Drug and Alcohol among College and High School Students In an era in which drugs and alcohol has become increasingly easy to obtain, its abuse has proportionally plagued American youth time and time again. In the past few years’ abuse amongst youngsters has reached an all time high. The effects of these substances, on students damage their mind and body; and in addition, has effected their academic performance, not only on the collegiate level but also amongst high school students. Since alcohol is the number one drug problem among young people and Marijuana, which is the most frequently used illicit drug in the United States. These substances are becoming more and more frequent throughout high school students and college students, the bodily harm the abuse causes takes action at a much earlier age. The problem of drug and alcohol abuse starts at a young age, were teenagers start to experiment with different substances. Peer pressure plays an enormous role in teenager’s decision to take a substance. Adolescence’s have almost always started drinking because of peer pressure, in an attempt to be accepted and included in the group. The pressures facing young kids in high school and college face to be “cool” is unreasonably high. Many people continue with the use of alcohol or drugs because it relaxes them in social situations and makes it easier to communicate with the people around them. In today’s society children are trying substances at earlier ages then before. Drug and alcohol among teenagers starts at the adolescence age; It is common among these teenagers to start trying these different substances. The trying of these substances is where the problem starts; when students take it to the next step toward o... ... middle of paper ... ...the fifteen students we approached, all fifteen of them admitted that they use alcohol or drugs to escape from something. Whether from schoolwork, their friends, boyfriends or girlfriends or plain and simply from reality, they all abuse the substances to feel good for a few hours just to go back to reality and face their troubles the next day. The continued process of this makes it almost a routine for these students to continuously go out and get drunk or high to have fun and not worry about anything else for the night. Drugs and alcohol are going to continue to be used by high school and college students forever but there are many actions to take that can help decrease the numbers. Communities need to begin getting more involved, parents need to be more involved in their children’s lives and laws need to be more strictly enforced before these bad habits break.
About one out of five 10th graders and about 1 out of four high school seniors used marijuana in the past month (Facts for Teens, 1). It is the second most popular drug among teens in the US (Encarta, 1). Teens, ages 12-17, that use marijuana weekly are nine times more likely than non-users to experience with illegal drugs and alcohol (Fed. Study, 1). More 13 & 14 year olds are using drugs, fifteen pe...
Drugs are always a very controversial topic because they inhibit the senses and can cause many problems whether or not it is illegal. Recently, there have been changes in the drug policy within the United States bringing about an opportunity to revisit an older policy, the Drinking Age Act of 1984. In a research study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, underage drinking accumulates for about $22.5 billion or 17.5% of the money spent paying for alcohol in the United States. In 2006, 72.2% of twelfth graders admitted to drinking alcohol at some point in their lives.(Joseph Califano Jr, National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University website) Twelfth grade is a major point in teenagers lives within
“80 percent of teen-agers have tried alcohol, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in the top three causes of death among teens: accidents, homicide and suicide” (Underage, CNN.com pg 3). Students may use drinking as a form of socializing, but is it really as good as it seems? The tradition of drinking has developed into a kind of “culture” fixed in every level of the college student environment. Customs handed down through generations of college drinkers reinforce students' expectation that alcohol is a necessary ingredient for social success. These perceptions of drinking are the going to ruin the lives of the students because it will lead to the development alcoholism. College students who drink a lot, while in a college environment, will damage themselves mentally, physically, and socially later in life, because alcohol adversely affects the brain, the liver, and the drinkers behavior.
Nobody can control what students do, but colleges and universities can make them conscious about what is right and wrong or good and bad. This information allows students to act based on their opinions, not just drink because it is prohibited. To make students became responsible adults is the best way to combat binge drinking
Young people are using mood-changing substances at an increasingly younger age. Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied by a plethora of problems, including school related hardships, health-related problems, poor family relationships, mental health issues, and run-ins with the justice system. There are also significant consequences involving the community, and society in general. Studies show drug use at a young age increases the desire to abuse as you get older. Society looks at drugs as being a taboo, which is the norm for our country. However other countries see drug use as a way of connection with oneself and others in another realm. Now whether drug use is harmless or harmful is a matter of your personal preference.
We all know what it is like to wake up in the morning, with our head aching, and our body feeling like it was just hit by a train. College students world wide know this feeling. These are the results of binge drinking. The question of why college students continue to submit themselves to alcohol is unknown. While many reasons are given, the cause generally falls into one of three categories, peer pressure, insecurity, or to help solve there problems. But the one thing students don’t realize are the consequences and effects that binge drinking can have, health and social problems are just a few.
There are many factors that may cause a teen to drink or use drugs. Factors may be social, mental, or hereditary. Many reason teens choose to use drugs and alcohol are social factors. Teens may want to fit in with their friends or a certain group. They may also feel mature and grow up while using substances. If teens have mental issues, they may be more likely to use drugs or alcohol. Teens who feel like they are not emotionally connected or loved by their parents are more susceptible to drug use. Teens who have poor self-esteem or emotional or mental health problems, such as depression are also at increased risk for drug use (Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse). Teens who have alcohol and drug addictions in their family history ...
A lot of the time, teens think it is ‘cool’ to drink because everyone else does it. Almost every television show that young people watch have some underage substance abuse, leading adolescents to believe that it can’t be that bad. While society plays a big part in this huge problem, both teens and parents need to learn that there can be severe consequences from as little as one drink. Allowing them to think this kind of behavior is acceptable will haunt them for the rest of their lives, even if they are not alcohol related. Believing that such behavior is acceptable now will lead them to bad decision-making skills in the future when faced with an ethical decision. Teens need to know the major effects can come from underage drinking before going to that party or when being pressured into something they may not be willing to participate in. It is obvious that the long and short-term effects of alcohol abuse can be easily avoided by getting educated and thinking before engaging in any self-destructive
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”) .
One article that covers the results of a national survey states that ¡§Adolescents¡¦ levels of alcohol and drug use have been found to be strongly associated with peers¡¦ use. However, other studies have shown that a student¡¦s drinking was more strongly influenced by how much he or she thought close friends drank than by perceptions of the extent of use by students in general¡¨(Results 2). This is a statement that I can agree with because growing up I have watched many young people become greatly influenced by their friends. Now a days the phrase ¡§peer pressure¡¨ concentrates on pressure from a direct group of friends rather than a students peers as a whole. Another reason the article gives for the cause of Binge Drinking is that ¡§Students who perceive that more drinking occurs than actually does provide themselves with an excuse for drinking more because ¡¥everyone is doing it¡¦¡¨ (Results 2). Everyone knows that most youngsters want what every other kid has, this idea relates in the...
Binge or excessive drinking is the most serious problem affecting social life, health, and education on college campuses today. Binge or excessive drinking by college students has become a social phenomena in which college students do not acknowledge the health risks that are involved with their excessive drinking habits. Furthermore college students do not know enough about alcohol in general and what exactly it does to the body or they do not pay attention to the information given to them. There needs to be a complete saturation on the campus and surrounding areas, including businesses and the media, expressing how excessive drinking is not attractive and not socially accepted.
The use of drugs and mind-alternating substances has been a part of society for decades. The ‘high’ that people attain from the use of such substances is very attractive and exciting however, the effects of this use are minimized. Particularly for youth, a group of individuals who are seeking independence and experimentation, drug use represents the balance between taking risks and taking responsibility for one’s actions. However, the developmental processes of adolescents are known to not encompass the maturity required to fully think through such decisions. As such, the use of a ‘smaller-scale’ drug like marijuana is even more minimized. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what the risks of using marijuana are for youths, why they are the most affected, how this problem has progressed over the last three decades, and what preventative measures and treatment options are in place. It will also discuss what schools, parents, and government agencies could be doing to help improve the issue, and the impact that this issue is having on society.
...olescences to abuse drugs depending on the influencing stimuli. We must educate the adolescences on respectable behavior and consequences to drug seeking behaviors and addiction.
People think they know all the effects and reasons of why teenagers do drugs, but do they really? The very first day drugs were introduced was the day Columbus first stepped onto the U.S., when the Native Americans first offered tobacco to the newcomers. Drugs came again in the 1850’s, when the Chinese first came to work in the mines and on the railroads, they brought opium smoking with them and later started addicting the people of America. Once the extremely debilitating power of addicting drugs was recognized, many American cities and states, starting with San Francisco, began passing anti-drug laws in 1875. By the 1960’s, the great majority of Americans had forgotten the lessons of the first drug epidemic, and the use of drugs grew over time. Susan Erasmus says in her article "Why Do Teens Take Drugs?": “Studies have shown that there are more teens than ever before are taking drugs and the age at which kids start taking drugs is getting smaller and smaller each day” (2). Teen drugs are a huge problem in America considering: how good it makes them feel, why teens take them, the effects of taking the drugs, and a solution to help stop teen drug use.
In conclusion, drug and alcohol abuse and misuse is a major part of American society. The battle to reduce the rampant use of drugs and alcohol is being fought everyday by America?s schools, families, and politicians. Their goal is simply stated but perhaps impossible to accomplish: to create a ?drug free? society(Duke and Gross 200).However, with the increased help of psychologists, sociologists, and medical officials, perhaps Americans will finally learn the evils which arise from the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Lives are ruined, dreams are shattered, and society loses many important people to alcoholism and drug abuse. Maybe if we are smart it will all stop.