BUFFALO, N.Y. — A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed substance abuse often begins in adolescence.

This report found that teens 13 to 18 seek substances to mellow out and reduce stress, or experiment with friends. Over half of the nearly 16,000 respondents who reported using in the last 30 days said they misused prescription drugs alone.

Jodie Altman, the executive director of Kids Escaping Drugs, said while teens using drugs isn’t new, this combination of mental health issues and constant access to the internet, paired with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, is making the issue worse.

“I think, you know, technology has really gotten in the way of kids developing coping skills [and] resiliency skills,” Altman said. “I think it has accentuated mental health issues. And when they don't know how to deal with the mental health issues, if they don’t ask for help, they turn to substances.”

Since August, Kids Escaping Drugs has served more than 12,700 people and conducted 68 interventions.

They served 89 schools and organizations, giving presentations to kids of all ages.

Just this past January they have done 10 interventions.

Harm reduction like this is part of what the CDC recommends to combat this issue.