Reayanul Haque
Professor Samantha Bellamy
Research Paper on Teenage Drug Abuse
English 101
November 5th, 2019
The content of my research is the teenager abuse drug. In the present society, medications are removing our kids’ lives and it is standing out as truly newsworthy consistently. Adolescent drug misuse is an issue that can lead us to a lot of problems and, It continues to get worse day by day. Times have changed now that many teenagers are going through stress and anxieties that are hard to cope up with. Teenagers are getting addicted to drugs and alcohol thinking it is an escape for them from those problems they have to face in their everyday life. Rather than managing their issues healthily, youngsters look for temporary escapes from drugs which is tremendously harmful to them physically and mentally. And that’s how it became a primary health problem for students who are addicted. I specifically chose this topic for my research because I wanted to know the aspects and the reasonings behind all these teenage drug abuse and as a teenager myself, I personally think it is a very crucial topic as of right now in our society. My big question during this research was, “What is the leading cause of the maximum percentage of teenagers getting involved in drug and why are they getting addicted to the drug?” When I started doing this research, I found great facts about this particular topic that I never even had any idea about, to begin with. A few of the facts were shocking to me as a teenager. I have found some sources which were helpful for this research project and those sources have the answer to my questions with certain details of everything. The drug affects the health of young people and affects the development of the body. Prescription opioid drugs tried the heroine to get high and it affected their health in so many ways. Also, this generation grew up with a wiser knowledge of drugs and alcohol. So, our parents and teachers should be more caution about teenager’s abuse drugs and need to find out a way to get rid of this problem.
The New York Times article “The 4 Traits That Put Kids At Risk” by Maia Szalavitz talks about how teenagers getting involved and the reasons behind getting addicted to the drug. In this article, she talked about how she recovered from her addiction and how they are taking a different path to help their children at risk. The author also mentioned how she grew up with antidrug and those things curb drug use by children at the highest risk. Most of the kids who try alcohol or drugs, do not become addicted because they wanted to see the difference. It also talked about how loneliness, anxiety push them to do the drug. Another reason, the author mentioned was how peer pressure could push teenagers toward drugs and makes them think it is something cool to do. Recognizing that most young adults who try alcohol, cocaine, opioids or methamphetamine do not emerge as addicted, they focus on what’s different about the minority who do. Some teenagers struggled with loneliness, anxiety and sensory overload. Mental health issues are a risk factor for addiction. Anxiety sensitivity, which capacity being overly conscious and apprehensive of physical symptoms of anxiety, is linked to panic disorder. While sensation-seeking is no longer linked to different diagnoses, it raises addiction hazard for the obvious reason that teenagers drawn to the intense trip will in all likelihood like drugs.
In the US News, the writer Robert Pried did a report” Teens ‘Opioid Abuse May Be Gateway to Heroin.” In this news, Pried reported how teenagers are using prescribed opioid painkillers to get high. Research also shows that 3,300 students were addicted to heroin since the start of their freshman year until their senior year in high school. About 1.7% of the students who did not try prescribed opioid drugs tried the heroin to get high and it affected their health tremendously. Pried also mentioned his research about 9% of the 47,600 overdose deaths that occurred in 2017 and teenagers under 25 years old died because of an overdose. The audience would be teenagers because they are harming themselves by consuming drugs more than adults. And the rate of teenagers is using more drugs and alcohol than anyone else in society.
The CBS news article, “Survey reveals a shocking level of teen drinking, drug abuse” by Michelle Castillo asserts how young Americans are getting involved in drugs and drinks. A study shows that by the time most teens reach late adolescence, most of them have drank alcohol and abused illicit substances. The results published that seventy-eight percent of U.S. teens had drunk alcohol, and forty-seven percent of the group said they would bump off 12 or greater drinks in the previous year. Also, when it came to drug use, eighty-one percent of teens stated they had the chance to use illicit substances, with 42.5 percentage tried them. However, 15 percent of the teens met the standards for lifetime alcohol abuse, and 16 percentage should be categorized as drug abusers. The median age for alcohol abuse to start used to be 14 with or besides established behavior. The median age for drug abuse with dependence to begin used to be at the age of 14 and young adults who started abusing illicit components at 15 have been much less probable to be dependent. Teens may additionally experience pressured through their friends to attempt drugs, they may have handy get entry to drugs, they may use tablets to rebel in opposition to their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.
The article, “Beyond Ephebiphobia: Problem Adults or Problem Youths?” by Astroth, Kirk A. defends the teens of today by saying that these stereotypes and accusations are not true. People nowadays believe that most of this generation is totally corrupt and way worse than any past generation. “Young people today are typically portrayed as an aberrant pariah class that suffers its own distinct “epidemics” bearing no relationship to adult patterns of behavior.” This proves adults and researchers nowadays don’t have any faith in today’s teenagers. Nonetheless, Astroth believes that none of this is true and teenagers today are way better than some of the teenagers from the past generations. Astroth states that today’s adults suffer from ephebiphobia, which is a fear and loathing of adolescence. This is nothing new because adults have been suffering from this for generations which reveals that there were teenagers in the past with similar problem behaviors. One example given in the essay is, “a study of teenage drinking in the 1950s describes patterns that are the same as those of teens today.” This clearly shows that teenagers today are very similar to teenagers of the past and should not be treated like they have some kind of incurable disease. Therefore, teenagers today seem to be healthier, more educated, and responsible than past generations and, they shouldn’t be labeled as “at-risk”.
Another article “Student–school bonding and adolescent problem behavior” from Health Education Research by Bruce G. Simons-Morton, Aria Davis Crump, Denise L. Haynie, Keith E. Saylor addresses the issues involving problem behaviors in adolescents and the effects of it. Adolescent problem behaviors are the reason for many negative issues, such as school failure, arrest, addiction, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, injury, and death. When these adolescents’ transition from a child to an adult, they go through many difficult obstacles and that can lead them to rely on these problem behaviors as a temporary distraction. This affects the child’s social interaction skills, relationship with family, and they become a danger to themselves. At the beginning of middle school, the rates of these behaviors aren’t that immense but as they grow up, it rapidly increases. School climate and parental ways play a large role because if the adolescents are not treated right and taught what’s right and wrong, they are more likely to be involved in these problem behaviors. Middle school is a good place to address these behaviors because these students can learn about the things that can bring harm to themselves and be able to grow in a positive environment. This way they can learn to develop new skills, be positive, and become smarter. Overall, this essay discusses how adolescents can be taught constructive skills and prevent getting into problem behaviors at such a young age.
The article,” Cause of Drug Addiction- What Causes Drug Addiction?” by Natasha Tracy refers to the compulsive and repeated use of growing quantities of drugs with the look of withdrawal signs and symptoms when drug use increases. While the particular reasons of drug dependence are now not known, genetic, psychological and environmental factors are notion to play a big role. Rather than a single purpose of drug addiction, multiple factors probably lead to drug dependency in any given person. Some of the psychological causes of drug addiction can lead to stem of trauma, sexual or physical abuse, neglect, or chaos in the home can all lead to drug use. Drug addiction tends to run in the family, indicating that genetics may additionally function in causing drug addiction. In fact, in studies of twins, it appears half of a person’s chance of becoming addicted to drugs is genetic. Genetic causes of drug addiction show up to involve a couple of gene sequences and science has not yet been capable to pinpoint all the genes involved. Still, it is regarded as some genes, like those concerned in brain receptors of nicotine, make contributions to the motive of drug addiction in most of the teenagers.
In the article,” Drug Use Among Teens: Cocaine and Cracks Statistics” by Denise Witmer asserts how cocaine drug use among teenagers and in adults can cause multiple health problems. A survey shows that college students between 18 and 25 years old were both heaviest users in 2008 and the group with the biggest decrease by 2014. Cocaine drug use peaks amongst the 18 to 20 age group, with 16- to 17-year-old young adults having the easiest data among childhood at 3.6% which means every year the amount of cocaine and drug users is increasing. Teens who begin using the drug at this young age are not far from becoming addicted. Over 85% of teens in all three grade levels said that they do not approve of cocaine use but however they get addicted to many other drugs that affect their health and lives. Witmer also shows many statistics of cocaine and drug use among teenagers which can cause them to death. Drugs cause negative effects on the growth of the child, also the most dangerous to the health and well-being of the adolescent and their future
Drugs are pervasive pressure in our culture today. And the rate of teenagers is using more drugs and alcohol than anyone else in society. Since I’m a teenager and I grew up with friends. I have seen some of them taking drugs. They had different reasons for taking them. I interviewed one of my friends who was taking drugs in peer pressure from his friend. I have changed his name for privacy issues.
1.Interrogator- When was the first time you tried drugs?
-Amiz- I was 17 when I had marijuana and alcohol.
2.Interrogator- Why did you decide to take it?
-Azim- My friends were always taking it and I decided to experience it for the first time. Also, they forced me to try it for once.
3.Interrogator- After that did you ever take it again?
-Azim- I never thought that I would take it again. But I could not stop myself after the first try. I took them so many times and now I must take every day.
- Interrogator- Was all your friends were the same age as you when you had your first drug?
-Azim- Most of my friends started taking drugs at the age of 17-18. Because they get curious to try it and eventually, they become addicted to it.
5.Interrogator- How do you think it helps people?
-Azim- It makes people feel light and help them to get over things they do not want to deal with. Not only people try drugs because of peer pressure but sometimes they take it when there are family issues and pressure of studies etc.
6.Interrogator- Why do you think only teenagers take drugs these days?
-Azim- Teenagers face more pressure than adults and some just take it because they are addicted to it.
- Interrogator- Why do most of the teenagers take prescription drugs?
-Azim- Teenagers take prescription drugs because it is easy to get, and parents would not understand where they are getting it from.
8.Interrogator- How to prevent teenagers from taking drugs?
-Azim-Tell them the negative effects of taking drugs and alcohol, talk to them about their problems.
9.Interrogator- What can parents and society do to prevent teenagers to take drugs and alcohol?
-Azim- Parents should listen to their children, talk to them about their problems, help children make good choices and good friends, teach them different ways to say “No!” in peer pressure.
Most human beings who battle with drug addiction started out experimenting with drugs as teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the greatest concerns in society today and the hassle grows larger each year. The audience would be teenagers because they are affecting themselves by consuming drugs more than adults. However, the audience is also the parents, teachers, and teenagers who should be more aware of this topic and play a role to stop people who take them. Drug abuse among teenagers and young adults has been a major problem in American society which needs to stop for a healthy and happy society.
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Work Cited
Szalavitz Maia, The 4 Traits That Put Kids At Risk, September 29, 2016. nytimes.com
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/well/family/the-4-traits-that-put-kids-at-risk-for-addiction.
Preidt Robert, Teens ‘Opioid Abuse May Be Gateway to Heroin, July 12, 2019. usnews.com
Castillo Michelle, Survey reveals shocking level of teen drinking, drug abuse, April 3, 2012. cbsnews.com
Kirk A. Astroth, Beyond Ephebiphobia: Problem Adults or Problem Youths, questia.com
Morton Simons, Crump, Haynie, Saylor, Student–school bonding and adolescent problem behavior, February 1, 1999. academic.oup.com
Tracy Natasha, Student–school bonding and adolescent problem behavior, April 23, 2019. healthyplace.com
Witmer Denise, Drug Use Among Teens: Cocaine and Cracks Statistics, October 29, 2019. verywellmind.com
https://www.verywellmind.com/cocaine-and-crack-statistics-teen-drug-use-facts-2611119
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