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Drug abuse in teenagers
Describe teenage drug abuse
Random school drug testing
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Recommended: Drug abuse in teenagers
Today the use of drugs is evident, it is rising and is now becoming an increasing problem in teenagers. There`s now an epidemic of drug abuse, the illicit substances are everywhere, some adolescents have even become dependent to certain drugs. Due to this enormous problem, schools should start testing their students for illicit drug use. Drug tests should be mandatory for each and every highschool student and not just the ones participating in athletic extracurricular activities. Most of the student body doesn’t consist of athletes. Therefore if drug use is concerning, why single out athletes? If some of the atletes test positive, chances are other students will also test positive. All students are under constant stress and distractions
they all encounter peer pressure or rejection, so if one group of students will be tested, then the whole student body should be tested too. Testing for illicit substances often times sends a mixed message for students, they tend to get mad, feel pressured or judged. In order to realize the tests students should agree with it, it cannot be done against their will and their parents approval. It must be required that every student and their parents sign a consent form so the testing can be performed legally. If any of the students and their parents refuse on getting tested, the student will not be allowed to participate in any school-sponsored competitive extracurricular activities for the reason that being an athlete or being involved in any extracurricular program is a privilege, not a right, and there are certain rules that come with it. The goal of the mandatory drug testing program is to reduce student substance use by discouraging its use, by detecting substance use, and by examining and detecting effects on other students in the school as they observe and are influenced by the behavior of their classmates. The schools counselors should speak to the students individually before and after the testing program starts, so they get to know about their participation in school activities, their attitudes regarding school and its policy their opinions on drug use and make sure they are aware of drug testing. I strongly believe that drug testing in schools should be enforced simply because it has shown to be and effective mechanism for detecting drugs and it should be approved as just if it is directed to all the students and not just one group in particular.
Abstract: Since the beginning of sports competition, athletes have always looked for some kind of an edge over their competitors. They will do whatever it takes to be one of the elite and that includes injecting supplements into their bodies to make them bigger, stronger, and faster. Steroid use is probably one of the most common drug misuses in sports competition. Athletes found that with anabolic steroids one could become a better athlete twice as fast. Not until 1975 was the drug first banned from Olympic competition because of the health risks it produced. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the sports world did not allow anabolic steroids as well. With the use of steroids no longer permitted athletes began to look for other alternatives. On the rise is two substances called creatine and androstenedione, both of which are sold over the counter. These two performance enhancers have only had minimal testing done on them, excluding the long-term effects, simply because they haven't been around long enough. Creatine and androstenedione have been said to produce results like steroids without the side effects. The truth is they do produce side effects and irregular muscle growth. By banning the use of performance enhancing drugs, just like steroids, sports competition will have a much healthier and fairer environment to participate in.
Drugs and alcohol are a big problem everywhere, but school administrators and teachers want to make sure that students are able to reach their full potential and drug use would greatly hinder that. However, according to the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey 39.9% of students have tried marijuana and 70.8% of students have drank alcohol (YRBSS 2011 National Overview). If schools were to expel every student because of drug or alcohol use, there would hardly be any students left. A booklet published by the Drug Policy Alliance has research that shows that zero tolerance policies do not deter drug and alcohol use. Drug and alcohol use continues to rise in schools, and many schools do not do anything to help combat it except for harsh disciplinary procedures. Most elementary schools have drug education programs, but the same type of education does not work well with teenagers. The Drug Policy Alliance advocates for a three step process to help students instead of p...
In many high schools around the country, student athletes are using drugs. “The percent of students that have drunk alcohol is 72.5% while the number of students who have used marijuana is 36.8%” (Report: Nearly Half of High School Students Using Drugs, Alcohol). The students believe that since they are athletes that they do not need to abide by the rules because they feel more superior and that the narcotic will not hurt or affect them. Implementing random drug tests for athletes will create a positive image and not hurt others or themselves. Schools need to have drug tests for student athletes because drugs effect relationships, using drugs have consequences, and lastly they have a major effect on the body.
Some may say that drug testing students is unconstitutional because it is an “invasion of privacy”. This, however, is not true. . . “In 1995, the United States Supreme Court ruled that drug testing for high school athletes was constitutional, and some districts expanded their policies to include middle schools.” I believe allowing schools to drug test athletes was a very positive thing. For many reason, but mainly because athletes who are on drugs have a higher risk of being injured. For example a kid who is on drugs and plays a sporting event has a greater risk of their heart stopping on the field or court. “Drug tests analyze bodily samples such as urine, blood, or hair to detect the presence of legal and illegal drugs.” The most common one is urine testing. I believe urine testing is the best way for high school students, because it does not take as long as some other tests and it is not as costly as other tests. This is especially important because obviously a school does not want to spend money on anything they do not have to. Our school does randomly drug test students every once in a while but only a few of the athletes are chosen to take the test so that really is not helping ...
The topic that I have chosen is student athletes' use of drugs and alcohol. I'm interested to see if the old theory that student athletes tend to stay away from these things still holds true today. From my own personal experience as a former high school and college football player, I doubt that this is true. I'd also like to find some studies that may compare student athletes to the general student body to see if there is a correlation of usage between these two groups. With the many stories of athletes being arrested for alcohol and drug abuse, I feel this information may be helpful in setting up a drug prevention program at the high school or middle school level.
“A medical dictionary defines a drug as ‘any substance that when taken into the living organism may modify one or more of its functions’” (Newton 12). However, when speaking of drug testing for abuse a person is usually thinking about illegal drugs or drugs that can alter athletic performance in sporting events. Mandatory drug testing was not allowed in public schools until June 2002 when the Supreme Court allowed for public schools to do random drug testing (Carroll 23). This decision allowed for drug testing in all schools throughout the United States not just for athletes but also students who are in any activities within the school, for example clubs and competitive events (Carroll 23). Even though drug testing is now allowed by the Supreme Court many schools do not yet have mandatory drug test policies. Mandatory drug testing for high school athletes should be required because it decreases drug use in schools, is relatively inexpensive, and can prevent drug use and or abuse that can lead to a lifelong addiction.
When athletes are using performance enhancing drugs, it makes it unsafe, and unfair for any other athlete involved in the sport. Having mandatory drug tests for students would help lower the risk to becoming addicted to drugs as well. High school, and college is a prime time for students to be exposed, and pressured into taking drugs or drinking alcohol, and with not only athletes, but students in general, know there will be more frequent drug tests will be a strong deterrent against drug use.
Athletes And Drug Use Many people believe that drug use in professional athletics is not a serious problem, however it is more widespread and serious than people think. In professional athletics, the use of drugs is looked upon as somewhat of a serious problem, but is also very discrete and low key. Every once in a while one might see a prominent figure in a certain sport being reprimanded for the use of some outlawed drug, however this is just one of the many who happen to get caught. Athletes today seem to find no moral problem with using performance-enhancing drugs, or in other words cheating. Also, many of them feel that because they are "stars" there should be no repercussions for their illegal activity.
Doping can be strictly defined as the consumption of any substance (whether food or drug) to improve one's performance. This definition can be applied in a variety of situations, from college students drinking coffee in order to stay awake to athletes who take steroids to make them stronger. The problem with doping is where one draws the line. The drugs used in doping often have detrimental effects to one's health, both mental and physical. In the short run these drugs improve one's performance, but in the long run they can kill.
According to biologyreference.com, about 20 percent of high schoolers and 30 percent of college and pro-athletes use or have used steroids. Athletes have been using shortcuts to get desired results since the beginning of sports. After World War II athletes began to realize that using these substances significantly improved their abilities. There have been incidents of injuries regarding steroids and other performance enhancing drugs. The use of performance enhancing drugs should not be tolerated as they present many health risks amongst adults and children, and using them is simply dishonest.
Drug testing in high schools is an important component to decreasing drug use by students, however, a better testing system needs to be created. Some student athletes use steroids to enhance their ability to perform at sports. Steroids do not show true talent by these athletes (cartoon). Students need to be reminded that true skill is more important than relying on drugs to win.Drug testing that relies on student honesty about whether they use drugs, isn’t helpful in decreasing drug use. Studies based on students admitting to drug use aren’t useful. Students might lie so as not to get in trouble. Random drug testing avoids this issue, as the students won’t be able to tamper with the test, or lie (graph). Some students dislike drug testing
I. Drug testing is meant to help clean our communities and the schools from drug related problems. Drug testing is an easy yet complicated test for many people. Statistics have shows a dramatic decrease of drug use and abuse in between the years of 2000-2006 (University Services, 2009). The U.K.’s country wide drug testing have helped show scientists all over the world the improvements that drugs testing at schools can make.
There is right from wrong and it is wrong for student to do drugs unless prescribed by a doctor. It will benefit students’ lives by making right and smart choices. The goal of high school is to educate and prepare students for a successful future, but how can a students future be successful if they are doing drugs? Research and statistics have shown that drug use and dropout rates go hand in hand. The annual dropout rate in the United States is extremely high. One in seven students will drop out of high school before receiving their diploma and over thirty percent of these dropouts use drugs illegally. Many high schools around the nation...
There have been arguments that suggest that even if schools such as Western choose to treat the non-prescribed usage of study drugs as academic dishonesty, it will be too difficult to regulate its usage among students. The presence of stimulants and other drugs are screened through urine testing (Boye et al, 2017). It is an exaggeration to resolve to drug testing students under the suspicion that he or she has taken a study drug. Nevertheless, the idea of random drug testing has been discussed among educators. For example, Professor Sahakian from the University of Cambridge believes that the school should begin to implement random drug testing (Ensor, 2013).
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.