Teen Drug Abuse In The United States

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.

These numbers reveal that teenagers face an apparent exposure to drugs, and have little trouble getting a hold of some if desired. This article concludes that drug use and its consequences are not stressed enough in the current high school curriculum. The statistics prove that more needs to be done to identify and educate students at risk for drug use.

Teenage drug abuse is an issue that can result from a wide variety of social influences, stressful events, and mental disorders. Drug abuse among adolescents is a troubling issue because it decreases focus, increases the chance of consistency in behavior during adulthood, increases the chances of developing emotional issues, permanently damages the brain, and damages tissues in every system that can lead to death. Previous scientific research has identified that social factors, including the media and peers, play an important role in psychological development and impact the adolescent's decision to start experimenting with substances (Botvin 888). Appropriate solutions for the teenage drug abuse issue already exist, but the only remaining

Three decades from now, T.L.O., a student at a New Jersey High School was caught smoking in a school restroom, and was brought to the assistant principal’s office. The 14-years-old teenager denied smoking, so the assistant principal persisted in searching her purse and found cigarettes, and rolling paper which is associated with marijuana (T.L.O. vs. New Jersey). Nothing has changed since then. If you look a little closer, you can see teenagers lying around doing drugs here and there. They are no longer determined to succeed in life; instead all they can think about is where the next supply of cocaine will come from. What has our future come to? Research done by scientists and other professionals provide evidence that substance abuse by teenagers is an ever-growing problem due to teen’s poor judgement, it’s irreparable damage, and inability to compete with drug addiction.

A drug is a substance that alters the mind, body or both. Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in colleges today. Most drug use begins in the preteen and teenage years, the years most crucial in the maturation process (Shiromoto 5). During these years adolescents are faced with difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer

The topic is talked about but quietly and behind closed doors. No one wants to admit that it is their problem. The stigma attached to drug use needs to be eradicated and instead be discussed openly and often. Recognizing it as an illness, identifying risk factors, educating and communicating are strategies needed to combat this health problem. The Health People 2020 objective SA-2.4 works to “Increase the proportion of high school seniors never using substances—Illicit drugs.” Educating adolescents, families and the community about the risks and consequences associated with illegal drug use makes objective SA-2.4

I believe that one of the important social problems facing the United States is drug abuse. Not only is drug abuse killing people it is affecting poverty, sex trafficking, education, and in places over population. Most of our drugs come from southern countries but the Biggest is in Mexico in my opinion. There are very many drug cartels that get in through Texas, California, and Florida. We see so many tv shows that have to do with catching the bad guys that let these drugs into our country.

Adolescent substance abuse is a major problem in society. There are many risk factors that can contribute to adolescent substance abuse. One of the main risk factors is peer pressure. When adolescents start at a young age there is an increase in health problems, addiction, and over all poor social outcomes. Parental influence has substantial effect on adolescents because the adolescent sees their parents and they learn by their example. Media plays a role in the use of drug and alcohol use among young people. Many school systems have implemented programs that teach adolescents about the problems of substance abuse that is funded

Out of the items on the list, I chose to do my paper on illicit drugs. I will discuss why illicit drug use has increased over the past decade, especially the usage of marijuana, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an organization actively combatting illicit drugs.

Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in today's high schools. Most drug use begins in the teenage years, these years are the most crucial in the maturing process. During these years adolescents are faced with the difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority figures and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer pressure, curiosity, and

In the vicinity of 1980 and 2001, the quantity of people imprisoned in state penitentiaries in the United States developed by 316% (Bureau of Justice Statistics, n.d.a.). Moreover, the quantity of detained people per 100,000 populace ascended from 139 in 1980 to 470 in 2001 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, n.d.a.). Strangely, "intense on wrongdoing" approaches executed amid the Clinton organization brought about the biggest increments in government and state jail populaces of any president in American history (Feldman, Schiraldi, and Ziedenberg, 2001). Imprisonment is concentrated among youthful, uneducated guys; especially African Americans. In 1999, more than 44% of the quantity of detainees in state and government penitentiaries and nearby prisons were Black, and 11% of Black guys in their 20s and mid 30s were either in jail or prison in 1999 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000a). In the mid-1990s, one out of each three youthful Dark guys was under some type of state supervision (Western and Beckett,1999). There is additionally prove that the National Institute of Drug Abuse was instrumental in stifling a 1997 World Health Organization report recommending that cannabis was far less unsafe than liquor and tobacco ("The report the WHO attempted to cover up," 1998). Now with standing, the proof for pot's restorative uses is mounting.

In “Drugs in Schools: Myths and Realities,” Peter Venturelli (2000) discusses the reasons as to why many students and young adults turn to drugs and how the increase rate in drugs encouraged schools to adopt a policy on them. It is evident that there has been an increase in the use of licit and illicit drugs among teenagers in the United States. According to Venturelli (2000), drugs are defined as “any substance that modifies body functions.” With that being said, drugs can affect an individual’s perception of reality through their attitude, personality, and behavior. The article reports an increase of drug use from teenagers aged 12 to 17 and indicates the rate has increased from “11.7 percent in 1992 to 18.0 percent in 1995” (Venturelli, 2000). As the public became aware of the results, many schools decided to implement a policy of zero tolerance for drugs for safety and education purposes. For example, drugs can create problems for students because it can affect their thinking, which can hinder their education. In addition, researchers realized that education on drugs and TV advertisements, has had little to no effects for frequent drug users (Venturelli, 2000). Venturelli (2000) thoroughly discusses the reasons as to why teenagers turn to drugs for help. Individuals between the ages of 13 through 18, also known as adolescents, experience changes as they begin to discover the world around them. Adolescents bodies begin to change as they go through puberty. For instance,

For several generations now drug abuse among teenagers and young adults has been a major problem in American society. To address the problem successfully in term of diminishing the amount of illegal drug use among this age demographic, we must first understand the patterns and trends over time in terms of what drugs teenagers use, how they obtain them and then use them, and what factors cause or influence them to engage in such activities. First we should define our terms and limits of discussion. “Drugs” here means not only substances that are illegal in themselves like marijuana and cocaine, but misused prescription medications as well as household substances not meant to be used as drugs such as glue and nutmeg. Doctors can actually sometimes prescribe drugs like cocaine, marijuana, and steroids for medical purposes but which are more often used illegally and harmfully. We are not going to consider alcohol even though perhaps it should be because it is a substance used to later mods and our mental states just like illegal drugs. Most of can recite the reason drug are bad for teenagers. Drug use can delay or even permanently damage adolescent brains that are still growing. Drug abuse can lead to poor life choices such as driving under their influence or engaging in criminal activity or just impairing teenagers ability to keep up with schoolwork. The reason we care about teenage drug use from the standpoint of developmental psychology has to do with the impact of drug use

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.

Today in our modern society, many people believe that teen’s develop a mindset of having a clean system and to stay drug free. However, people are not able to foresee that the drug use in America has rising up tremendously. Studies have shown that drugs can not only have impact on your life, but also have impact on those who surround you and also can led to the absence of adolescence. It leads to bad habits and only brings evil deeds. The possession of drugs and the conspiracy sell is illegal in the Unites States. If arrest and put on trial due to drugs can mean serious jail time. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, people are considered to have a substance use disorder. (Live Science) The Live Science states “... people have strong urges to use a substance or can't control their use of it, or if their use impairs them in social situations or leads to risky behavior.” Members of society have needs when a drug is being in place into there normal day routine. The report also states that an estimated 27.1 million people in the U.S. used an illegal drug in the past month. (Live Science) The mass-production, sale and possession of illegal drugs should be banned in the United States.