Adolescent and Drugs, Our Children in Crisis and How We Can Save Them.
There are an estimated 1.2 billion adolescents worldwide; it is reported that one in every five people in the world today is of the adolescent age. It is during adolescence that our bodies undergo major physical and psychological changes as well as changes in our social relationships. It is also during these years that adolescents acquire many bad habits such as drinking, smoking and drug abuse.
During adolescence, young adults are under all kinds of pressure from their peers to partake in drugs and activities that are precarious to their health, such as drug abuse. The drugs that are most abused are alcohol and cigarettes and followed closely by marijuana. Both alcohol and cigarettes are legal in the United States. Alcohol is the most abused drug in America, it has been reported that 40% of all ninth graders have admitted to consuming alcohol before the age 13. Alcohol abuse in the United States, alone, caused 1,400. It was also reported that American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 died from alcohol-related accidents and injuries, including motor vehicle accidents every year. Furthermore, every day in the U.S., more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink. This means that many of these teens will experience first hand what alcohol abuse is. According to research done on alcohol abuse and alcoholism, American youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics than younger people, who do not drink before the age of 21. This stat focuses on the importance of drinking at a later age, rather than at an earlier age. This statistics also points out very clearly how abuse and alcohol go together, even for teenagers.
Marijuana is the most abused illegal drug in America .Research shows that nearly 50% of teenagers try marijuana before they graduate from high school. Effects of marijuana on someone who smokes marijuana regularly are same respiratory problems as that of tobacco smokers. These
During adolescence, young adults are under all kinds of pressure from their peers to partake in drugs and activities that are precarious to their health, such as drug abuse. The drugs that are most abused are alcohol and cigarettes and followed closely by marijuana. Both alcohol and cigarettes are legal in the United States. Alcohol is the most abused drug in America, it has been reported that 40% of all ninth graders have admitted to consuming alcohol before the age 13. Alcohol abuse in the United States, alone, caused 1,400. It was also reported that American college students between the ages of 18 and 24 died from alcohol-related accidents and injuries, including motor vehicle accidents every year. Furthermore, every day in the U.S., more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink. This means that many of these teens will experience first hand what alcohol abuse is. According to research done on alcohol abuse and alcoholism, American youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics than younger people, who do not drink before the age of 21. This stat focuses on the importance of drinking at a later age, rather than at an earlier age. This statistics also points out very clearly how abuse and alcohol go together, even for teenagers.
Marijuana is the most abused illegal drug in America .Research shows that nearly 50% of teenagers try marijuana before they graduate from high school. Effects of marijuana on someone who smokes marijuana regularly are same respiratory problems as that of tobacco smokers. These
Cited: (http://www.who.int/child_adolescent_health/topics/prevention_care/adolescent/en/index.html)