Teenagers, Drugs, And The American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry

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

Because of the growing issue of parents supplying alcohol to minors, 35 of 50 states currently have Social Host laws in effect. This means if an adult is supplying minors with alcohol in their home, they can be arrested and charged. These laws are an attempt to decrease the number of adults hosting underage parties and supplying alcohol to minors (Wagoner et al. 2012). In addition to social host laws, laws concerning restricted licenses for teens and limiting teen driving at night seem to have had an impact on underage drinking. Additionally, license suspension laws for alcohol violations are making kids think twice before they consume alcohol and drive (Hingson, 2014). Yet underage drinking remains a nationwide concern and must continue to be addressed.

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.

Social host liability laws are enacted to hold hosts accountable for any alcohol related injuries that were the result of the host serving alcohol to minors (under the age of 21 for this discussion) or adults. Presently, the State of Setonia has no formalized common-law duty addressing social host liability. In light case recently heard in the Setonia Court where a clearly intoxicated driver struck a pedestrian after departing a social gathering, it was questioned if Setonia should seek to formulate a common-law duty for social host to prevent guests from departing a social gathering and driving while intoxicated, impaired, or under the influence of alcohol. Two court decisions, with markedly opposed decisions, from Delaware (Shea v. Matassa, 2007) and North Carolina (Hart v. Ivey, 1992), were reviewed in anticipation of the potential formulation of a common-law duty of a social host to prevent guests from departing a social gathering and driving while intoxicated, impaired or under the influence of alcohol.

Despite the current legal drinking age being 21, underage drinkers have a virtually unlimited supply to alcohol because parents, siblings, and friends that are of age can easily supply them with booze; 26 percent of underage drinkers receive alcohol from parents or family members. In fact, 40 percent of young adults receive alcoholic beverages from friends and family (2008, Edgar Snyder). “When asked how easy it would be to get alcohol, most 8th, 10th, and 12th graders said ‘fairly easy’ or ‘very easy’” (2008, Edgar Snyder).

Underage drinking is rapidly becoming a widespread matter within Australia. It is considered to be a serious problem not only nationally, but also globally wide. Underage drinking has climbed its way up the ladder to one of the most common forms of substance use. “The health risks that accumulate over a lifetime from alcohol increase progressively – this means that the more young people drink, the greater the risk” (Windle, Spear, Fuligni, Angold, Drown, Pine, Smith, Giedd, Dahl 2009). Some states within Australia do not have to deal with this problem nearly as much as others. These teenagers are classified as underage drinkers because the national legal drinking age in Australia is 18 years of age – meaning they are still considered to be minors (Australian Alcohol Guidelines, 2009). For the purposes of this essay, the focus will be set on adolescences and alcohol. It will be argued whether parental influence has an impact on teenagers present or future drinking habits.

An obvious outcome of underage drinking is drunk driving, which we know kills thousands every year. But an effect of lowering the drinking age that escapes the minds of many is the easy access that younger teens and tweens will have to alcohol when their senior friends are allowed to partake of alcohol freely. When 18 year olds are still in high school, they can have legal alcohol at their social events and house parties. There’s no doubt that underclassmen will be allowed in to these events to enjoy the privilege of the older peers. The danger in young drinking makes itself clear in a CDC Fact Sheet: “About 2 in 3 high school students who drink do so to the point of intoxication, that is, they binge drink (defined as having five or more drinks in a row), typically on multiple occasions.”

Although in twenty-nine states youth are allowed to consume alcohol on private property with the consent of a parent or legal guardian that still doesn’t justify why people who are between the ages of eighteen and twenty are not allowed to go out and have drinks with friends. If adults between the ages of eighteen and twenty were able to drink in public environments, I believe that risks of injury and harm would increase greatly.

drinkers," or people who have had more than four drinks in a row. Also, alcohol

Alcohol is a drink that possesses a seducing effect to tempt many citizens. Adults worldwide consume countless cans of beers, wine, vodkas, and other alcohol beverages. However, its luring quality has been secretly shared to minors, resulting to a problem called Underage Drinking. This situation has existed for quite some time. In the past, underage drinking was considered a miniscule crime, and wasn’t strictly restrained or monitored. As we continued to remain oblivious, numbers of adolescent drinkers have gradually increased as they used the tolerant rules to their advantage. Now, the problem has become significantly noticeable, and we can no longer neglect it. High school, even middle school students have been found with

Movies often portray college or even high school parties consisting of alcoholic beverages. Falling not far from reality, it is very common for college students to have a diverse age group of friends, meaning a person over the legal drinking age.The reason for most underage DUIs is because of the fact that they would rather drive influenced on the contrary to risking punishment from the law or even being kicked out of their college. According to the New York Times magazine since the National Minimum Drinking Age passed the copious amount of DUI’s for those in the age of 18 to 21, has increased by 53% of fatal DUI’s. In England, where the drinking age is eighteen, the present of fatal DUI’s is 17%(2) lower then the United States for those in the same age group.

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.

Many American students have their first taste of alcohol when they get to college. These individuals are experiencing this for the first time at what is most likely an unsupervised event at a fraternity house or somewhere else away from parents and authority. The excitement of having an alcoholic drink for the first time often leads to these young adults to drinking more than they can handle. Because these kids have no sense of safety regarding drinking, a dangerous situation may quickly arise. If the drinking age is lowered to 18, then these individuals

Having the legal drinking age of 21 has pushed teens to binge drink in secrecy, leading to health and life endangering moments such as accidents, falls, overdose, memory loss, and sexual assault. However, people say “Lowering MLDA 21 to 18 will irresponsibly allow a greater segment of the population to drink alcohol in bars and nightclubs, which are not safe environments”. 11 million underage kids consume alcohol in the United States alone, which is almost the same amount of people living in the state of Ohio. By the time students are graduating high school, two-thirds of youth are regular drinkers, and two-fifths are frequent binge drinkers. Underage drinking is happening all around us but it doesn't seem to be a big deal considering 2 of every 1,000 social host incidents  are arrested.

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.