Teenage Drug Use Essay

Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with ‘speedy’ side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription

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.

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

Drugs can result in teens not doing well in school, which can lead to lower academic opportunities and career options.

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

Teenage marijuana use is at an all time high, it has been found that today’s teen marijuana smokers are doing so at extreme amounts, some even do so daily. What are the factors that cause them to start experimenting and smoking marijuana? The amounts of marijuana being smoked by today’s teenagers must have an effect on the developing teens. The minds and bodies of the teens who smoke must be facing some sort of developing issues. Marijuana is a mild drug compared to harsher drugs like cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. the users of marijuana will eventually look for a stronger and long lasting high so they will turn to these harsher and more addicting substances. The decisions that today’s teens are making to smoke marijuana might have a

There are many contributing factors and political issues that address substance abuse. Throughout the years, many researchers have designed many interventions and social policies designed to treat people who have used, abused, and became addicted to substances. Today, there are many new studies that address substance abuse at the individual, group, family, and community or policy levels. Today, there are many services that are effective for decreasing recidivism in youth who have completed a substance abuse program. A substance abuse treatment program or center is the best way to treat individuals who have abused substances.

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

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

The concept of drug use was not always seen as problematic. Instead, students viewed substance use as a means of remedying negative emotions as a sign of addiction. Overall students were able to recognize and share how their peers and close relations had suffered from this type of use, rather than admit that they personally had used substances as a means of self-medicating negative emotions. The idea of using drugs to remedy negative emotions was also named use “as a source of happiness” or a “means of escape.” Despite these different descriptions all of these concepts have roots in dislocation causing addictive behaviors.

The use of drugs by teenagers today has caused a concern in the UK. Teenagers are unknown to the effects that drugs can cause physically and mentally. It is very important that there is awareness on drug abuse among young people. Since the usage of drugs not only affects the body, it also affects many aspects of a person’s daily life. Firstly, it affects the social life, causing isolation, which is one of the most common effects that happen due to drug usage. Secondly, it affects family and relationships. Due to the addiction of drugs, sometimes families abandon their children or lose their trust on them. Lastly, drug use affects people financially and professionally. Depending on drugs, causes the financial strain to be devastating, as

My teenage cousin advised me that after she passed the stage of being pressured by her peers to use drugs and alcohol, she began using it to make her feel better because she was suffering from depression. Depression is the result of chemical imbalance and environmental influence. Drugs and alcohol are the most readily available methods of emotional anesthesia, if not on hand; they would find a substitute (Henican 141). She would use drugs when she would think about her incarcerated dad that has been in and out of her life from birth. Her family members would try to encourage her and would often tell her, “If you continue to do the things that you are doing, you will end up like your dad incarcerated.” She rebels against her mother and stepfather when they try to correct her and discipline her. She doesn’t like to follow the rules at home or school and acts like she doesn’t do anything wrong. Something psychologically is really going on with her mentally, that is one of the side effects that drugs causes. Seeing there is no way out feeling lonely like no one cares and no prospects for improvement leads to depression. Depression is something that many teens deal with during their lives. Some teens isolate themselves from their families by going in their rooms, staying out late, not eating and a bad grade or because of an argument with parents or friends – they may use more drugs than

There are three main types of drugs, stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. Drugs are grouped by specific similarities and characteristics that they have in common. However drugs in the same group may be very different in the way they work.

According TO NIDA FOR TEENS: THE SCIENCE BEHIND DRUG ABUSE, drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work. Drugs find their way into your bloodstream, whether you ingest, inhale or inject

A person’s body, in almost every aspect of its being, is addicted when one is a mild to chronic user and abuser. The nervous system, brain, and muscle tissue are all living in anticipation of the next high. So, for the addict, it is crucial that the cycle of behavior, is broken. The addict needs to pull up the anchor that keeps them from moving forward. This means changing environments, patterns and even sometimes friends and social associates.