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The two articles/journals I found were very interesting and had lots of information I didnt even know about. My first article is from the Newport Academy which is a type of treatment program for adolescents who struggle with substance abuse and mental health issues. Their article provided so much information and statistics about adolescents and substance abuse which was very eye-opening for me. For instance, Connecticut is among the top 10 states in the country when it comes to addiction to illicit drugs among those between the ages of 18 and 25. This was surprising to me I know it is common for adolescents to experiment with drugs because they go through a phase but for some, it is not a phase, and they get caught in a vicious cycle of addiction. What was even more shocking is that Connecticut was in the top 10. Another interesting fact is that Heroin is the most commonly abused drug in Connecticut according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I learned this is because many teens in the state have already developed an opiate dependence and in order to maintain their addiction and avoid the painful withdrawal symptoms that occur when an addicted person is without their drug of choice they often turn to heroin. Heroin has the same effects as painkillers (similar high), it is cheaper than getting painkillers, and its easier to access. But the most commonly abused drugs among teens are alcohol and marijuana. The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health reports that the use of alcohol is still one of the largest problems, a survey they did showed that 22% of the teen respondents reported drinking five or more alcoholic beverages within the past 30 days, 16% of kids reported drinking alcohol before the age of 13, and 7% said they operated a vehicle while under the influence at least one in the past 30 days. But in the past few years prescription drugs, stimulants and opiate painkillers have started to increase as well. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Prescription Monitoring Program found teen drug use facts and statistics. This revealed two out of five teens say that abusing a prescriptions drug is far safer than using a street drug because it comes from a doctor, about 30% of teens say they believe that painkillers are not addictive, and it is exceedingly common for teens to mix prescription drugs with other substances like alcohol or taking more than recommended doses which can lead to overdoses. These facts are concerning but enlightening on the subject of how common substance use/addiction among adolescents is.

My other piece was a journal written by Yale School of Medicine and looks at adolescent addiction medical services. They reported that in 2022 adolescents with a substance use disorder in Connecticut utilized emergency services at twice the rate of adults. With this, they realized that there was a need to increase resources for adolescents. In the clinic, they commonly see patients for nicotine, vaping, and cannabis use disorder as well as binge drinking. For school-based assistance students are referred to the telemedicine services by their school health center medical providers and can receive up to six sessions of voluntary confidential care which can include psychoeducation, coordination of mental health and substance treatment services, as well as counseling around harm reduction and preventing the return to use. This seems like a great resource for adolescents who struggle with addiction, so they can get extra support from their school. In the journal, it also says they plan on building more services for children, so they can create an accessible treatment for teens.