Is this a realistic depiction of how it's like to be a teenager in the U.S?

I go by this rule of thumb: if it's on tv, it's gonna be nothing like real life, high school included.

its a heightened version

I would probably call it satire.

Sure, there are teens in the US that do drugs, smoke and have sex but this is like an exaggerated version of teen life. That's not to say that there aren't any teens really like this though, there's plenty, but the main focus is on just "how" messed up are they? lol...

I recently started watching this and just finished with season one and part one (of two) of the special episodes.

I must say, this show is crazy. It's probably too dramatic for most people. But if you can get passed the nudity and the drama, it's actually a pretty good show. Although, you might call it "train wreck television". You're going to tune-in to see the crazy drama or possibly the sex scenes, both are quite good. haha...

The two girls playing Maddy and Cassie have great looks. Very good casting for these two...

In my view, the special episode part 1 has been the best so far, at least from a dialogue point of view. Ali (played by Colman Domingo) hits Rue with some really heavy shit in this episode. It's good stuff though...

At any rate, fairly good show, I'll give season one a 7.8 out of 10. It's a pretty hard look at the toll drug use can take on someone. It's probably worth watching if you like high drama or shows about drug users. We'll see how season two plays out. I might start on it this week.

Hell no.. it is a very dramatic depiction of the life of an American teenager