Teenage Drug Abuse In The United States

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

Substance abuse isn’t a new thing. Long ago since the start of human history, people have looked for ways to alter our consciousness with the use of herbs, alcohol and drugs.

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.

You might find it difficult to read the data related to teenage drug abuse and addiction. Based on recent stats, the picture is not pretty and the information indicates that Americans are not doing enough to combat the problem of teenage drug

For many years, drug abuse among youth has become a serious problem within the United States. There are several different types of drug involvement: those who distribute quantities of drugs, those who sell drugs, and those who commit delinquent acts under the influence of drugs. Nonetheless, these groups of youth cycle in and out of the juvenile system. Youth who sell drugs may distribute marijuana, crack or heroin amongst their friends and relatives. Per “Black Youth and illegal drugs”, deals are arranged over the phone, in school, or at popular hangouts, but the actual distribution takes place in more private areas, such as at home or in cars (Joseph & Pearson, 2002).

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine studied data on drug use from teens aged 12-17 over a 12-year span. What they found was

Abusing prescription drugs commonly called "pharming"--is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States, particularly among teens. About 7 million Americans abused prescription drugs in 2007 more than used cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy, and inhalants combined.” Pharming is a form of drug abuse that is using pharmacy drugs to get high. They use drugs such as oxycontin and other over the counter drugs.These drugs can be easily obtained by getting a prescription by a doctor. Drug abuse is a big problem in America due to the fact that it ruins people’s lives and negatively affects others around them. If people were more educated on drug abuse it wouldn’t be a problem. Knowing the negative effects could change the mind of a teen

Among adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, 9.8 % are estimated to be current users of illicit drugs, with 4.9 % using drugs other than marijuana. Nearly three quarters of students have started to drink alcohol and nearly half (47%) have tried using an illicit drug (not including alcohol or tobacco) by the senior year of high school.” (Hassan, Harris, Sherritt, Van Hook, & Brooks, 2009)

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

Substance abuse has long been a problem across the United States. Adults over drink every day and smoke many packs of cigarettes in only few days. However substance abuse it not only a problem among adults any more, adolescent teenagers are now also among those who are over using substance in a critical manner. Substance abuse is a growing problem for developing adolescence all across the United States and a good way to help battle this is needed.

The purpose of this brief is to identify the growing use of illegal substance in adolescents in our rural community, and advise on ways to minimize the risk of substance use.

Illicit drug use continues past adolescence is reflected in rising drug use rates among young adults 18–24 years old (Addiction, 2000). Since 1960 drug use among college students have increased. For example, in spite of various programs to reduce drug use among college students, especially the use of marijuana has increased since the past 10 years (Addiction, 1997).

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.

Since 2000, the drug use rate in America has risen to the highest it’s ever been. In a survey done in 2009, 8.7 percent of people age 12 and up said that they used illegal substances within a month of taking the survey, a 9 percent increase since 2008 (Abuse, National Institute on Drug, 2010). This statistic alone is very concerning due to