Ways to Avoid this Fate:

1. Always Stay Strong!!!

The more you mentally prepare yourself for peer pressure, for the hard times in life, and even for the times when you want to be brought up, the more you will be able to resist the urges to seek harmful substances. 

    2. Keep Yourself Busy!!!

Factor in the fact that you are an important, busy person. Play up how you spend your free time by taking up a new hobby, working out, listening to some new music, working out, or just discovering more of yourself. 

    

    3. You are Better than That!!!

You don't need addictive supplements to make you feel better, emotionally, mentally or physically. You are better than anything those can give you, and can make yourself feel however you'd like.

Some References:

Here are some websites for you to visit if you have any further questions on substance abuse: (click for direct page link)

- Humanillnesses.com
- Wikipedia.com
- SAMHSA.com

Here are some numbers and websites for further abuse help:
- UnityRehab.com
- MedHelp.com

SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Al-Anon for Families of Alcoholics	(888) 425-2666
Alcohol & Drug Abuse Hotline	1-800-729-6686
Cocaine Anonymous	(800) 347-8998
Families Anonymous	(800) 736-9805
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Hopeline	(800) 622-2255
National Institute on Drug Abuse Hotline	(800) 662-4357

^ via http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/hotline.htm

Examples of Substance Abuse:

Once you get your hands on a certain drug, become mentally attached, you're addicted. Addiction is a very scary road that nobody deserves to go down. Your dependence for one small item can wreck your entire life. Celebrities are no exception to this. Take a beautiful artist gone far too soon- Amy Winehouse. Her music was enjoyed by millions, her talent shone vibrantly and all of it was taken down by the abuse of ecstasy, heroin and alcohol. Her death was at only 27 years of age and could have been avoided if only these products had never entered her life to begin with.



Another is a girl I used to know back in elementary school. We'll call her Anne. Anne grew up with an abusive mother and an absent father, leaving her to always be looking for
ways out' of her life. One of which being drugs. She binge drank with her friends on regular basis's and would take drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine to help numb her pain of being alone and hurt at home. She even ended up getting pregnant by her boyfriend, but without stopping the substance abuse, she lost the baby.

Tragedy is the only outcome of substance abuse, no matter what. 

How Teens Thoughts and Behaviors are a Contributing Factor:

Peer pressure. A huge issue in our society today is that of teens having their friends try substances such as a cigarette, then offering it to the entire group. Of course you're not going to say no if all of your buddies are trying it to, and it seems pretty harmless from the outside anyway.
The thought of rejection from those around you is a crippling one, leading teens to do not only what is offered, but going to the extremes just to gain the approval of their peers is what is thought they need these days to fit in.
Perhaps if all children, not just the ones who are pressured into doing these actions, were shown visions and actual stories of people who have done the same thing, and the tragedies that happen due to their misuse of these substances, they'd learn that you should never do them under any circumstance. Even if it means you may be 'in' with certain people. In the long run, it's not worth it.