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This teenager noticed that one of their best friends had begun smoking nicotine and hanging around peers that smoked. The teen tried talking to the friend about the bad stuff that can come from smoking nicotine. The friend kept smoking and started distancing themselves from the teen. The teen missed their friend and went with them to buy their first vape. Their friendship got stronger and the teen developed an addiction.
To fit in and belong
This teenager hurt their knee while wrestling and was advised by a doctor to take ibuprofen for the pain. The knee was healing with time but the teen wanted to perform in the big upcoming match. The teen's friend gave the teen a bottle of prescribed pain meds. The teen's knee felt great during the match and they continued taking the pills. Once the pills were done, the teen thought everything would be fine but they started experiencing restlessness, anxiousness, severe muscle pain, and had trouble sleeping. They wondered if more meds would help it all go away.
To treat an injury or illness
This teenager was grounded for the weekend but snuck out of the house to meet up with a friend anyways. When the teen arrived, the friend and others were smoking weed. The teen never smoked before but thought since one rule was already broken, they might as well break another. The weed made the teen feel very nervous and they ended up going back home early to try to sleep it off.
To take risks and rebel
This teenager heard some friends tried cocaine at a party over the weekend. The teen remembered all the bad things they had heard about the drug and thought their friends made a bad decision by trying it. Time went by and the teen saw the friends feeling and behaving fine and thought maybe trying cocaine once wouldn't be that harmful. After talking to friends and finding out where to find the drug, the teen went to pick up a small amount to try it out. As the teen was leaving the deal, a cop car pulled up behind them.
To satisfy curiosity
This teenager was a sophomore and was invited to senior prom. The teen was so excited for the night until their date's friends started taking shots. The date offered the teen to take a shot together. The teen didn't really like drinking and really wanted to look nice for pictures at the dance hall but didn't want to seem like a "young sophomore". The teen ended up getting sick at prom and never even got a photo.
To feel older
This student needed to pass a final exam in order to pass a class and was very nervous about it. After telling a friend about the nerves, the friend brought a parent's prescription med for the student take so they could calm down. Before the exam, the student took the pill and ended up falling asleep during the exam.
To relax or escape