Young People and Drugs - What Makes Some More Vulnerable?

No matter what prevention strategies we implement, some young people will unfortunately run into very serious problems in relation to drugs and alcohol.

Thankfully these are the minority of drug using young people, the NTA (National Treatment Agency) puts the figure of young people in drug treatment at 24,053 (Oct 2010) this figure does not necessarily mean all of these young people have serious drug and alcohol problems, but does indicate they did require further support. With an estimated population of 3.1million young people in the UK during the same period this equates to less than 1% in drug treatment.

The reasons for problematic use are often difficult to identify, there are many examples of young people from 'good homes' running into problems with drugs and alcohol, or siblings where one forms a dependency and one does not. What we can identify is not the young people themselves but what may make them more vulnerable.

What makes a young person more vulnerable?

·  Looked after children

·  Homeless

·  Parents who misuse drugs or alcohol

·  Mental Health Problems

·  Parental Mental Health Problems

·  Absent Parents

·  Divorce/Separation

·  Lack of aspirations

·  Poor academic attendance/performance

·  Those in the criminal justice system

·  Sex workers

·  Peer group using drugs

·  Poverty and urban decay

This is not an exhaustive list but does start to paint a picture of the vulnerability factors that we should look for when assessing and screening young people for substance misuse issues.

It should be noted that the above factors do not all necessarily paint the stereotypical picture of substance misusing young people and some of these factors (those concerning parents, education, aspirations and peer group) can be present in any family regardless of social situation.

The situation gets ever more complex because not all young people react in the same way to situations. Children with many of the above vulnerability factors often do not run into any difficulties, going on to lead very positive lives.

One reason that these young people may have been able to respond positively to disadvantage can be protective factors in their lives, identified protective factors include:

•          Supportive family environment

•          Good social support system

•          Caring relationship with at least one adult

•          Attending school

•          In employment

•          Positive temperament

•          Other interests

When working with young people around substance use a key consideration should be the development of protective factors for the young person, this can be achieved through engagement in positive activities, support around schooling or employment amongst others.

One of the best ways for organisations to promote the delivery of protective factors by their staff is through effective training around drugs and alcohol. With many providers in the market place it’s vital that any training commissioned is young person specific, delivered by experts and up to date.

Whilst we cannot definitively identify those that will develop problems with drugs and alcohol, we can screen and assess using the factors above that we know make young people more vulnerable.

If done early this can help prevent future problematic drug use and its associated consequences for young people and their families.


Mark Bowles


www.thetrainingeffect.co.uk