...The Drug Abuse Epidemic and Today’s Teenagers Drug abuse among teenagers has been an issue since the 1980’s when programs such as D.A.R.E., (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), were implemented. Using the slogan “Just Say No”, the program trained school officials and police officers to teach techniques and children and adolescents effective ways to resist experimenting with all drugs, including tobacco and alcohol. While there has been some success, this epidemic has become a major problem in today’s society that is not getting better due to the availability of prescription and over the counter medications, continued funding cuts for athletics and other extra-curricular activities and the increase in teenagers being left unsupervised. The availability of prescription and over the counter medications has made abuse easier among teens. Many parents do not even realize the dangers that are in their own medicine cabinets. “In 2011, 22% of 12th graders indicated misuse of a prescription drug without medical supervision in their lifetime; and 15% over the past year.” During that same time, one in 12 high school seniors reported that in the past year they had obtained the prescription pain reliever Vicodin, and one in 20 high school seniors used OxyContin for non-medical uses. And 70% of those teens surveyed had stated they obtained them from family and friends. (“Prescription” 2011). “Enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every American adult around-the-clock...
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...Drug Abuse Among Teens Meruyert (Mika) 12 D What is the best way for helping teens overcome their addiction to drugs? Is your teen involved in drug use? Are you unsure of how your teen developed an addiction and how you can help your teen now? These questions are most frequent in our modern world where every teen acts like an adult as soon as he first tries drug or alcohol. A teen develops a drug addiction just as an adult would. This problem hasn’t been discussed and published as it should be, so most people who are not affected by this issue have no idea how this problem penetrates into our lives. There are many reasons why it actually happens, like curiosity, family psychological problems and friends’ influence. Most of them don’t consider drugs to be not harmful as it is, but an engaging and entertaining one. Consequently it leads them to drug addiction that is not as easy to cure as they think. This problem leads us to ask: What is the best way for helping teens overcome their addiction to drugs? Some people implicitly trust to rehabilitation centers while others claim that only family members and society can return addicted teen to the right way , however small amount of people definitely thinks that without teen’s mutuality and unshakeable faith in success everything will be idly. The good one is the rehabilitation center because the patients there are always under control and best medical treatments. Another way is let addicted...
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...Prescription Drug Abuse among Teens | Prescription Drug Epidemic Among Teens | Walden University | | Reasons and Prevention Strategies for Prescription Drug Abuse among Teens Overview Increasing abuse of prescription drugs among teens can be attributed to psychological, environmental, or behavioral conditions.Drug abuse in teens can be linked to other disorders or conditions which lead to drug abuse. Teens who abuse drugs are likely to become adults who abuse drugs. It is necessary to understand and address these underlying issues if successful prevention is to happen. First it is necessary to understand the magnitude of the problem 2.3 million Teens were abusing prescription drugs in 2003. (Controlled Prescription Drug Abuse at Epidemic Level, 2006) This is a very large number of teens abusing potentially addictive and deadly drugs. These numbers indicate a major problem with the potential to rapidly grow out of control if not addressed appropriately. In fact recent studies have found there has been an increase in prescription drug abuse among teens at an alarming rate. From 2005 to 2008 there was a 12% increase in prescription drug abuse among teens. (Elliot, Souder, Privette, &Richardson, 2008) This is a very large increase in a very short period of time. An increase such as this calls for further explanations on why this increase occurred so rapidly. Prevention methods need to be developed to avert teens from a life time of addiction. Teens who abuse...
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...STATISTICS - TEEN DRUG USE, ABUSE AND ADDICTION In 2008, among persons with substance dependence or abuse, the proportion with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs also was associated with age: 60.6 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 were dependent on or abused drugs compared with 37.4 percent of young adults aged 18 to 25 and 24.3 percent of adults aged 26 or older. Ages of Teens Vs Types of Drugs Used: Among youths aged 12 to 17, the types of drugs used in the past month varied by age group. Among 12 or 13 year olds, 1.5 percent used prescription-type drugs (xanax, Percocet, oxycontin, etc) nonmedically, 1.2 percent used inhalants (huffing aerosols), and 1.0 percent used marijuana. Among 14 or 15 year olds, marijuana was the most commonly used drug (5.7 percent), followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (3.0 percent), inhalants (1.3 percent), and hallucinogens (1.0 percent). Marijuana also was the most commonly used drug among 16 or 17 year olds (12.7 percent); it was followed by prescription-type drugs used nonmedically (4.0 percent), hallucinogens (1.6 percent), cocaine (0.7 percent), and inhalants (0.7 percent). Persons 12 and older, classified with substance dependence, addiction, or abuse in 2008: In 2008, an estimated 22.2 million persons aged 12 or older were classified with substance dependence or abuse in the past year (8.9 percent of the population aged 12 or older). Of these, 3.1 million were classified with dependence on or...
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...Prescription Drugs is credible. The article has nine authors. The authors all have Ph.Ds. The authors are affiliated with The Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and The VA Medical Center.(McCauley et al., 2009) The study was credible because the study was currently up to date and has been an issue.Knowing that the authors have background knowledge of medical history, studies, and other related knowledge to do the study and know what to look for helped estimate the possible results. The study had many participants nationally, which made the study and authors credible and more evident.Using the article helped explain why this is a problem...
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...A drug is a substance that alters the mind, body or both. Drug use is the increasing problem among teenagers in colleges today. Most drug use begins in the preteen and teenage years, these years most crucial in the maturation process. Today children are subjected to all sorts of situations both good and bad. School systems are much more difficult to deal with nowadays. Most people from older generations still think that school is simple you go to class, go to lunch, bring home your homework and that’s it. This however is not the case anymore. Drugs are making their presence in schools more and more and it is becoming a very big problem. There are more steps that can be taken to help stop present juvenile drug abusers as well as prevent other children from even beginning. For example, programs should be set up for the students, something that will actually interest more students. There should also be support groups for parents who feel lost as to what they should do to guide their children. In 2007 according to the U.S. Census Bureau there were approximately 41,738 children between the ages of 10 and 19 living in the United States. In the same year according to the same source there were 160,410 drug related arrests in the United States involving children between the ages of 10 and 19. This includes possession charges and dealing charges. Keeping in mind that there are far fewer children than criminal arrests, this means that there are some children who get repeated offenses...
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...Teen pregnancy is a pregnancy in female human-beings who are below the age of twenty years. Teen pregnancy should be highly discouraged has it has effect on the teenage mother and the baby born. The teen mother may face complications such as premature labor, medical complication during the pregnancy period, at child birth or after child birth and are likely to drop out of school. Teen pregnancy is highly influenced with; drug and alcohol usage among the teens, lack of good education and parental guidance, high age difference for those in relationships, sexual abuse, dating violence, the environment the teen was brought up in, lack of contraception, and traditions that result into early marriages. Firstly, drug and alcohol usage among the teens which is mostly as a result of peer influence from other teenagers or adults. Alcohol and drugs influence teenagers to indulge in unplanned sexual activities and other risky doings including unprotected sex and this eventually results in teenage pregnancies. Increased drug and alcohol usage among the teens has resulted in significant increase in the rate of teen pregnancy. The rate of pregnancy among teens who use drugs and alcohol is higher than among teens who do not use. Secondly, lack of good education and parental guidance has also contributed to increased teen pregnancy. Most parents and people avoid talking to teens about sex and at times they give false guidance regarding sex matters and they highly discourage the teens of...
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...years can be really hard to deal with because of the many changes a teen can go through mentally and physically. Sometimes a teen can feel that turning to drugs or alcohol is the answer, which can lead to substance abuse. Substance abuse among teens can be one of the reasons they are not doing well in school, have problems with authority figures, drive under the influence and turn to having unprotected sexual relationships, resulting in a high risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS or HIV. The United States has the highest rate of adolescent drug use among teens who are around the ages of 12-17. Among these teens there are some risk factors that go along with the substance abuse. Teens may have poor self-esteem, learning disabilities, depression and other mood disorders, distancing from peers or family, aggression and physical or sexual abuse which can have serious effects on a teen and can lead to suicide. Substance abuse in teens can also be associated with disruptive behaviors such as conduct disorders, oppositional disorders like ADD or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder known as ADHD which can carry on into adulthood. There are other risk factors that can contribute to teens turning to drugs and alcohol and why teens continue to use these substances. For instance, peer pressure can have teens feel pressured to use substances if their group of friends are doing it. Teens feel they have to do what their friends are doing in order to fit...
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...Marijuana & Teens Easy accessibility has made smoking marijuana popular among teens. Some parents may disagree that marijuana is easy for teens to gain access to, but “the frequency of teens smoking marijuana has increased to 80 percent” (CBS News Staff, 2012). This percentage rate makes it much more believable that teens are gaining access to marijuana at an alarming rate. Many teens develop interest in smoking marijuana from either imitating the behavior of their parents, peer pressure, or feeling the need to fit in with others. The recent legalization of marijuana in some states makes accessing marijuana much easier for teens. The excitement by many over this new law detracts from the facts about marijuana being addictive, causing memory loss, and other health issues after elongated use. After talking with a few teens, they believed that more teens would smoke cigarettes instead of marijuana if cigarettes were as easy to access as marijuana. Interesting how teens would consider using either addictive substance. More surprising is that teens would opt to turn to an illegal substance that is the gateway to other drugs merely because they are not old enough to get cigarettes, which are also a drug. Most people do not realize that in today's society marijuana takes precedence over cigarettes and alcohol among teens. The increase in ease of accessibility to marijuana is ruining our teens. Students are beginning to lose interest in extra-curricular activities, their grades...
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... "This is your brain on drugs". The message was powerful while at the same time informative. Smoking not only affects a person physically, but mentally as well. However, most people do not know the severe mental damage smoking inflicts since the focus is primarily on the physical effects. Drug abuse is becoming a growing problem among teenagers. According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse's 1999 survey of 2,000 teens, about 14 million teens ages 12 to 17, 60% are at moderate or high risk of substance abuse1. A leading reason for this increasing number is that it is getting easier and easier to obtain drugs. Marijuana is easier to buy than beer, while cigarettes are the easiest to buy. Forty-seven percent of all teens say cigarettes are easiest to buy, 27% say marijuana and 12% say beer. The older the teen gets, the easier it is to buy marijuana rather than beer1. There are a number of different reasons teenagers begin to use drugs. Many kids use drugs for the same reasons adults use drugs- to get high, to feel happy, stimulated, relaxed, or intoxicated. Drugs can also be used to ease stress, frustration, tension, disappointment, fear or anger. Many teens turn to drugs when they feel as though they have no where or no else to turn to for help. Depression is a major reason teens might turn to drug abuse. They are overcome with a feeling of emptiness and hopelessness and tend to try to fill the void by using drugs. When teens are particularly stressed...
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...my paper on is teenagers and drugs. Drug use and abuse is bad for all parties involved (adults and teenagers). But it is really destroying our teens. Today it is so easy for teenagers to obtain just about any type of drug that they would want. These drugs include marijuana(also known as weed, pot, kush, loud, etc..), methamphetamine (also known as meth, crystal, christine, christina, speed, ice, etc…), cocaine, crack, herion, PCP, sherm, ecstasy or molly’s, and lastly a very long list of prescription drugs. Anything that has a way in causing addiction in my opinion is a problem and needs to be at the front of the line to be addressed especially when it comes to our children. Teens use to have to go out into the streets and search for the drug of choice, but today many of use parents are bringing the drugs right to them and into our homes and giving our children an in home supply without even knowing it. Yes the drugs are right there in our bathroom medicine cabinets, on our dressers, and even in our purses. They are also readily available at just about any store that sells cold medicine. Something needs to be done soon before even more children/teens become addicted and even worse lose their lives due to your common cold medicines and pain killers. After marijuana, prescription drugs are the drugs most commonly abused by teenagers, the federal agency says (Los Angeles Times, 2005). Prescription drug use among teens continues to be on the rise...
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...the illicit use of drugs in the United States (1999 NHSDA). In the words of Global Publishing Inc. “Drugs are very popular among teens for many reasons. Some reasons are peer pressure, stress, boredom, bad friends, and a bad neighborhood.” (Global Publishing Inc.). There can be many reasons, but the most common causes for most teens to abuse drugs are because of the easy availability of the drug, an easy escape from the stress of every day life, and to escape the many pressures from friends and peers. One cause of drug use in teens is the availability. Teens come across drugs almost everyday in high school and middle school. Boston University studies say, “80% of high school students and 44% of middle school students have reported that they have personally seen drugs used by peers, possession of drugs, or the buying and selling of them.” (Boston University). Because of this alarmingly high popularity of drugs on school campuses it is not hard for a student to come across any sort of drug. All a student would have to do is find someone using drugs, and then they can get some also. The second main cause for drug use in teens is to escape from the stress of everyday life. Teens are usually stressed over a number of things. Some of the things are, getting accepted to college, worrying about maintaining a job, staying in relationships, and not least of all handling all the responsibilities their parents lay on them. Many recent studies have shown that teens developed more stress...
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...Antismoking Parenting Peer pressure among teens has undoubtedly the most prevalent impact on their daily choices, whether they are good or bad. In today’s society, the positive decisions an adolescent makes are often weighed out by the poor ones. A lifestyle altering choice that many teens actively reject every day is the option to smoke. Sadly, many teens fall into the spiraling abyss of tobacco usage and other drugs. It seems as though everywhere one goes, there is always someone taking a drag off a cigarette. The sole popularity of it makes it enticing, wanting to know what its like just to try. However, there may be a way to deter this negative behavior early on in a child’s life; a method referred to as “antismoking parenting” has been proven effective in altering the future bad decisions made by teens. Parents serve as role models for their children throughout their lifetime. Involved parenthood in children’s lives has been shown to drastically reduce tobacco usage later in life (Khoury 266). According to a 2011 study published by the Drug and Alcohol Review, children of parents who smoke have a greater affinity for trying tobacco in the future (Williams 381). Many studies show that parental smoking is a cross-sectional and longitudinal risk factor for young children (5-10 years), pre-teens (10-12 years) and teenagers. Parental smoking doubles the risk of adolescent smoking and increases the risk of being a smoker 20 years later. This statement suggest that in...
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...of today’s world such as, the media, education, drugs, and alcohol are growing steadily negative and poorer in quality. Social networking, the media, music, education, various drugs, and alcohol affect today’s youth in negative ways. Youth and the Media Some of the most influential vectors affecting teenagers are social networks, the media, and music. Social networking sites dominate the time of many teenagers. Paired with the entertainment industry, and things being said on television or the radio, social media can definitely change people's mindsets and emotions. Think about it. Very often, you see children posting statuses on Facebook or tweeting on twitter. And when these kids are watching television, listening to the radio, or reading magazines, often times the wrong messages are being projected to the ears of teens. The result is a changed teenager. The result is a teenager whose mind is being corrupted by the face of a few people. Nowadays, many teens have a Facebook account. The website is simple. You upload some statuses, you like somebody's pictures, you see what your friends like and update. Even though Facebook was meant to promote interaction, it's facilitating much more. Studies have shown that teens become depressed when they compare their lives to the lives of other teens over what they see on Facebook. Facebook causes teens to overestimate the happy feelings of its patrons. The self-esteem of these teens is lowered. Other studies have shown that cyber-bullying...
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...very common among today’s teenagers. Unfortunately this results in poor decision making skills and giving into peer pressure. Many teenagers, before the age of 15 years old will have tried drinking, sex, and recreational drugs. Underage drinking is very popular among teenagers. Research has shown that 70% of parties held by a teenager serve alcohol. Many times these parties have no adult supervision, which can result in a disaster. When a teenager is new to drinking he/she can possibly overdose on alcohol. Drinking too much will impair their thinking process which will then lead to horrible decisions such as drinking and driving. Today’s teens are willing to do almost anything to fit in and become popular. If a teenager drinks then drives he/she not only risk his/her own life but the life of the others. He/she choose to drink to fit in with the crowd, not thinking of the consequences. Many teenagers try drugs out of peer pressure and curiosity. They think it will make him/her look cool and fearless. Many teens are actually afraid to try drugs but do it anyway because they are in an environment where others are doing it as well. Drugs can become very addictive and if they like the “buzz” they get the first time, then they will continue to use and form a deadly habit. Doing drugs raises heart rate and blood pressure which can easily lead to a very serious situation and sometimes even life-threatening situations. Many teenagers are involved in recreational drugs and become dependent...
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