Teen Drug Abuse Add On

Surname 4

Student’s Name:

Instructor’s Name:

Course Number:

Date of Submission:

TEEN DRUG ABUSE

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is the likelihood that an American teenager will try drugs. It is a fact that teens who are young 12 years have often found themselves trying using powerful drugs such as cocaine and marijuana (Jaffe, Pg.187). The majority of these teens tell themselves that they will only use such drugs only once, but they find themselves under the constant influence and pressure to continue using such drugs. Use of such drugs has had diverse effects on teens; based on the signs viewed from such teens, and this has prompted various measures to be applied in trying to address this issue.

Close to half of all new drug users in the United States are under the age of 18 years. The experimentation habit plays the biggest role in teenage drug use. However, it is not a mandatory fact that a teenager who experiments use of the drug will automatically become addicted. There are some of the reasons as to why teens might become victims of drugs abuse. Some of the confirmed ideas include Curiosity, which gets considered as the primary reasons for teens’ misuse of narcotics as they try to know what really will happen to suppose him or her taste drugs like alcohol. Another reason for teen’s abuse of the substance is the peer pressure (Monti, Pg.221). Most teens get influenced to abuse drugs by the fact that their age mates are also doing it. In some occasions, the peers encourage each other to abuse drugs just for fun yet they are not aware that they can be addicted. Stress is another reason why most teens do abuse drugs. Some view drinking of alcohol, for instance, is an avenue through one can get rid of his or her stress. As a result of such people only become addicted to alcohol at a tender age. Emotional struggles are also a reason as to why some teens abuse drugs. Just as teens are struggling to understand the developmental changes that do take place within them, some end up abusing drugs as they feel emotional with some modifications that occur within them and they view the use of drugs as an avenue of avoiding such emotional disturbances.

Signs of Teen Drug Abuse

There are several signs that a teen that is under drugs can depict. Though it might be difficult to know the type of drug that a teen is using, showing any sign of drug use should utilize as the basis of assisting such a teen from substance abuse. Some common signs amongst the teens include: getting bad grades in school, smelling of smoke on breath or clothes, avoiding eye contact at all cost, developing secretive behavior. In extreme cases, teens on drugs would have poor hygiene, loss of interest in activities and develop unusual tiredness.

Possible Treatments for Addiction in Teens using Abusing Drugs

In most cases, teens that are highly addicted to drugs can be taken to treatment centers designated for teens that have been highly addicted into substance abuse for personal reasons. Some of these centers majorly deal with teens that may be their emotional and social problems led them to abuse drugs. Some of these treatment centers offer educational support which assists such teens not to stay behind with school work. It is better for an addiction to be identified at early stages so that treating it becomes an easy task.

Conclusion

The issue of teens engaging in abuse of drugs is a thorny problem that needs to be collectively handled together by all parties. There is also need to strengthen laws that have real repercussions for any teen found abusing drugs. For the addicted ones, proper treatment should get administered to them, and steps are taken to counsel them over the dangers of abusing drugs.

References

Jaffe, S. L. Adolescent substance abuse intervention workbook: Taking a first step. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press, 2011. Print.

Monti, P. Adolescents, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse: Reaching Teens through Brief Interventions. New York: Guilford Publications, 2012. Print.