Alcohol or drug related crime can have a huge impact on a teen’s future.
Some people seem to regard experimenting with drugs and alcohol as a sort of rite of passage for American teens. However, the fact of the matter is that far from being “normal” or acceptable activities, illegal drug use and underage drinking are dangerous and can have serious consequences for a teen’s future.
Consequences of Alcohol & Drug Use
Using drugs and alcohol can affect many different aspects of a teen’s life:
Academics:
- 19.3 percent of middle school and high school students who average Ds or lower use marijuana
- 6.9 percent of students who average Cs or higher use marijuana
Social & Emotional Life:
- Alcohol & drugs are the leading factors in teen suicide
- Kids who start drinking before they turn 15 are 5 times as likely to abuse alcohol later in life than kids who wait until they’re 21
Health & Safety:
- 1,900 youths under age 21 are killed in alcohol-related car accidents every year
- 600,000 college students suffer accidental injuries while drinking every year
- 700,000 students become victims of drunken assaults each year
- 100,000 students become victims of alcohol-related sexual assault each year
Freedom:
Convictions for drug or alcohol-related crimes can result in:
- Jail time
- Fines
- Probation
- Community service
- Mandatory substance abuse programs
- Ineligibility for student loans
- Difficulty getting a job
Not Everyone is Doing It
Peer pressure may not be a very good excuse for drug abuse anymore. The DEA has reported a significant reduction in the number of teens doing drugs since 2000. In addition, a national survey of high school seniors found that:
- 53.3 percent never used any illegal drugs
- 58 percent never smoked marijuana
- 90.5 percent never did inhalants
- 90.7 percent never did tranquilizers
- 91.8 percent never did barbiturates
- 93.5 never did ecstasy
- 94 percent never did cocaine
- 96.1 percent never did LSD
- 97.6 percent never did meth
- 98.8 percent never did heroin
What To Do If You Are Arrested
If you’ve been arrested for any kind of drug- or alcohol-related crime, you need to contact a defense attorney who specializes in juvenile crime immediately. Don’t assume that just because statistics show that the vast majority of individuals enter guilty pleas to their drug charges, this means you should just give up. Many of those guilty pleas are being entered in a special drug court or as part of diversion programs that allow individuals to plead guilty now, complete treatment programs and other requirements, and then have their conviction erased later on. You need an attorney’s assistance to get into these programs!
When you trust Dan E. Chambers as your juvenile alcohol or drug crimes attorney, you can rest assured he will do everything in his power to provide the best possible advice and service that will enable you to minimize the impact of your drug- or alcohol-related mistake on your future.
