Teen Drug Abuse in America In today’s society drugs are taking away our children’s lives and it is making headlines every day. “In Vancouver, Washington, a 13-year old boy was found dead after allegedly swallowing twenty-four cold-medicine pills to get high” (Taylor 45). “Nine Florida middle-school students were taken to the hospital after their strange behavior and illness at school led school officials to discover that they had overdosed on an over-the-counter cold medication” (Taylor 45). A children’s hospital in Wisconsin treated two teenage girls for liver failure after they consumed close to 20 tablets containing a common cold remedy. ” (Taylor 45). There are many more cases like this happening every day. Why is drug abuse increasing amongst American teens? Teens use drugs because of curiosity, family influence, and painful emotions. One reason for teen drug use is curiosity to experiment with drugs. Some children are left at home during the summer or after school and become bored. They try drugs to cure their boredom. Two major conditions necessary for drug and alcohol use, is availability and acceptability” (Teen Drug Abuse 26). “In a recent survey of high school students, more than 70% of students reported it was easy to buy drugs at school” (Teen Abuse 26). They often use drugs if it fits toward them so they can find the drug that best fits them. “During their adolescence, drug use by peers and older role models are strong influences on teens’ experimentation and regular use habits” (Teen Drug Abuse 26). The places where they can find drugs are in the most common and innocent place and even places of learning.
Drugs are found in high schools consist of marijuana, alcohol, pain killers, saliva, crystal meth, and even cocaine. “Kids who seek these and other effects can buy the drug at a local store, find it in medicine cabinets at home. ” (Teen Abuse of LEGAL Drugs is serious Medicine 46). And sometimes they hang around other children that do drugs together as a group. “Unlike other adolescents, these addicted teen moved into peer groups that embrace drug use” (Teen Drug Abuse 26). You may think that if you keep using a particular drug, you will be addicted to it, but that does not always happen. Most adolescent who experiment with drugs and alcohol do not become addicted” (Teen Drug Abuse 26). But it is bad enough they get too comfortable of using drugs, they often don’t care about the trouble that comes with it. “Those who move onward to abuse and addiction do not stop with occasional use. They begin to use marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol on a regular basis, and will seek the drugs even when they begin to suffer negative consequences” (Teen Drug Abuse 26). The negative consequence affects the daily life of drug abusers but destroys future.
Also, another reason that children abuse drugs is that they are affected by the parents’ home lifestyle. “Although peer influence is a large force in teenagers’ lives, families continue to have much influence on their teenagers” (Teen Drug Abuse 28). The parent’s reasons are different, some may not allow drugs, but there some parents that allow their children to do drugs. “If substance is legal or adults, parents tend to think it’s safe for use by children” (Teen Drug Abuse 28). Parents allow drugs or alcohol to be used around the house with them there and having it at parties that their children are hosting. They believe that supervised drinking is not harmful, and they purchase alcohol for parties for their teens, and share their cigarettes with their teens” (Teen Drug Abuse 28). Some parents even have the medicines open to have easy access and their children lured themselves in of taking them. They also give them prescription medicine to use when they are not feeling well. ”Not only are medication with high addictive potential stored in easily accessible cabinets, parents will give their pain killers, tranquilizers, and stimulants to their children for relief of mild pain, sleeplessness, or weight control” (Teen Drug Abuse 28).
Mainly, some parents leave their children alone at home, or just leave them unsupervised. “Research studies have founded that adolescents who do not find a parent at the home after school are more likely to smoke tobacco regularly, drink and get drunk regularly, and use marijuana regularly than teens that are better supervised” (Teen Drug Abuse 28). These teens that are less likely to be supervised are using drugs more. “Unsupervised adolescents report a greater interest in trying illegal drugs that do teenagers who have a parent home to greet them when they return from school” (Teen Drug Abuse 28).
Not having rules in the household affects the child and not communicating with them about their dreams, conflicts at school. “Levels of communication and trust also are low in the families we treat. ” “Parents tend to be uncomfortable expressing their values and concerns to their children, and concerns to their parents about their problems and dream” (Teen Abuse 29). A way to prevent abuse of drugs, is simply talking with your child. “Just by talking to your kids you can decrease drug use probably by about a third,” said Thomas Gleaton, Jr. , president and co-founder of PRIDE” (TEEN DRUG ABUSE: BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME 92).
Finally, one of the important reasons why teens use drugs is to cope with their pain about everyday life and have fun with just because it feels good to use it. “Teens are using drugs and alcohol not to rebel or get high but as a way to “escape for a short period of time” (USA TODAY Section: Life, Pg. 06). “The increasing number of teens abusing prescription drugs is a “very serious problem,” says Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation. ” “Television advertisements for prescription drugs give children and teens the wrong impression about medicine, she says” (USA TODAY Section: Life, Pg. 6) Teens basically see or hear the medicine on TV or radio, and thinks it is okay to use it. “We’ve become a society that basically says, ‘If things aren’t perfect in your life, take a pill,’ ” Fay says. ”This causes our young people to see drugs as an answer” (USA TODAY Section: Life, Pg. 06). But, if there no conflict with them, they will use drugs to help them relax and have more fun. ”But teens drink and smoke for other reasons as well. In the survey, 41% of boys responded that “parties are more fun with drugs” — an increase from 34% in 2008.
More than half reported that drugs help teens relax in social settings” (USA TODAY Section: Life, Pg. 06). Lastly, the best way to win the battle of Teen Drug & Alcohol Abuse is to stop and prevent it even from happening. ”Whether the drug in question is alcohol, Ecstasy, or cough syrup, drug abuse continues to be a serious among adolescents. ” “As with any other problem in the school, education, awareness, and balance are the keys to prevention and to the development of potential solutions” (Teen Abuse of LEGAL Drugs is Serious Medicine 48).
And keeping update to the latest information, for example 12-step philosophy. “A strong sense of spirituality and connection to positive religious institutions appear to be protective factors against addiction, and our adolescent program has a strong spiritual component in addition to its emphasis on the 12-step philosophy” (Teen Drug Abuse 29). These are the following steps: Direct Prevention programs to the parents, increase parenting skills training programs, involve the entire family in prevention efforts, educate mental health providers and pediatricians.
Anywhere in your local town can provide information about drug prevention to your family and help your family’s management skills. “Community resources, such as community centers, places of worship, and schools, are good place for parents, teens, and other family members to learn about prevention and to increase their family management skills” (Teen Drug Abuse 30). Also, a parent that talks to their children, also teachers talk to their students about it before the subject comes up helps prevent it. “”Some schools and parents are tackling the problem on two fronts: talking and testing.
In a school in Texas, students have taken drug tests voluntarily. Those who passed were given cards entitling them to discounts at 150 local businesses. The discounts served incentives to keep teens off drugs. And the possibility of random drug tests has helped some youth ward off peer pressure to experiment with drugs in the first place” (TEEN DRUG ABUSE: BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME 92). And being there for that child will help then make good choices and don’t use drugs is always the best prevention. Such protective factors include positive interactions with an adult role model, high self-esteem and social skills in resisting negative peer pressure. ” “Youth must also be instructed in analyzing conflicting mass media message about drugs, says Bailey. ” “Communities can help deter drug use by providing a range of drug-free social and recreational options” (The Futurist: Future Scope 8). The battle of drug abuse is still on this day, and the question is up for discussion, are we losing to this battle called drug abuse among teenagers today?
Three factors that still cause drugs abuse is curiosity, effects by the parents and lifestyle at home, peer pressure, and the “escape”. Drugs has a big effect in America and it needs to stop brainwashing teens today so teens today can live longer, be happier with themselves and be above the influence of peer pressure. Being above the influence is a way to say that they are not pressure from their friends to do bad things and having difficult, negative consequences for the rest of their life.
Tony Blair, the youngest British prime minister of the 20th century when he took office in 1997 said these words: “The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes. ” These words get attention to many people, especially teens and children; they have to know how to say “no” before they said yes to anything, and it takes a leader to say no and walk alone you knowing you did the right thing. Works Cited Gordon, Susan M. “TEEN DRUG ABUSE. (Cover story). ” Behavioral Health Management 23. 5 (2003): 25-30. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO.
Web. 8 Aug. 2011. William H. Richardson, et al. “Teen Prescription Drug Abuse. ” Clinician Reviews 18. 11 (2008): 18-23. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Aug. 2011. Perry, Patrick. “TEEN DRUG ABUSE: BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME. ” Saturday Evening Post 270. 3 (1998): 16-92. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Aug. 2011. “Preventing teen drug abuse. ” Futurist 26. 1 (1992): 8. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Aug. 2011. Stephanie, Steinberg. “Teen girls: Kids get high to cope. ” USA Today n. d. : Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 8 Aug. 2011.
