Why do Students Smoke at School?

POISON. Colorful puns and rhymes act as friendly reminders not to destroy your lungs.

The school bell slices through the busy silence of 3rd period. Clusters of students file out anxiously, hoping to make it to their next class before the next bell. Some are headed for the library, a few fall behind after adding yet another grotesquely thick book to their backpacks, others plan to talk with friends in the hallway. But a smaller group is headed to the bathroom. Once inside, they huddle together in a cramped, smelly stall, make sure not to speak above 30 decibels, and stand on toilet seats when teachers walk in to check for skippers. But they aren’t hiding to avoid getting caught skipping. Instead, they're hiding the tiny brightly colored pods that emit aerosol into their mouths. They’re hiding vapes. 

Why is it that groups of 14-18 year old kids cut class to hide in an uncomfortable bathroom stall and vape? Many people hold the belief that “kids will be kids” or that teenagers will do anything to seem cool and feel like adults. Whether that’s vaping, driving a car, staying out late, or drinking alcohol, many adults feel that teen’s actions aren’t any sign of real problems, like mental health issues, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, etc. However when adults struggle with substance misuse they gain much more concern and attention. Whether or not they beat their addiction better is up to them, but adults are more likely to garner interest and help. It’s unfair that teenagers, who are living through a notoriously difficult and mentally strenuous part of their lives, are expected to grow out of addiction and to deal with it. Maybe if people understood why teens started using, misusing, and abusing substances, people my age could find more help.

“Adolescent depression and its association with substance use is a complicated public health issue. For example, adolescents with depression engage in more substance use to alleviate interpersonal problems, through participating in substance use with peers”, says an article on the National Library of Medicine. 

I find it strange that so many people consider substance abuse to be the root of depression and not the other way around. So many kids my age are hurting and don’t know where to go with their emotions and anxiety. So they turn to drugs.

This isn’t only indicative of poor mental health education for young teens, but more importantly, not feeling welcome and allowed to speak about anxiety and depression. Many teens fear that their own families might blame them for their negative emotions and not try to help them access a therapist.

An article about teen mental health by Mental Health America remarks, “Many people report being afraid to tell their parents because they do not want to upset them. Sometimes we don’t understand where troubling feelings or thoughts are coming from and feel guilty for having them.”

So many teens feel so very trapped and suffocated by depression, anxiety, and fear of opening up to those who can help. Sometimes abusing substances is the only way to feel okay in your own skin, in your own mind. 

“Teens may use drugs to deal with problems with family, friends, school, mental health, or self-esteem,” says an article on MedlinePlus.

However substance use doesn’t just negatively affect mental health, it can genuinely alter brain development and chemistry.

An article by Linda Armstrong from American Addiction Center details various consequences of long-term substance abuse, “Meanwhile, long-term use can lead to impairments across multiple cognitive domains, including memory, attention, and executive function. Additionally, people can experience cognitive and behavioral issues that result from more indirect substance-related mechanisms, such as head trauma, infections, malnutrition, and combined polysubstance effects”.

This article isn’t being written to shame or target anyone, rather I’m writing it to bring attention to teen mental health and what we can do as friends, family, classmates, and community members.

Teens abusing substances shouldn’t be regarded as “teenagers being teenagers”, rather substance abuse is an  issue that may point to larger mental health problems being buried by smoke and pills. We must take care to be supportive, attentive, aware, community members and always be there for each other. Checking in with each other unprompted can also help us initiate our friends to talk about mental health. We must remember not to judge or shame people for mental health and substance use and understand how it may be a coping mechanism. 

Overall, being a teen is hard. From schoolwork, friends, drama, sports, hobbies, and dealing with our changing bodies and minds. Being this age is impossible sometimes. It feels like the world has its odds stacked against us. So sometimes we need an escape—and there is no shame in that. But we must choose healthy escapes and find safe spaces to deal with our problems that consume and torment us. Never be afraid to be there and listen in someone’s time of need. And of course, don’t be afraid to talk about your emotions and problems. Because you could change someone’s life—or your own. Students can go to places like NeighborCare at school, the Dove Project, or call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. There is help and hope for everyone, all you have to do is look and be ready to receive it.

INFORM. Helpful students look out for fellow classmates by making posters.