Teen Drug Abuse

They do not know how or do not want to deal with these overwhelming changes and unfamiliar emot... ... middle of paper ... ...s to explore with drugs. But, for many Morgalo 4 teens this experiment leads to a dangerous drug addiction. At the stage of young adulthood, teenagers do not know how to deal with their problems in a positive way, which influences them to find the answer to their problems in drugs. Also, teens with drug addictions hurt their friends and loved ones because they make the drugs their number one priority. Although drugs can feel good at first, they ultimately do a lot of harm to the psychological and mental health of a young adult.

There is a long list of reasons teens turn to drugs such as: popular media, rebellion, escape and self- medication, and peer pressure. The most popular reason teens abuse drugs is escape and self- medication. When teens are having a hard time with life, they want to find a way to cope with it, or escape, so they abuse

Drugs can affect someone’s life by damaging their health. Using a drug can be very addictive, and that can lead to an overdose, or suicide. Someone may also get in trouble by the police, if they catch anyone with drugs. Couple great impacts that someone might have as a teenager would be starting to ditch class, and may affect family relationship. Those are some of the impacts that can affect a teenager’s life.

Drug Addiction in Teenagers 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. The Signs of Addiction Constantly teenagers are starting to use drugs at a very young age, but why is this problem happening?

According to Josephine M. Palmeri, “Peer pressure or the direct or indirect encouragement from one’s own age group to engage in activities that they may or may not want to engage in is a major factor in the development of risk-taking behaviors.” (Palmeri, pg. 1) In addition, many of these young adults will see all of their friends drinking or doing drugs and think that they need to do it themselves. Unfortunately, there are rarely any parties that do not involve drinking or drugs. Consequently, easily influenced teens may not realize that the party they are attending involves alcohol or drugs, but when they are exposed to this environment, they begin to fall under peer pressure. In addition, today’s youth focuses solely on partying.

While some parents may feel relieved that their teen is “only” drinking, it is important to remember that alcohol is a powerful, mood-altering drug. Not only does alcohol affect the mind and body in unpredictable ways, but teens lack the judgment and coping skills to handle alcohol wisely. Some teenagers are brought up with the attitude that drinking is pure evil. But most of the time this just causes rebellious behavior and makes them want to try it even more, and once they try it they could possibly get addicted. According to associate professor Deborah Deas and assistant professor Suzanne Thomas from the Medical University of South Carolina, more senior high school students use alcohol than any other drug.

Drugs are bought illegally or prescribed and used daily. It is a rising problem around the world that needs to stop. There are a few risk factors that make one more susceptible to becoming an addict. Antisocial and experimental attitudes are most seen in teenagers. Some teens like to rebel against society and try new things, and one of those things are drugs.

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.

Because teenagers’ nervous systems are still developing, it is very easy for them to become addicted to drugs after even one use. The lifestyle that can be brought about by the use of club drugs can be a vicious cycle of self-destruction, and can have a rapid detrimental effect on a teen’s chances to excel in life. However, many times facts are skewed by media and government agencies in order to keep teens off drugs. While this sort of propaganda has good intentions, many people find it morally unjust to deliberately misinform people, even for their own benefit. Some risks are greatly exaggerated, and some of the “facts” which are commonly accepted are barefaced lies.

Why do teens use drugs? Many reasons contribute to adolescent drug use. It may be stress, peer pressure, or even the difficulty coping with the ills of school life. Teens use drugs because they have no true guidance. The absence, of certain vital components such as, someone to talk to, morals, values, or even responsibility forces teens to use drugs.