By Charles Barnard, founder of Success Institutes.
“I just didn’t want to feel anything anymore.”
These were the words of a 16 year old in a youth treatment center, explaining how panic, not peer pressure, triggered his marijuana use.
The statistics echo his pain: According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2023), nearly 30% of high school seniors reported using illicit substances in the past year, and many cite stress, anxiety, and emotional turmoil as the reasons they began.
Stress is a universal experience in adolescence and in life.
For teens, it stems from academic pressure, peer conflict, family dynamics, identity struggles, and increasingly, digital life.
While all teens experience stress to some degree, not all respond to it in the same way.
Some retreat, some lash out, some turn to substances, and others find healthier coping strategies.
So, do teens begin using drugs because of stress?
The answer is nuanced.
Stress may be the trigger, but the deeper causes lie in how teens think, what they believe, what they value, and how they’ve been trained to cope.
In 2020, 16 year old Luca was a standout soccer player in suburban Ohio.
Known for his intensity on the field and academic success, Luca seemed like he had it all.
But then:
Friends noticed the changes: he stopped showing up for workouts, avoided group chats, and eventually, he was caught with Xanax.
He admitted using pills to sleep and escape the stress.
“It just made me feel numb. I didn’t want to feel anything.”
Luca’s story isn’t unique.
According to NIDA (2023), stress and emotional turmoil are among the top reasons teens experiment with drugs.
While peer pressure and curiosity also play roles, many teens report using substances to cope with anxiety, pressure, and depression.
Even those citing peer influence still point back to the same core issue: mindset.
Yes, stress often opens the door… but mindset determines whether they walk through it.
Stress is the spark, but beliefs, values, and perceived options are the fuel.
Take Jenna, a 15 year old freshman from Boston.
After a humiliating breakup, she began to feel worthless.
Her grades slipped, she withdrew from friends, and at a party, someone offered her a THC vape pen.
“It helped me forget,” she said.
Over time, vaping became her escape.
But it wasn’t the breakup alone, it was her belief that:
“I’m not good enough.”…
“No one cares.”…
“There’s no better way to feel better.”…
Teens who turn to substances often hold limiting beliefs like:
“I can’t handle this.”…
“No one understands me.”…
“I need something to get through.”…
In high stress moments, core values like belonging and comfort can override values like health, honesty, and long term goals.
With limited coping tools, substances can seem like the easiest escape.
But when we help teens build healthy rituals (like meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, exercise, journaling, and prayer) we give them a foundation for resilience.
And when we couple these rituals with self esteem work (helping them challenge and reshape their core beliefs) we arm them with one of the most powerful tools in the fight against teen substance abuse.
Research supports this view:
A study by Wills, Sandy, & Yaeger (2002) found that teens with poor emotional regulation and low self efficacy were significantly more likely to use substances under stress.
Sinha (2008) emphasized that chronic stress alters the brain’s reward circuitry, making teens more vulnerable to seeking drugs for pleasure or relief.
Then there’s Maya, a 17 year old who’d been bullied for years.
She began therapy and joined a support group.
When asked if she’d ever considered drinking to escape, she said:
“I think about it. But I remind myself I’ve come too far. I don’t want to go back to hiding.”
Maya’s strength was in her mindset.
She reshaped her beliefs:
“I matter.”… “I can grow through this.”…
Her values shifted from avoidance to resilience, and her coping tools included journaling, deep breathing, and mentoring relationships.
Preventing teen drug use is more than saying “Don’t do drugs.”
It’s about helping teens…
Because ultimately, while stress may tempt teens to numb out, it’s their mindset (the story they tell themselves about their pain) that determines their next move.
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