Teenagers are vulnerable to aquiring substance abuse disorders. This has much to do with their functional and neurocognitive brain development and how the areas of the brain manage the child’s feelings and cognition (Wiers, Boelema, Nikolaou, & Gladwin, 2015). It is estimated that by the time adolescents become high school seniors 70% had tried alcohol, 50% had tried an illegal drug and 20% had taken prescription medications that may, or may not, have been prescribed to them. There are a number of reasons adolescents abuse these substances such as to deal with stress or personal problems, to fit in or seem cool around other peers, or just to try the experience. While some may be able to try these substances and that be the end of it, others find the substances may help them cope with things, one way or another. (NIH Staff, 2014).…
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,” (Jauman 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…
With no prior exposure to them, teenagers have no clue how to deal with a situation involving drugs. They get involved with drugs for many different reasons. For one, peer pressure can take over their extremely impressionable minds and the pressure to fit…
In today’s society, the common problem among teenagers is the use of drugs. Teen age years is probably one of the most challenging periods of life. It is a stage of identity versus confusion – knowing oneself compared to losing oneself. Belonging and being accepted in a group is very important and being cool as well. During these years of growing up, teenagers encounter their share of positive and negative experiences. Peer pressure, curiosity, and the availability of drugs are factors that some youthful and vulnerable teenagers have to deal with in their adolescent lives. This paper will be focusing on the effects of teen drug abuse and how pressure plays a big role.…
Peer pressure is a big issue for all teenagers in our society. Many teens start doing drugs to be part of the group, and never expect to become an addict. Slightly more than 25% of adolescents, ages 14 to 17, have used illegal drugs (Huebeck). The National Survey on Drug Use and Health states that 8% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, which is over 2 million, in the United States meet diagnostic criteria for abuse or dependence on illicit drugs. Some studies show that the most susceptible teenagers are those in the “popular” group, because they pay attention to what their peers value. While other studies show that the teenagers who socially are not accepted have a higher likelihood of using, and becoming addicted to, drugs.…
Some adolescents are not aware of all of the risk that comes with substance use. They do not know all of the effects that each drug will have on them cognitively, physically and emotionally. As they get older they gain more knowledge about drugs and their effects. They are able to assess the risks and determine that substances are not worth their health. They are not able to assess whether the rewards of taking drugs are worth the risks. Also some adolescents are not able to evaluate the bigger picture of how drugs are going to affect all aspects of their lives in the present and in the…
* Because they are bored Often-bored-teen are 50 percent more likely than not often bored teens to smoke, drink, and use illegal drugs. Teens who can't talk to their parents are more likely to feel isolated, and use drugs.…
Those factors include, environment, individual, family, sociocultural and peer pressure. Most youth do drugs to fit in. they are doing them because someone else is doing it or they fear they will not be accepted socially if they do not do them. As far as a youth’s issue progressing to abuse they could do them to feel good which is one of those individual factors. This stimulates chemicals in the brain and frankly they like how it makes them feel. Sometimes an environment is stressful, creates high anxiety etc which leads to the youth starting drugs and if intervention doe not happen the youth can develop an addiction. Another sociocultural factor, is the need to compete with society. Drugs has been rumored to increase performance and abilities in different areas. Lastly, peer pressure can also get that youth to experiment and that can be deadly. All these factors are equally important in my…
Some of the most common factors that seem to have a direct correlation with drug use are peer pressure, high unemployment rate, low paying jobs, continued poverty, health problems, and lack of health insurance. There are many reasons why a high school student may use alcohol or drugs, but there are five main reasons as thought by…
According to studies adolescents who experienced substance abuse gave several reasons in why they turned to drugs or alcohol such as “my friends pressured me” or “I wanted to feel good and get high,” “to have a good time with friends,” or to “escape from my problems” (Titus, Godley & White 2006, p33.). Adolescents may also be influenced by other negative events that may be happening in the adolescent’s life. Research typically shows the reasons related to starting drugs or alcohol is peer-social behavior, dealing with negative conditions or feelings, or achieving a satisfying state (Titus, Godley & White, 2006). Studies reveal positive and negative emotions in the understanding of deviant behavior in youths’. Most teenagers generally use drugs for gratification however the adolescents who may become addicted say they are unhappy with past decisions or current situations (Brunelle, Cousineau, & Brochu, (2005).…
Many of the causes and risk factors of prescription drug abuse are due to a teen’s genetic, physical, and the surrounding environment. “It’s well understood that addiction of all types runs in families. Teens who are born into a family in which addiction played a major role are more likely than their peers to develop an addiction to prescription medication and other drugs” ("Causes, Symptoms & Effects of Prescription Drug Abuse") Teenagers that have an parent or guardian using drugs are more likely to begin abusing them, due constant presence around the prescribed drugs. A teenager’s environment also plays a critical role in impacting their mindset. Friend groups can encourage a teen to start using drugs and sometimes pressure them; additionally…
3). This being said, teenagers are easily influenced to try drugs by their environment. Once initiated, many become dependent on the drug as a way to cope with their overwhelming situations. The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (2007) suggests prominent justifications for drug use surrounding the theme of dealing with psychological conditions, untreated trauma, self-medicating to cope with toxic environment and to fit within their desired peer groups. Cocaine can produce chemical and physicals changes to the brain, “ making it harder to act on the desire to quit” (The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 2007, p. 3) and as adolescent’s brains are still developing, it can produce harmful long-term effects on that individual that could have easily been averted if interventions and education were deliberated prior to the youth as preventive measures. Cocaine abuse is serious because it can lead to the initiation of other much far harmful drugs and even, mixing drugs together once tolerance has developed from explicit usage, consequently concluding in an overdose and major withdrawal from…
Millions of people around the world each day are affected by substance abuse. Substance abuse is the overindulgence in or dependence on an addictive substance (Fisanick, 2009). It is a condition that can destroy not only the user’s life, but also those that care about the person. Substance abuse is responsible for half a million preventable deaths each year (Corse, 1995).…
The most significant influence upon drug use is peer pressure. You rarely see a group of adolescents and only one of them are smoking.Usually smokers and drug abusers flock together.Most people don’t want to be in the presence of drug addicts or smokers unless they partake in the same addiction. Every day in the US more than 3,200 kids 18 years and younger try their first cigarette, and 100% of those children do not have bad parents or was influenced by TV or…
Drug abuse is becoming more and more common. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, twenty-seven and two tenths of students in high school abuse tobacco and other illicit drugs. There are several noticeable signs that people can use to tell if someone is abusing drugs. One very common warning sign is bloodshot eyes. This visual aid can really be helpful when trying to identify if someone is a drug abuser. Other common symptoms include frequent mood swings, unexplainable financial issues, changes in daily routines, acting out or looking for trouble, stolen items, unexplainable behavior issues, slurred speech, shaking and frequent tremors, and unstable relationships.…