Substance Use And Abuse Among Adolescents Essay

There is no doubt that there is a prevalence of substance abuse throughout several age groups. To a certain extent, a society is faced with the reality of controlling substance abuse. Or allow it run rampant throughout the community. Often times, we hear and read about the level of substance abuse among teen, young adults and mid-aged

Perkins and Wesley (2014), found that a handbook should be used by educators, counselors and clinicians for understanding and implementing an alternative to traditional methods for preventing substance abuse among young people. the social norm approach present in the handbook focuses on the phenomena beyond the individual’s personality and personal values which are important determinants of behaviors and offers information about how these influences can be changed. The handbook consists of a variety of specific techniques, programs and field-tested results of the application which can be used in various schools and

This paper mentions about the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) which focuses on addressing the problems by empowering community coalitions, through a network of 17 funded organizing agencies noted as Regional Prevention Coordinators (RPCs), throughout the state. The Framework follows a public health way to substance abuse prevention and comprises of an ordered five-step process of assessment, capacity building, planning, implementation of evidence-based practices, and

The primary prevention topic of this community healthy and population field experience is related to the Healthy People 2020 goal to “reduce substance abuse to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially children.” (Healthy People 2020, 2018). This topic correlates with the Roanoke Valley’s increase in fatal drug overdoses and the public health emergency that was declared by the Virginia state health commissioner in 2016, related to the opioid addiction crisis (Virginia Department of Health, 2016). While all members of the community are affected by this health concern, the primary focus of this assessment will be on the effects of and prevention of substance abuse within the areas youth.

Educating the public about the high rates of substance abuse in wealthy communities is important as data shows the relationship between adolescents’ socioeconomic status and risk of alcohol or drug abuse. Also, providing adequate resources to families with a history of substance abuse is another way to prevent teens from nurturing the same behaviors. Implementing more policies that regulate alcohol and drug advertising is critical as these industries focus on targeting the youth to make them lifelong consumers. Efforts to combat substance abuse among adolescents continues to be a national health issue but with the appropriate services, it can be

Hannah is a fifteen year old girl who was recently sent to a rehabilitation center for the result of abuse of prescription medication. 6.1 million high school students currently use addictive substances, and like Hannah, 1 in 3 of them are addicted (“National Study Reveals,”2011). Although the number of teens using these drugs are decreasing, the numbers are still dangerously high. Due to it’s high risk of addiction, dangerous consequences, and growing availability, substance abuse among teenagers is a serious trend being presented among all United States adolescence.

For our community and for children's well being it is important for all of us to be aware of how we can help prevent drug abuse. Many organizations encourage encourage early intervention but for many parents and their children the conversation is a sensitive topic. The article “Family Checkup: Positive Parenting Prevents Drug Abuse” helps parents (health care providers, and our community even) with 5 questions that help parents develop or fine tune their skills of : calm and clear communication, ability to encourage positive behavior, negotiate emotional conflicts and work towards solutions, able to “calmly” set limits when teens are defiant, disrespectful, and if or when drug abuse occurs, and - lastly - monitor teens to limit unsupervised

The first, universal prevention focuses on preventing all students in a school from drug use. These types of programs are aimed to provide general information about prevention of drug abuse to youth and families. A major advantage to this type of prevention is that they are generally less expensive which is a reason they are the most prevalent type among schools. However the advantage to these types of programs is that many at risk families do not participate (Kumpfer n.d.). This may be because those families are involved with drugs and do not want to bring attention to the situation. The second type, selective prevention programs, are designed to target at- risk groups. These groups generally made up of impoverished children of alcoholics or drug abusers (Kumpfer n.d.). These programs can be much more efficient in helping since the individuals they are targeting are facing the challenges the program teaches about. When youth in the group see first hand how drug and alcohol abuse can affect someone’s life, they may only need a small push in the right direction away from a life of addiction. This small push is tailored for at-risk young adults, thus increasing its’ effectiveness. While appealing to and engaging at-risk students can prove to be a challenging disadvantage, it is well worth the time and effort to

Substance abuse is one of the most serious issues between children and families. Understanding the relationship between parental substance abusers and the abusers children is critical in determining the long term effects on the child. Evaluating the numerous negative impacts caused by the substance abusing parent/parents is vital in uncovering how the child will establish themselves into society. By providing enhanced assessments of at risk families as well as creating improved intervention and prevention strategies the potential of success is hopeful.

Substance use among youth and young adults remains a significant and a major public health problem . According to Substance Abuse Mental Health and Services Administration (SAMHSA), NH residents aged 18-25 reported highest rates in past month illicit drug use than any other state . Early onset dependence on alcohol and drugs can result in addiction in later years, and can delay treatment substantially in these young lives. In order to tackle this growing dependence, prevention and early intervention strategies for young adults are needed to address and reduce the current rates of substance use.

Substance use is commonly seen during the adolescence period. Adolescent are found engaging in alcohol, smoking, and other drug use. However, the use of the substance is leading to health damage. Ultimately, “in the long term could lead to widespread disease.”

Luthar, S. S., & D'Avanzo, K. (1999). Contextual factors in substance use: A study of suburban and inner-city adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 11(04), 845-867.

Every town in the world, whether small or large, contains different problems that need attention. In the United States, some states experience the issue of teenage substance use, which leads to cities experiencing the problem as well. If teenage substance use does not receive the proper attention it could harm teenager’s health, families, friends, and possibly harm innocent people in the community. In my hometown of Hardinsburg, Kentucky teenagers who use different substances can damage their families, their friends, and innocent people. Luckily, people in my community strive to end teenage marijuana use. People like city and county police, social worker, principals, and our local coalition for change. Substance use among teenagers in Breckinridge

The adolescent phase of life is a vital time of developmental sensitivity. Due to such vulnerability at this stage, substance use amongst this demographic has been linked to detrimental short-term and long-term mental health outcomes. In this essay, the mentioned articles generally refer to substance use as smoking tobacco, alcohol consumption and any other illegal drug use including stimulants, hallucinogens, opioids, etc. Evidence-based research has reinforced the correlation of substance use among adolescents and the behavioral, social, and educational consequences associated with this use (Springer et al. 2004). These negative outcomes are acknowledged as a threat to public health. McGorry and Purcell (2009) indicate that social networks

There is a plethora of addictions in which one can become addicted to. There are also no perquisites for anyone to become addicted to anything. When dealing with addictions regarding adolescents or anyone, it is important that the addiction is addressed and dealt with early before it becomes an even bigger problem (Siegel, 2014). It has documented in numerous sources that out of all of the age groups, the most likely to form a negative addiction is adolescents (Siegel, 2014). Adolescents seem to be influenced the easiest and are the most likely to form bad habits. It has also been noted, that many adolescents die prematurely due to things that are preventable and treatable (Feldman, 2014). Research has shown that people who formed addictions such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, formed these negative habits during their adolescent years (Feldman, 2014). It is important that we ensure that we educate our youth and make them aware of the long term consequences of them engaging in their negative addictive behaviors. Being that addictions are preventable and avoidable, we need to ensure that we take the appropriate measures to prevent addictions from occurring and also educating our youth on the effects of engaging in addicting