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The use of drugs among teenagers seems to be out of control.

The ordeal parents go through when their children are addicted to drugs. The phenomenon has spiraled out of control in Romania

Image source: © Canva
Materiały Prasowe,
23.08.2023 10:00

The use of drugs among teenagers seems to be out of control.

It's horrifying how easily these substances can be bought, say parents, while doctors warn that young people mix drugs and harm themselves even more.

In Romania, there are no support centers where teenagers can be sent after being discharged to help them overcome addiction. As a result, many relapse.

On a street, a young man caught high by the police can barely stand. He can't coordinate his movements and seems lost.

On a hospital bed, a teenage girl is held by her mother. She is hallucinating, and her hands are clenched.

The consumption of prohibited substances has surged lately, and minors increasingly fall into this destructive trap.

Radu Țincu, a specialist in toxicology: "We have even had 13-year-olds presented with acute intoxications, brought in by their parents, with psychotic episodes and behavioral disorders. Rarely do we find an analysis report with just one substance. Most of them test positive for 3, 4, 5 or even more substances. These new psychoactive substances - ethnobotanicals and legal drugs - are capable of inducing such behavioral disorders that can last for 2-3 weeks".

A mother is hospitalized with her 17-year-old son. She says he started using drugs because of a heartbreak. When she noticed his change in behavior, she talked to him extensively and even took him to a psychologist. However, the boy had already gotten involved with a strange group of friends and couldn't resist the temptation. In the hospital, the woman met other parents facing the same problem.

Mother of a drug-using teenager: "There are children who come from organized families, children who come from good schools. As long as the authorities cannot control these drug distribution networks, as long as drugs have become so cheap that they are cheaper than the cigarette packs that teenagers smoke right in the schoolyard, I believe it's an uncontrollable phenomenon".

Doctors talk about a worrying increase in the number of adolescents using banned substances. We are talking about that age group that the state assists the least. There are no support centers for these patients to go to after being discharged from the hospital. They remain in the care of their families, who often cannot help them.

Cristina Anghel, a specialist in pediatric psychiatry at Obregia Hospital: "We can support them in the first phase, possibly during withdrawal. Although many of them declare their intention to quit using substances as long as they are admitted here, we know that once outside, in peer groups and faced with temptation, most of them relapse".

The consequences of drug use in adolescence can be extremely severe

The brain is not sufficiently developed, and these individuals will develop psychiatric conditions as adults.

According to the National Anti-Drug Agency, most users are in the Bucharest-Ilfov region, but drug use increases significantly during the summer at the seaside.

Crina Kibedi, spokesperson for Constanța County Hospital: "In the past months, from 18 people testing positive, in June, for example, to nearly 30 in July".

Iulian Tene, the manager of a hotel in Mamaia: "There were more agitated, more turbulent young people, and on a few occasions, security had to intervene. We even had to call the gendarmerie".

In an effort to help these young people, 30 doctors from across the country will attend an addiction medicine course in Iași. They will learn how to manage these problems and how to treat them.

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