Addiction impacts teens differently than it does adults. Teens drug and alcohol abuse is often a means of coping with physical and emotional trauma, social and family issues, and unaddressed mental health problems. Left without the proper tools or outlet for these challenges, teens may develop addictive habits and other destructive behaviors, which interfere with their ability to function properly at school, work, or in the home. Teen substance abuse is not a problem that should be ignored, as illicit subsances become a barrier that hinder mental, emotional, and physical growth and development into adulthood.