Supporting Young People Through Addiction

Why Young People Are Falling Into Addiction Earlier Than Ever

Addiction in young people isn’t a new phenomenon, but the pace and patterns of substance use have shifted dramatically. Today’s teenagers have unprecedented access to information, to online influences, and, unfortunately, to drugs.

The logic is brutally simple: if something is cheap, easy to buy, and comes with a reputation of being “no big deal and fashionable or cool to take, risk-taking teenagers will flock to it. And that brings us to one of the biggest concerns Alicia flagged in the interview, ketamine. 

Ketamine: The “not-so-serious” drug that’s causing serious harm 

If there’s one substance dominating the youth landscape right now, it’s ketamine. And for reasons that would make any individual who knows the complexity of it cringe, many young people simply don’t view it as a hard drug. Heroin and cocaine? “Dangerous.” Ketamine? “Just a bit of fun.”

That perception is what makes it so dangerous.

Ketamine is cheap. It’s everywhere. And the effects are massively underestimated, especially by teenagers whose brains are still developing. We’re seeing the same trend across UKAT centres too: more young people turning up with ketamine use patterns they barely recognise as risky. Some arrive genuinely shocked when they learn how serious the consequences can be, because no one ever told them.

UKAT sees the fallout firsthand:

1. severe bladder damage that, for some young people, is irreversible
2. kidney problems developing far earlier than you’d ever expect
3. long-term memory issues
4. dissociation, anxiety and trauma responses
5. dependency forming far faster than they ever imagined

The truly sobering part? Some of these young people have caused lifelong damage after only one or two heavy uses. Their bodies simply can’t cope with the toxicity and the frequency at which they binge it.

Thanks to social media and peer culture, ketamine has become almost casual, a weekend habit rather than for what it is, a dangerous drug. It’s not dramatic or glamorous; it’s quietly destructive. That subtlety is what hooks young people before they even realise they’re in deep. And by the time the warning signs appear, the physical damage has already begun.

When the Police Get Involved

A large portion of the young people Alicia supports arrive after run-ins with the police. This could mean they have been caught in possession, shoplifting, engaging in anti-social behaviour, or petty dealings, for example. Behaviours often driven by substance use, fear, or simply trying to cope with chaotic home lives. By the time they’re sitting opposite Alicia, the situation has already crossed a line they didn’t expect to cross at their age.

For many, their first real “wake-up call” isn’t the drug itself or how it affects the body, it’s the blue lights, the caution, the panic on a parent’s face, or the realisation that a criminal record isn’t some abstract threat but something that sticks. It’s the moment teenage invincibility cracks.

In a lot of cases, the courts mandate them to attend support sessions. On paper, mandatory attendance sounds like a battle before it begins. Teenagers aren’t famous for warming to anything they’re forced into. Yet the reality is surprisingly positive. Once the initial resistance fades, something shifts.

According to Alicia, most young people continue engaging voluntarily long after the court order ends. And that speaks volumes.

Why?

Because when they finally sit down with someone who listens, they start to see their behaviour with clearer eyes. The bravado melts off. They begin to connect the dots between their substance use, their decisions, and the consequences crashing into their lives.

Alicia gives them something many of them haven’t had before: stability, consistency, and a safe space where honesty isn’t punished. That’s when progress happens. They feel understood rather than judged. They feel guided rather than cornered. And somewhere in those conversations, they realise they can choose something different.

They come because they have to. They stay because they want to.

That’s the power of compassionate, specialised youth support. It takes what begins as a legal obligation and turns it into a turning point, a chance for a young person to step away from the path they were heading down and move toward something healthier, safer and far more hopeful.

The Risks Young People Face If Early Support Isn’t Available

When early intervention isn’t there, the trajectory for a young person spiralling into substance use becomes painfully predictable:

Experimentation → Regular Use → Dependency → Legal Trouble → Long-term Addiction

But in reality, things unravel much faster and far more chaotically than that neat arrow suggests.

Young people who fall through the cracks face a heightened risk of:

1. academic decline or school exclusion
2. breakdowns in family relationships
3. worsening mental health, including anxiety, paranoia and depression
4. exploitation by older, more experienced drug users or dealers
5. entanglement in county lines operations
6. serious physical health complications
7. involvement with social services, homelessness or unstable accommodation

At UKAT, we see the long-term consequences of what happens when support isn’t available early enough. By the time some young adults reach our clinics, their substance use has already left its mark—physically, mentally and emotionally. Patterns that began in childhood or early teens have hardened into adult addiction, making the recovery process far more complex and far more costly to their health and future.

Early support isn’t simply a “nice to have.” It’s prevention.

How You Can Support Young People Facing Addiction

You don’t need to be an expert to make a real impact. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, social worker or simply a concerned adult, your role matters more than you think.

Here’s what actually helps:

1. Act early when you notice behaviour changes, don’t wait for things to “get better on their own.”
2. Skip the scare tactics. Teenagers can spot a fear campaign a mile off.
3. Have calm, direct, honest conversations, not debates, interrogations or emotional explosions.
4. Encourage them to reach out to a local service voluntarily. Voluntary engagement is the foundation of lasting change.
5. Share real information about drugs like ketamine and the long-term harm they do.
6. Highlight their strengths, their resilience, their potential, not just their risks.

Adults who guide without controlling, support without shaming, and listen without dismissing. And if things escalate, UKAT is here. Our Banbury Lodge centre, one of UKAT’s leading centres, is uniquely equipped to support clients aged 16 and over, including those struggling with both addiction and eating disorders. It bridges the gap between youth support services and adult rehab, offering a safe, clinically supported environment where older teens can receive the level of care they need without being placed in an inappropriate adult setting.

If you’re concerned about your own or a loved one’s substance use, get in touch today, and we can help you start the journey to recovery.