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The Struggles Of A Young Boy: Lealan

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Many teenagers in this society are struggling because of the bad influences they are facing on daily basis; however, some teenagers encounter greater difficulties than others due to the neighborhood or the economic status they live in. In this paper I will talk about a young boy name LeAlan. I will discuss about LeAlan’s demographics, race, physical appearance, and life circumstances. Additionally, I will discuss some main concerns I have about him; concerns like his sleeping habits, his weight, his nutrition, and some risk factors of substance abuse. First of all, LeAlan Jones is an African American thirteen year old boy who lives with his grandparents. According to Jones, Newman, and Isay (1997), LeAlan is short and overweight (pg. 29, …show more content…

This is a concern that LeAlan could end up using substances the same way many of his family members, his friends, and neighbors have. According to Jones et al. (1997), LeAlan has been exposed to all kind of substances that are sold in his neighborhood. They explain that LeAlan acts mature due to the things he has seen happening with his family members and friends in regards of illegal drugs. Jones et al. (1997) explain how LeAlan describes how he was exposed to all type of drugs; he knew who sold them, and even where it was sold (pg. 33). Even though LeAlan has not been identified as an adolescent who has used drugs in the past, he is only thirteen and it is at high risk of being part of the statistics of substance abuse user due to the environment where he lives. Another predictor that LeAlan could fall into substance abuse is that he has gone through puberty earlier than other boys his age. According to Steinberg (2017), boys who experience puberty early are more exposed to the use of drugs and alcohol (pg. 31). Jones et al. (1997) explain that LeAlan is a kid in age, but he has a mind of a grown-up because of the things he has seen happening in his neighborhood (pg. 33). Since LeAlan act more mature than other adolescents his own age, his grandmother allows him to do things that others would not do. Steinberg (2017) found that adolescents who mature early, have less adult supervision and are in more danger to use drugs than those adolescents who mature later (pg. 31). According to the information provided above, the use of substances in LeAlan life is a

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