CITIZENS RALLYING FOR CHANGE ON ALCOHOL

When a teen is bullied, they often become severely depressed. When someone is severely depressed, they are so hurt that they will try anything to make the hurt go away. This is where the drugs and alcohol can play a factor. After all, most alcoholics and drug addicts will tell you that the reason they drink to excess or take drugs is to make whatever pain go away. It is often a vicisious cycle. Teens are bullied, they become depressed, use their drug of choice. But, eventually the pain returns and they look for that outlet once again.

According to http://psychcentral.com, a new study suggests that bullying-related depression among adolescent girls may lead to substance use.

Self-medicating mental health conditions like depression with alcohol and other drugs is hardly breaking news to addiction professionals since this practice has been studied extensively for at least two decades.

Now, with President Barack Obama speaking to the nation about the awful consequences of school bullying and cyberbullying, perhaps this is exactly the right time to ask questions about a relationship between addiction and a history of being bullied.  

According to studies, girls are far more likely to self medicate themselves than boys.  If your daughter is a victim of bullying, take it seriously, do all possible to prevent recurrence, and attend to possible depression and substance use. 

For parents of boys who are bullied: Depression is still an issue, but it may not explain the relation between victimization and substance use. 

Bullying is a serious problem among adolescents. Previous research has shown that it is associated with loneliness, depression and suicide. But no previous national studies have identified depression as an explanation for the relationship between victimization from bullying and substance use. 

A current study is the first to identify depression as a possible link to the relation between victimization and substance use among adolescents.

The findings are generalizable because they are based on data from a nationally representative sample of 1,495 tenth graders

Bottem line here, is to take EVERY bullying accusation seriously and put an end to it immediately! Our children need all of the help they can get when it comes to being bullied. Whether it is a small or large bullying case, it needs to be addressed the same way each time!

Article researched and written by researcher Jeremy Luk of the University of Washington.