Why Do Teens Use Cough Syrup?

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

The indicators that might signal a person has crossed the line between two concepts are that they are wanted to use the drug every so often and they do not know how to control themselves. For instance, if the person uses the drug not only once a day, but rather three times a day then obviously this shows that they have crossed the line. This is an extreme signal that shows that the person is engaging in severe drug consumption and should see help immediately. Another indicator is that they are asking others for more drugs because they ran out. This shows that they are out of control and they may not be able to maintain their behavior as well. They would need to seek rehabilitation because they may use anger towards others without a reason. People that use too much drug or even are a drug addict can have mood swings. For instance, one day they can be happy and this is probably because they already used the drug and then in a couple of hours they can suddenly become mean to others. This shows that their behavior is not consistent and rather not welcoming to others as well. The best way to help these types of people would be to take them to a consultant or an expertise person that can help change them. Of course, this is not going to take a couple days to fix, but rather months. The person may not want to go to rehabilitation, because they feel that there is nothing wrong with them. In addition, they may yell at you for wanting to take them there, but the best way to

The effects of drug addiction make up an infinite list but its greatest effect is on the brain. Drug addicts experiment with substance abuse depending on the side effects of the drug used. If the drug is an opioid or painkiller, then the subject might be in a sleepy and stoic state. If it was a catalyst then the person is going to exhibit an excited and emotional behavior (i.e. talking a lot, laughing at nothing, babbling, and going through extreme emotion changes.) Depending on the type of drug the subject might even experience hallucinations that can cause them to even commit suicide (“Gwinnell, Esther, and Christine Adamec”). Some superficial indicators that a person is abusing these types of substances are bloodshot eyes, rapid weight lost, needle tracks, runny nose, and even poor personal hygiene. The side effects of drug abuse, as previously mentioned are magnified when it comes to the family. If the abuser is one or both of the parents/ guardians, the child might end up being mistreated and/or not taken care of. Furthermore, if the mother is pregnant, the baby might be born premature or underweight, have mental or physical problems, or have a disruptive later on in life.

Today drugs are considered to be an acceptable social phenomenon by many teenagers. If parents are involved with children on a day-to-day basis, they will more than likely know when the child starts to take drugs because of the big changes going on in their lives. There are many positive alternatives to drugs, so drugs are not the only fun and "cool" things to do (www.nodrugs.com 2).

When conducting a qualitative research the participant needs to feel comfortable and open to sharing their personal experience. A possible location could be at the adolescent’s school. However, the researcher would need to contact the school and obtain consent from the school district. I will collect the data by interviewing the participants through various techniques such as recordings, observations, and tracking their behaviors. Prior to conducting interviews I would formulate meaningful research questions so that I am able to gather an appropriate statistical analysis and interpret the results. Using qualitative methods is significant for drug abuse research since it assists to construct meaningful, structured inquiry forms open to statistical analysis. This type of study requires that the examiner possess substantial knowledge with the way participants observe their

If a child or young person is suffering from an addiction, then this will influence upon their schooling, relationships with other children and their home life. One consequence/ outcome can be truanting school. This can arise if the child is addicted or if they have a parent who is an addict and neglects/ ignores them or to care for them. Their concentration will be reduced and motivation will decrease. They may be spending excessive amounts of time in their room or staying out most of the night and with people, that convince/ influence them that you may not know

Prescription drug abuse is a problem that is not just focused on adults. There has been a substantial rise in prescription drug abuse among teenagers. Teens are abusing prescription drugs for a number of reasons, including to get high, pain treatment, and/or because they think that it will assist them with school work (Coalition against Drug Abuse, 2014). However boys and girls tend to abuse some types of prescription drugs for different reasons. For example, boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, where girls would abuse them to stay alert to study or for weight loss.

Parents enable drug abuse without realizing it. When adolescents use cocaine, heroin, marijuana, LSD, and other illicit drugs, it captures a parent’s attention. However, a problem more prevalent than the use of these illicit drugs, and hits closer to home is nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). NUMPD occurs when a person without a prescription gains access to a prescription drug and uses it simply for the experience, or for the feeling the drug causes. Therefore the drugs in question end up being used for nonmedical purposes in a manner in which it was never intended. Opioids, used to treat pain, are the prescription drugs that youth are most likely to misuse. These are commonly used because they are available in medicine cabinets

In a 2012 study, it was found that 18.2% of emergency department patients gave their unused medications to a friend, 18.2% were unable to find the extra medicine in their home, which indicated theft, 66.7% were keeping the medications just in case, and 9.1% disposed of the medications improperly (Stewart). These programs provide the means to take unused medications so that they no longer just sit in bathroom cabinets waiting to be swallowed up. However, in 2009, more than 30% of the accidental poisoning deaths among children involved the ingestion of prescription or over-the-counter medications, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (Miller, Lisa). By providing easy accessibility to these programs, the number of these medications sitting around plummets. This provides the public with a safer

The exposure of these drugs and their hopeful, happy and alluring ads lower the amount of perceived risk associated with these products. Most people believe, if they’ve seen it on television, it must be reputable and safe to use. In fact, in a survey conducted by the University of Michigan, only about 30% of 12th graders ever saw any risk when it came to trying sedatives or amphetamines (Article). Although, data regarding perceived risk of tranquilizers could not be found (Article). The low level of perceived risk involving these prescription drugs leads to a higher level of likelihood in which adolescents may choose to abuse them.

Youth who abuse prescription medications are also more likely to report use of other drugs. Multiple studies have revealed associations between prescription drug abuse and higher rates of cigarette smoking; heavy episodic drinking; and marijuana, cocaine, and other illicit drug use among adolescents, young adults, and college students. Interestingly, for this study 36,781 between the ages of 18-22. Nonmedical use among children and adolescents is particularly troublesome given that adolescence is the period of greatest risk not only for drug experimentation but also for developing addiction. The study survey was conducted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). Prescription drug abuse is not a new problem, however it deserves renewed attention. It is imperative to be aware of the consequences associated with abuse of these medications. For although prescription drugs can be powerful allies, they also pose serious health risks related to their abuse, which can lead to addiction and to death. These years are often when young people initiate or increase their abuse of prescription and other drugs (Kilpatrick& Acierno,

Prescription drugs are making parents more overwhelmed than ever before about their teenaged child! Why must they worry so much about their teenaged child? “When you can stop you don’t want to, and when you want to stop, you can’t…” (Davies). This quote signifies that adolescents and adults have the option to quit or not try the drug when being introduced, but when they get started on the drug and they are thinking abouting quitting, they cannot because of the addiction they have on the drug. Each day they try to stay away from the drug, but they are have really bad withdrawals. Middle and high schools should inform parents about the strategies for preventing, recognizing, and addressing prescription drug abuse.

Non prescribed prescription drug use by adolescents is a major concern. There are many dangers associated with this abuse that teens are not aware of and many teens do not realize the effects these drugs will have on their body and mind as they continue to mature. Most teens use these drugs for recreational purposes such as a study aid to help them stay awake. These teens do not realize that these drugs are just as dangerous as illegal street drugs.

•Change in relationships with family members or friends (If your teens treats you or other family with blatant disrespect, or has completely ditched certain friends, drugs could be to blame.)

One of the most devastating side effects of drug addiction and abuse is depression. Depression is the result of chemical imbalance, environmental influence, or a combination of both. Using heavy and very highly addictive drugs as heroin, cocaine, opium and many other will cause sudden mood changes, deterioration of the immune system, nervous breakdowns, unusual flares of temper and many other side effects. Besides physical side effects, drug addiction can create problems in a person's social circles. The person may run into many conflicts with his family and friends, resulting in desire for isolation. This in turn will create more problems since the person will have no social support. Furthermore, drug addiction is a financial strain especially for teenagers. When a person is addicted to drugs he will do anything to obtain money to fulfill his needs.