Teenage drug abuse is an issue that can result from a wide variety of social influences, stressful events, and mental disorders. Drug abuse among adolescents is a troubling issue because it decreases focus, increases the chance of consistency in behavior during adulthood, increases the chances of developing emotional issues, permanently damages the brain, and damages tissues in every system that can lead to death. Previous scientific research has identified that social factors, including the media and peers, play an important role in psychological development and impact the adolescent's decision to start experimenting with substances (Botvin 888). Appropriate solutions for the teenage drug abuse issue already exist, but the only remaining obstacle is the lack of effort in implementing proven methods of effective drug abuse treatments.
According to Dryden-Edwards, statistics in 2010 show that about 30 percent of 10th graders in the United States have experimented with marijuana, and 22.5 percent of 12th graders have used a wide variety of drugs, including cocaine, Vicodin, inhalants, Ecstasy, and anabolic steroids (“Teen Drug Abuse”). In addition, Dryden-Edwards points out that some trends suggest substance abuse among adolescents has been declining since 2002, but other statistics display an increase of other substance abuse, so only the object of substance abuse has changed while the main issue remains consistent and continues to develop (“Teen Drug Abuse”).
Furthermore, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drug addiction is classified as a mental illness because it causes disturbance in regular patterns of needs and desires, and drug abuse frequently co-exists with other mental disorders (“Comorbidity: Addictio...
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...ents would decrease significantly.
Although the amount of risk factors for developing drug abuse makes it impossible to address all potential risk factors at the same time, significant progress can be made through implementing changes slowly. The scientific research on effective therapeutic methods has already suggested potential changes in therapeutic models and social influences that can assist in drug abuse prevention and treatment. Unfortunately, scientific research is ahead of actual implementations of the findings on solving drug abuse issues among adolescents. Rather than conducting further research on the topic, implementing the current findings should be the primary aim because statistics suggest that the teenage drug abuse issue is growing continuously, and theoretical knowledge will not prove useful in solving that issue until is established in practice.
Drug abuse in teens has risen tremendously in America. Although, there are many causes and effects of using drugs, there are many ways to prevent teens from doing them. Even though some teens become addicted to recreational drugs, there are many ways to treat addiction and ultimately live a healthy and stable life.
The use of alcohol by adolescents is widely viewed as disobedience in American society. Although, alcohol use is technically illegal until the age of twenty-one (in 19 states the consumption of alcohol in not specifically illegal for people under the age of twenty-one), there is still an excessive use of dinking in teenagers today. Since alcohol is associated with all three leading causes of death among teens, it can also have less life-altering consequences such as a drop in academic performances and a decline of friend and family relationships. Also, mental disorders like anxiety, depression and behavioral issues as in loss of temper, an argumentative personality, being easily angered, and blaming others for mistakes. Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug in teenagers and society contributes to abuse by linking drinking to sophistication and good times. (“Alcohol Abuse and Youth” 1)
Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with ‘speedy’ side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription painkillers to check out of reality. Pressures on teens are growing, to succeed in sports or to get high grades to get into a good college (Pressures on today’s teens, 2008, theantidrug). Furthermore, because prescriptions drugs are prescribed by doctors they are less likely to be seen as deleterious to teens’ health. A lack of awareness of the problem on the part of teens, parents and society in general, the over-medication of America, and the greater stresses and pressures put upon teens in the modern world have all conspired to create the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by teens.
By the eighth grade, 29.5 percent of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 15.5 percent have smoked cigarettes, and 15 percent have used marijuana (11 Facts About Teens and Drug Use). Substance abuse by young adults using illegal or prescription drugs and alcohol can result in a loss of interest in education, serious emotional problems and chemical dependency.
Drugs cause an overall disturbance in a subjects’ physiological, psychological and emotional health. “At the individual level, drug abuse creates health hazards for the user, affecting the educational and general development of youths in particular” (“Fresh Challenge”). In youth specifically, drug abuse can be triggered by factors such as: a parent’s abusive behavior, poor social skills, family history of alcoholism or substance abuse, the divorce of parents or guardians, poverty, the death of a loved one, or even because they are being bullied at school (“Drugs, brains, and behavior”) .
Most people do not understand how a person become addicted to drugs. We tend to assume that is more an individual problem rather than a social problem. However, teen substance abuse is indeed a social problem considered a priority for the USA department of public health due to 9 out of 10 Americans with addictions started using drugs before the age 18 (CASA Columbia University). Similarly, 1 in 4 Americans with addictions started using the substance during their teenage years, which show a significant different with 1 in 25 Americans with addiction who started using at 21 or older (CASA, 2011).
In today’s culture, illegal drug use among adolescents is a significant issue. Usually when teens feel worried or strained they will turn to these actions for release. Prescription drugs, Marijuana use, and tobacco use has become the most commonly available and used drugs among teens. In fact, “CASA reports that more than one-third (8.7 million) of teens can get prescription drugs within a day and nearly one in five (4.7 million) can get ...
Adolescences in particular can be easily influenced to abusing a drug or multiple drugs. I believe this happens because teens often lack education, live in an environment where drugs are readily available, are peer-pressured and the lack of proper growth of the frontal lobe. Many factors contribute to adolescences experimenting with drugs. As side from being a child, the adolescence stage is of great importance. Healthy habits and activities are supposed to be instilled within this stage of life. The adolescence stage can be very perplexing and what is made into a habit then is easily carried on into adulthood. Our genes act together with our environment to contribute to the addictive behaviors we are motivated to develop. If addiction is left untreated it can ultimately lead to de...
Enfin, one of the most browbeating and frustrating things in the world is the disease of addiction. It is a progressive, chronic, and often fatal disease that takes control of life away from people. However, “drugs are here to stay, and...we have no choice but to learn how to live with them so that they cause the least possible harm” (Torr 116). Unfortunately, ten percent of all eighth graders and twenty percent of all tenth graders are using marijuana at least once a month (Torr 38).
It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.
The survey we conducted showed that most people believed it was more common for youths in the 14 to 22 age group to use recreational drugs. This was closely followed by the 23 to 30 age group, while the 13 and under age group was considerably further behind. The survey question that followed indicated that people also believed that drug users were irresponsible and inconsiderate. This slightly supports the misconception that teens are more likely to be involved with recreational drugs.
Few people deny the dangers of drug use, while many teens are curious about drugs. They should stay away from drugs because drugs affect our health, lead to academic failure, and jeopardizes safety. Drugs are used from a long period of time in many countries. The concentration of drugs has increased from late 1960’s and 1970’s. Drugs can quickly takeover our lives. Friends and acquaintance have the greatest influence of using drugs during adolescence.
There are a myriad of cultural and societal risk factors that contribute adolescent alcohol and drug use. A risk factor is defined as “any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or injury”. These risk factors can be identified through family history of substance use disorder, sense of inferiority, pleasure seeking, low self-esteem, unemployment, poor social support, desire to experiment and poor social support (Thomas, N. L., Naregal, P. M., Mohite, V. R., Tata, S. H., Karale, R. B., & Kakade, S. V. (2015).) Risk of drug abuse increases greatly during times of transition, such as changing schools, moving, or divorce. Additional peer risk factors include gang involvement or the reinforcement of negative norms and expectations within peer group, the lack of academic...
People take drugs, tobacco and alcohol for different reasons and some is a result of their background, for leisure and so forth. These uses pose a threat to the health and well-being of adolescents. Adolescents and young adults in their 20s are at the highest risk for illicit drug use. For some drug users, use that begins in adolescence continues well into adulthood. “Addiction is a developmental disease; the earlier an adolescent begins drug use, the more likely their use will progress to become serious abuse or addiction (Johnston, 2012)”. There for earlier exposure is the major impact in addiction and dependence to some extent.
In today’s society, the most frequent problem amongst teenagers is the use of drugs. Drug addiction is a disease that consists on the dependency of substances that affect the central nervous system and the cerebral functions. Substance abuse produces an inappropriate behavior in people. Teenagers are most vulnerable to drug abuse because of the influences around them, and young kids do not have a clear vision of the consequences that drug use can cause.