaker, and his little sister. Sometimes he fought with his father, and sometimes he teased his sister" but mostly he was busy with school, friends, and sports. But by the time he turned 15, Tom's wholesome athletic image had faded. "I went from All-American Kid," says Tom, "to scumbag."

Like three out of four teenage addicts. Tom knew little about drugs before he started abusing them. Neither his family nor his friends had a history of drug abuse. "I still don't know why or how I started," says Tom, now 18. "I just know I have the problem now."

Tom started drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes" and listening to heavy metal music at about age 12. Tom tried pot at summer camp, and introduced his school friends to the drug in the fall. " At first it seemed like a good time," says Tom. "It was a way to make new friends" be more popular, and feel better about the fights with my Dad."

As Tom traded up to more powerful highs, he found his life slumping to new lows. During his sophomore year of high school" Tom took mescaline, cocaine, speed, LSD, and heroin. He stole money and jewelry from his family. He was expelled from one school and suspended from another. Then he was arrested for possession of marijuana. Meanwhile, his body withered from 180 pounds to 123. "I was one of the biggest losers in the school," says Tom. "But I thought I was mister cool guy.

Mr. Cool's personality scared his parents. "My Mom thought I was possessed," says Tom. "I ripped the door of my room off its hinges and wrote satanic stuff on the walls. There were holes in the walls, graffiti all over, drugs and drug paraphernalia scattered around my room."

And the conflicts Tom was trying to avoid only got worse. "There were constant fights with Dad," says Tom. "One time I threatened to kill both my parents and the police had to come."

Worried and afraid, Tom's parents brought him to KIDS of Bergen County. He didn't want help. "I thought straight was no fun," says Tom. "I thought I'd have to act like some kind of robot. Most of all, I felt like I was a bad person and couldn't change."

Tom shuffled through the program for more than two years without making progress. It wasn't until he hit rock bottom that he was inspired to change. "I thought the only way out was to kill myself: " says Tom. "Then, one night, a friend in the program showed me that he was happy straight. I saw that I could do it too."

After that, Tom progressed quickly. He recently marked his graduation from the KIDS program--and marked his third year away from drugs. He's also established a solid relationship with his father. "But the main thing," says Tom, "is that I'm happy. I feel better than I ever did on drugs."

Tom has also found a new job--as a counselor at KIDS. "I was so messed up in my past," he says. "Now I feel can give to others."

Back to Article List