Summary: Substance Use Among Adolescents

Adolescence is a time where adolescents grow and mature at a rapid rate. It is also a time where adolescents are more vulnerable to taking risks, such as using and becoming addicted to illegal substances, due to raging hormones. Whether or not an adolescent chooses to engage in drug use and abuse depends on their home environment and those they choose to associate themselves with. Adolescents are confronted with an enormous amount of pressure to participate in risky behaviors by their peers. According to Broderick and Blewitt (2015), “risky behaviors are behaviors that constitute a departure from socially accepted norms or behaviors that pose a threat to the well-being of individuals or groups” (p. 389). One such risky behavior is drug use and addiction. Some adolescents use cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs in order to get “high”. Adolescents who engage in drug use are likely to become addicted, and thus, their addiction will negatively affect their brain development.

As a counselor in training and an advocate for individuals’ mental health and wellness, I chose to become an official member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and create an advocacy project to enhance adolescent mental health and wellness by advocating for more available protective factor to reduce substance use and abuse among this population. The purpose of this paper/project is to address and improve the rate of substance use and abuse among adolescents in Pitt County, more specifically in Greenville, North Carolina. This paper goes into great detail of the description of the population (adolescents), providing statistical evidence of adolescents’ use of drugs in Greenville. An increase in youth involved community activities, community service work and parental involvement will be discussed as ways to create a healthy, anti-drug, and stable environment for adolescents in Greenville, North Carolina.

The existence of a myriad of social problems among teenagers that both parents and states have to deal with is a factor whose weight ought not to be treated lightly. The increasing level of drug use among the adolescents constitutes one of the ever increasing situations in the society and may, as a matter of fact, be a representation other underlying issues. The level of the situation in the contemporary world, though not discussed as much as it ought to be, has reached alarming levels. There seems to be an increasing predisposition among the use to take the drugs as it's reflected in the escalating trends of drug abuse among this generation of individuals (spooner, 1999). The ever deteriorating levels of this situation coupled with the widespread permissiveness in the society and the absence of attention from appropriate caregivers at different institutions only means that the need to address the problem is paramount. Different avenues of solutions can be applied in reducing the level of the problem and averting the massive negative consequences that come with the phenomena. Dealing with this issue is not a matter of instance as the different parameters of the problems, its causes and possible workable solutions have to be discovered. As such, research on these dynamics is a mandatory undertaking.

Drug use among our nation’s youth is a major public health concern. The reason for this is substance use which can increase the likelihood of injury, violence, and contraction of diseases such as HIV. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration conducts an annual survey called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in which 67,500 persons aged 12 years old or older are interviewed. This survey is the primary source of information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States. The 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated that “an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12

According to James A. Hall and Douglas C. Smith, substance abuse among adolescents is an enormous societal problem that we need to develop high quality and cost-effective treatment options for. Substance abuse problems during adolescence poses many risks for the future. Adolescents who use are more likely to have addictions as adults. They are also more likely to face delays in normal adult roles, such as relationships, employment, and education (Hall and Smith, 2007).

The use of street drugs among adolescents is a serious health problem in the United States and is the primary health risk behavior that contributes to unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide, which are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children between the ages of 12 and 18 years (Patnode et al, 2014). Even when used infrequently, the risks for serious adverse effects increase due to behaviors of those intoxicated or impaired. There are numerous reasons as to why adolescents choose to experiment with various substances, including family structure, media exposure, socioeconomic status, or simply the desire to fit in. Whatever the cause is for each adolescent, it is important to apply early intervention and prevention in order to avoid the need for further specialized treatment for substance abuse.

“There are changes in social and affective processing during adolescence, the neurodevelopmental changes mean that adolescents behavior is particularly flexible and well suited to adapting to different situations. (Peeters, et. al., 2014). Due to the flexibility of adolescents, they will quickly adjust to pressure from peers, without considering possible effects of their decision. If the group they strive to become a part of consumes alcohol, there is a great chance that they will quickly adapt to that habit to gain approval. The quick adjustments to pressure are due to a lack of maturity, during adolescent years. Genetics, can also play a major role in the risk of adolescent alcohol use. Psychologist can use known genetic characteristics to anticipate an adolescents chance of being affected by alcohol. According to Marshall (2014), one characteristic that can be measured but cannot be seen is endophenotypes. “Endophenotypes are not an element of the disorder but are associated with it, contribute to individual vulnerability and are seen in the families of affected individual.” (Marshall, 2014). Adolescent’s that come from a family of alcohol abusers have a higher chance of developing problems with alcohol. Along with the environmental and genetic factors, hormonal factors play a role in alcohol use for adolescents. Many hormones are flowing through the body

When discussing Early onset usage of drugs/alcohol and how it is one of the best predictors of adolescent/adult drug substance abuse, we must go in deeper to the rising conflict behind why early adolescents are turning to drugs at a young age. The sayings such as "monkey see, monkey do" proclaim we are the victims to our own demise. If we are brought up in what society deems a troubled home, we are more likely to turn to drugs and alcohol. Contributing factors to this example can be seen as it being the way the individuals was taught to deal with situations through witnessing their family members abuse substance. In some cases, Children can get introduced to substance from outside factors like family friends, babysitters, etc. One thing is for sure society fails to meet the requirements of

During adolescents the individual moves from elementary school to junior high school or middles school. This is a process that brings with it stage-specific developmental demands. The onset of puberty itself is a stressor that can contribute to substance use disorders. Unfortunately, one of the challenges that adolescents will face is the question whether to use or abstain from alcohol and illicit drugs (Doweiko, 2015, p. 279). Adolescence is the developmental period of highest risk for the onset of problematic alcohol and other drug use. Some experimentation with alcohol may be considered normal during adolescence: however, people who engage in binge drinking or who have developed alcohol use disorders typically also engage in other drug use(Thatcher and Clark, 2008) .

The risk for substance abuse and other adverse behaviors increases as the number of risk factors increases, consequently protective factors may reduce the risk of youth engaging in substance use that can lead to substance abuse. This interactive effect of risk and protective factors is important when examining health and behaviour in youth as well as guiding prevention and intervention approaches for at-risk youth like Kelly. Kelly’s early biological development, lack of parental supervision, academic problems, history of mental health problems, peer substance use, drug availability, un healthy relationship with here boyfriend, peer rejection, and inattention from her father are risk factors associated with increased likelihood of youth substance use and abuse. Risk factors that occur during early childhood like the divorce of her parents further increase the risk of youth substance abuse. Risk factors of prolonged duration, for example, those that continue on from childhood through adolescence, are also associated with increased likelihood of youth substance abuse. The more adolescents like Kelly are exposed to protective factors that may keep them from using substances the better. The presence of multiple protective factors can lessen the

Alcohol and drugs has increase and became a huge factor over the years among adolescents. Alcohol and other drug involvement and use among adolescents have been a society and public problem for decades (McWhirter, McWhirter, McWhirter & McWhirter, 2013) Recent studies show that by late adolescence, 78.2% of US youth have consumed alcohol, while 47.1% had reached regular drinking levels, and 15.1% met lifetime abuse criteria (Tarter, 2002) This research are

Could you imagine coming home and your child not being there? Or getting a call from the police or hospital asking you to identify the body of a young child? Drugs can take a life instantly. Drugs can lead to death and in most cases people do not realize that they over dosed. Most teenagers freak out when they see someone tweaking from an overdose and they run leaving their friend to die. The only thing teens are worried about is getting caught. If it means they will get in trouble they are out the door. Drugs can cause a number of problems and losing your child is one of them.

Substance abuse is can be a serious problem at any stage of life, especially during adolescence. The effects of using drugs, alcohol, marijuana, and other substances have a major impact on not only your physical health, but also your mental health. I wanted to research the effects that substance abuse has on adolescents because that is the group I want to work with. I am interested in this topic because adolescence is a time where various aspects influence a young person’s life. Being that I want to work at the high school level, that is a time where students are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be, while also trying to fit in with the people around them. This topic is important because as a future school counseling,

Adolescents should understand the implications of becoming addicted to alcohol or nicotine. When a child begins using alcohol or nicotine before the age of 15 their risk of becoming addicted is much higher than usage at a later age. It is also important to know the potential risk factors for substance abuse. A child’s personality that exhibits anger and impulsivity is at a higher risk of abuse. Adolescent’s that experience family conflict, excessively promiscuous parents or a family that is distant or hostile is also at a greater risk for substance abuse. Last if an adolescent’s context can contribute to abuse if there is easy access to drugs or alcohol as well as social contacts that also use drugs or alcohol will tolerate friends that

Our society has numerous programs that are directed at preventing the use of drugs and alcohol in adolescents; however, very few of these programs are aimed at those who are already displaying the early stages of drug use problems. Teen Intervene is a program that does just that, and is aimed at people ages 12 to 19 who are suspected of experiencing mild to moderate problems associated with alcohol or other drug use. The major objective for this program is to reduce or if possible eliminate their substances use; using integrated stages of change theory, motivational enhancement, and cognitive behavior therapy (McElfresh, Winters, 2007). One of the essential components of Teen Intervene is the fact that it is a brief intervention and is made up of 3, one hour sessions. Brief interventions (BIs) seem to be growing in interest as a beneficial approach to treating adolescents with problems associated with alcohol and drug use (Winters, Fahnhorst, Botzet, Lee, & Lalone, 2012). Addressing adolescent drug and alcohol use is of the utmost significance because if caught early many of the side effects of prolonged use can be diminished. Addiction is something that many have seen first-hand as being able to ruin lives, and intervening early is the least we can do to help our future generations.