Drug abuse among teenagers: causes and effects - Essay Example

? 27 March Drug abuse among teenagers: causes and effects Drug abuse among teenagersis among the most complicated issues of the present age. A lot of research has been done in the past that speaks about the gravity of the issue of teenage drug abuse. “About half of junior high and senior high school students drink alcohol on a monthly basis, and 14% of teens have been intoxicated at least once in the past year. Nearly 8% of teens who drink say they drink at least five or more alcoholic drinks in a row” (Dryden-Edwards and Stoppler 1). Results of another research done in 2007 indicate showed that 45 per cent of the students of high school confessed that they had consumed alcohol and another 26 per cent admitted having experienced binge drinking (Marable). Drug abuse destroys a teenager as a person even before he/she starts to contribute to the development of the society. This paper looks into the potential causes and effects of drug abuse among teenagers. There are numerous causes for a teenager’s indulgence in drug addiction. One of the most obvious causes is lack of adequate parental supervision. Parents lose control of their children as they grow older, particularly in the societies, where parents are forbidden to exercise such rights over their children as slapping, scolding or beating them when children disobey or disrespect them. This is one reason why drug abuse is more common among teenagers in some developed countries than the developing countries in general. Developed countries have generally provided people with more freedom than what people have in the developing countries. This draws the children out of the control of parents and makes the children more independent so that they get to spend more time with their friends out of their home. Research suggests that teenagers who belong to single-parent families are more likely to indulge in drug addiction as compared to the teenagers who come from the regular two-parent families. This is because of the fact that two parents are able to keep more check over the children as compared to a single parent. Bad company is another cause of drug abuse among teenagers. A culture of groupism among teenagers has prevailed in the society for a long time. Teenagers tend to associate themselves with groups primarily in an attempt to gain identity. While in groups, teenagers have the moral support of their group members using which, they experience new things and adventures moved by their curiosity which is a typical trait of teenage. Drugs are amongst a whole range of things that these groups experience and eventually make the teenagers drug addicts. There are numerous effects of drug abuse upon a teenager’s physical and psychological health as well as social behavior. Teenagers who get into drug abuse are likely to be socially excluded. Drug addiction inculcates negativity in the teenagers which makes them want to be alone rather than with the friends. However, this also depends to a large extent upon the type of drug which is being used. There are certain drugs like heroin which are so expensive that teenagers tend to share money in order to acquire that. Accordingly, when they get it, they consume it in groups together. On the other hand, teenagers that use injections for consuming the drug tend to be alone rather than with friends. In either case, the habit of drug addiction draws the teenager away from the social circle in the school. Also, teenagers that abhor drug addiction tend not to make friends with the drug addict teenagers, so the chances of the latter to be socially excluded are magnified. Drug addiction increases a teenager’s susceptibility to a lot of dangerous diseases. These diseases include lungs’ cancer. The teenager also experiences other bad conditions including depression and mood swings. Sometimes, drug addiction can make a teenager acquire such fatal diseases as AIDS. This can happen when a teenager makes use of injection to consume the drug. Various kinds of drugs are consumed with injections. Drug addiction inculcates aggression in a teenager. Teenagers on drugs misbehave with their parents as parents try to advise them not to consume the drugs. If a teenager is denied access to the drug he/she is addicted with, the teenager can become so aggressive that he/she may display violent behavior. In such cases, teenagers destroy things, shout and abuse the family members. “Teens who abuse drugs are more likely to struggle with addiction later in life and have permanent and irreversible brain damage” (“The effects of drug”). Another very harmful effect of drug addiction is unsafe driving. Teenagers who drive after consuming drugs lose their ability to drive consciously and safely. Their ability to judge the distance between their vehicle and the vehicle ahead is marred. Their cognitive processing of the distance and various variables related to the traffic and road declines and they are likely to be caught in road accidents. This way, teenagers on drugs not only risk their own life, but also become a potential source of risk for other drivers on the road. Concluding, drug abuse among teenagers exists because of a number of reasons including lack of adequate parental check and control, legalization and easy availability of drugs, depression and loneliness. Effects of drug abuse among teenagers include but are not limited to social exclusion, increased susceptibility to diseases, aggression, violence, and poor academic performance. Drug abuse among teenagers is one of the biggest challenges that governments are facing in the contemporary age. Teenagers are the future leaders of a nation. The habit of drug abuse in such a tender age of teenage spoils an individual for the whole life so that the individual not only becomes useless, but also a potential threat to the society in the long run. Considering the negative implications of the drug abuse both upon the teenager’s life who consumes it and the society at large, it is imperative that government takes appropriate measures to combat this challenge and reduce the tendency of teenagers to indulge in drug abuse. Works Cited: Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne and Stoppler, Melissa C. “Alcohol and Teens.” Medicine Net. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . Marable, Jamie Y. “How Common Is Drug Abuse Among Teenagers?” Life 123. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . “The effects of drug abuse on teens.” Casa Palmera. 2009. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . Read More