June 19, 2025
Beyond the High: Understanding Why Young People Turn to Substance Use
- Peace Oregbesan
Substance use among young people is often talked about in headlines, warnings, and statistics. But behind every number is a story. And most of the time, that story isn’t just about wanting to “get high.” It’s about pain. Pressure. Loneliness. Confusion. Sometimes it’s just about trying to feel something when everything else feels numb.
The BraveHeart Project, isn’t here to judge. We’re here to understand. And understanding means going deeper than the surface beyond the high.
Why Young People Turn to Substances:
- To Escape What Hurts Anxiety, depression, trauma many young people are dealing with more than they let on. Substances can feel like a temporary escape from everything that hurts, but that relief is short-lived. The pain doesn’t go away, it just gets buried.
- Because They Don’t Feel Enough In a world obsessed with image and success, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind. Drugs and alcohol might seem like a shortcut to confidence, but they often deepen the insecurities they’re trying to cover up.
- To Fit In and Feel Accepted When everyone around you is doing something, it’s hard to be the one who says no. But fitting in shouldn’t come at the cost of losing yourself.
- Because They Don’t Know How Else to Cope Most young people aren’t handed tools to manage stress, pain, or anxiety so they find their own ways. Unfortunately, substances often become that unhealthy substitute for real healing.
How to Stop and Start Healing
Stopping substance use isn’t easy. It’s not a switch you flip overnight. But it is possible. And it’s not something you have to do alone.
- Admit What’s Really Going On This is the bravest step being honest with yourself. What are you using the substance to escape? What emotions are you trying to silence? Awareness is the first key to change.
- Talk to Someone You Trust Whether it’s a friend, parent, counselor, teacher, just talk to someone. You don’t need to have the answers. Just letting someone in is already a huge step forward.
- Find Healthier Ways to Cope When you take something out of your life, you have to replace it with something better. Try things that ground you and help you process emotions: Journaling, Talking to a therapist, music or art, Exercise or movement,being in nature, joining a support group, Talking to a therapist No, it won’t feel the same as the high but it will last longer, and it will heal deeper.
- Create Some Distance
- Be Patient with Yourself