Bullying, an altogether too common experience for adolescents and teenagers in school, leads to substance use for both the victim and the bully. The harrowing effects of bullying push victims to find solace in drugs, while bullies themselves may be prone to substance use due to troubled home lives or a possible proclivity for risk-seeking.   It’s understandable why victims of bullying would turn to drugs. When they must deal with torment and terror every single day, drugs can take away the pain. Kids get beaten down and told that they don’t matter, and these ideas have horrific, long-term effects on people, including low self-esteem and lack of self-worth. Bullying during youth can also cause lifelong trauma that results in emotional issues and even mental illness, both triggers for drug use. Ending bullying early and assisting kids in receiving treatment in addiction treatment centers can help them get on the right path again and renew their sense of self-confidence.   Surprisingly, bullies themselves are at risk of drug use too. A study that surveyed nearly 75,000 middle and high school students found that kids who bullied others were more likely to use substances than non-bullies. 11.4% of middle school bullies and 31.7% of high school bullies reported marijuana use, compared to 1.6% and 13.3% of non-bullies, respectively. So what causes bullies to use drugs? Researchers posit that both bullying and substance use are deviant behaviors, and an underlying link for…