Peer Pressure And Drug Abuse In The United States

When thinking of drug use many people's first thought is, it all started with peer pressure but did it? Peer pressure is defined as the social pressure by members of one’s peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. The second thought is their culture, because depending on the area of living is typically what drug is more available. At what point did our country become overrun with drug use? In 1914, the Harrison Narcotic Act outlawed cocaine in the United States and usage decline throughout the 1940’s through the 1960’s. In the 1970’s cocaine regained popularity as a recreational drug and was glamorized in the US popular media. It is also said that kids with weak bonds to their families and schools, as in how close they feel to their parents or teachers are more likely to experiment/use drugs than kids with stronger bonds. The reason behind this is kids with weak bonds are more likely to fall into conventional norms or delinquent behavior. Social pressure also plays a large role in this time in our lives, many of the people we surround ourselves with drink,smoke, or are using drugs, and because many of us have a fear of being left out and want to “fit in” and because of this we often find ourselves

When it comes to the drug useage in the US, the statistics speak for themselves. Overdose deaths in the United States more than tripled during 1999-2015 from 16,849 to 52,404 annually. In 2013 alone an estimated 24.6 million Americans 12 or older- 9.4 percent of the population- had used an illicit drug in the past month. Also in 2013 there were about 7,800 new illicit drugs users per day, over half of which were under 18 years of