Prevention of Adolescent Drug Addictions
Prevention of Adolescent Drug Addictions
Abstract Drug addictions among today’s adolescent is climbing to an all-time high rate. Parents need to become more proactive in the prevention of their children becoming addicted to drugs. However, parents alone cannot handle this overwhelming task, the local schools and the community will need to take action also. Together this is a possible task, team work and consistency will prevail and save adolescents from being drug addicts.
Prevention of Adolescent Drug Addictions Today’s adolescents are becoming addicted to drugs each day. At some point this trend must be stopped. If it is not the future of the youth is meek. Parents must be held responsible for being the starting point, and to create an end to this cycle. Parents need to take a stand against drug abuse and work side by side with the local schools and within their communities in order for this continuous problem to end. Everyone needs to educate children on the importance of, drug abuse, and they need to do this by controlling the commercial ads for tobacco, alcohol, and some prescription drugs. If these things were not constantly advertised in the faces of teens, the number of teens who have a drug abuse problem will lower. Drug addiction, what is it? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain” (June 2008). “Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs are able to do this: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers, and/or (2) by over stimulating the “reward
Abstract Drug addictions among today’s adolescent is climbing to an all-time high rate. Parents need to become more proactive in the prevention of their children becoming addicted to drugs. However, parents alone cannot handle this overwhelming task, the local schools and the community will need to take action also. Together this is a possible task, team work and consistency will prevail and save adolescents from being drug addicts.
Prevention of Adolescent Drug Addictions Today’s adolescents are becoming addicted to drugs each day. At some point this trend must be stopped. If it is not the future of the youth is meek. Parents must be held responsible for being the starting point, and to create an end to this cycle. Parents need to take a stand against drug abuse and work side by side with the local schools and within their communities in order for this continuous problem to end. Everyone needs to educate children on the importance of, drug abuse, and they need to do this by controlling the commercial ads for tobacco, alcohol, and some prescription drugs. If these things were not constantly advertised in the faces of teens, the number of teens who have a drug abuse problem will lower. Drug addiction, what is it? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain” (June 2008). “Drugs are chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs are able to do this: (1) by imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers, and/or (2) by over stimulating the “reward
References: Minnes, S. L., Kirchner, H., Short, E., Lewis, B., Satayathum, S., et al. (2010). The effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on problem behavior in children 4-10 years. Neurotoxicology & Teratology, 32(4), 443-451. Doi:10.1016/j.ntt.2010.03.005. NIDA (2008, June). Understanding drug abuse and addiction. Retrieved from www.drugabuse.gov President Obama, B. ( 2010, April 8). Presidential proclamation-national d.a.r.e. day. Retrieved from www.whitehouse.gov Worcel, S., Furrer, C., Green, B., Burrus, S., & Finigan, M. (2008). Effects of family treatment drug courts on substance abuse and child welfare outcomes. Child Abuse Review, 17(6), 427-443. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database. Yu, A., Ata, N., Dong, K., &Newton, A (2010). A Description of Emergency Care Received by Children and Youth with Mental Heath Presentaitons for Alcohol and Other Drug use in two Alberta Emergency Departments. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Childe & Adolescent Psychiatry, 19(4), 290-296. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.