The Correlation between Substance Abuse and Teen Pregnancy - Term Paper Example

 The Correlation between Substance Abuse and Teen Pregnancy Abstract Teenage pregnancy is one of the major concerns in the world today. With the advent of technology and early maturity among the teenagers, most of these teenagers engage in risky sexual behaviors that lead to teen pregnancies. Many studies have indicated substance abuse as one of the major determining factors of teenage pregnancies. This means that there is a correlation between substance abuse among the teenagers and teenage pregnancy. This paper will analyze this link between substance abuse and teen pregnancy, supporting the discussion with some pharmacological information Introduction Teenage pregnancy is pregnancy that is not intended during the period of teenage life and development. In the contemporary world, teenage pregnancy is very prevalent due to various social, technological and psychological factors. According to a survey carried out by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, roughly 750,000 girls in their early and late adolescent years become pregnant yearly. These are very disturbing statistics bearing in mind that most of these girls are often in schools. These statistics also indicate that a bigger percentage of these girls do not realize that it when they engage in unprotected sex they would become pregnant (Pregnancy.ygoy.com, 2011). The Correlation between Substance Abuse and Teenage Pregnancy Although there are many factors that influence or cause teenage pregnancy, substance abuse is one of the major causes of teen pregnancies. Many studies indicate that there is a strong correlation between substance abuse and teenage pregnancy. It is evident that teenagers who use various drugs such as alcohol, marijuana and tobacco have an increased susceptibility of engaging in risky sexual behaviors that would lead to teenage pregnancies. In general, most drugs impair the judgment of the teens such that they engage in unprotected, unintended or forced sex which later causes pregnancy. It is also evident that most of these drugs have some pharmacological features that impair the normal cognitive functioning of the users (Thenationalcampaign.org, 2011). Statistics indicate that among the sexually active teens and young adults aged between 15 and 24 years, a third of them claim that there was influence of alcohol or drugs on their first sexual contact. Additionally, a quarter of the sexually active teens and young adults affirm that they had unprotected sex because they were under influence of alcohol or drug. In addition, there is a concern of about 43 percent of the teens and the young youths that the use of alcohol and drug made them more sexually exposed than they had initially planned. For instance, about 40 percent of the boys who start drinking or smoking at a young age will have a sexual contact at a younger age compared with his counterpart who is not in drugs. For the girls, the probability of having sex at a younger age is about 80 percent in the girls who use alcohol and/or cigarettes (Thenationalcampaign.org, 2011). Among all the other drugs abused by teenagers, alcohol has the greatest effect on teen sexuality and pregnancy. Alcohol use in teenagers leads to regretted sex and increasing consumption causes greater likelihood of unintended sex. In most cases alcohol distorts the memory of a teenager such that they do not know when they engage in unprotected sex. Most of the teenagers often realize that they had engaged in sex long after they become sober. In addition, most teenagers admit that they engaged in their first sex when they were under the influence of alcohol. For the case of teenage girls, alcohol consumption renders them vulnerable and helpless for sexual intercourse. Some men even rape them since they cannot defend themselves. Several studies indicate that alcohol causes general weakness and fatigue, leaving the user very weak and helpless (Cook, 2010). The other abused drug that causes teenagers to engage in risky sexual behaviors and the consequent teen pregnancies is marijuana. Various studies indicate that teens who smoke marijuana are four times more probably to become pregnant or to make someone pregnant compared to teenagers who have never used marijuana. The reason for this is that marijuana interferes with the memory of a teenager and renders him or her to unprotected sex without realizing. In addition, marijuana causes extreme addiction to sexual behavior for those already engaging in sex. It also triggers a violent effect, especially to teenage males, who in turn may rape their teenage girl’s counterparts (Thenationalcampaign.org, 2011). It is evident that substance use may influence vital determinants of birth control. This possibility suggests that even when substance use does not precede sexual intercourse it affects sexual behaviour and contraception. These effects results from the substance’s effects on partner selection and partner communication (Grossman et al., 2002). The “dis-inhibition effect” theory speculates that the dis-inhibiting effect of alcohol may make people to engage in riskier sexual behaviors than they would if not under influence of alcohol. Additionally, there is a reduced condom use due to the dis-inhibition effect only when sex is unplanned or happening for the first time (Deardorff, 2005). For instance, since many teenage girls are too drunk during their first sexual encounter there is no effective use of the birth control (Thenationalcampaign.org, 2011). In addition, the prevalence of pregnancy in teens is high because many girls have unplanned sex hence at a higher risk for unprotected intercourse and pregnancy. Moreover, the birth control methods widespread among young girls are likely to be affected by alcohol for example condom compared with the methods common among older women for instance the birth control pills (Deardorff, 2005). Most teenagers have a tendency of experimenting sex when under the influence of drugs. Some of them deliberately abuse drugs so that they can engage in sexual intercourse. This is because most drugs especially alcohol interferes with their conscience. A teen under the influence of alcohol would not be conscious of his or her actions especially sexual behaviours. During this phase of their life, they might lack the necessary information concerning the potential consequences of their actions (Grossman et al., 2002). Drug abuse and excessive alcohol by teenagers might reduce the capability of an adolescent girl to manage and control her impulses. Statistics indicate that this aspect of dug abuse and teen pregnancy leads to approximately 75% of pregnancies that occur between the ages of 14 and 21. In addition, almost 91% of the pregnant teenagers claim that they were drunk during the time of intercourse but did not plan to indulge in sex and that it occurred unconsciously (Pregnancy.ygoy.com, 2011). A young girl could take drugs or alcohol to raise the degree of sexual pleasure and “break the ice” with a new partner. Additionally, substance use alters decision-making and judgement hence improper use of birth control methods or failure to use any contraceptives and unplanned sexually activity with a larger number of partners. Moreover, there is alteration of partner selection in case of substance abuse and there is reduced level of communication within the relationship (Grossman et al., 2002). Conclusion Substance abuse has a direct impact on teenage pregnancy in the contemporary society. Most teenagers report that they were under the influence of some drugs when they possibly conceived. Alcohol and marijuana are the major substances that lead to unhealthy and risky sexual behaviours that lead to teen pregnancy. They often impair the memory and conscience of a teenager making such a teen to engage in unprotected, forced or unintended sex unknowingly. In order to reduce teenage pregnancies, there should be development of proper strategies to first reduce or eliminate teenage substance abuse. References Cook, P. A. (2010). Alcohol and Teenage Pregnancies. Retrieved from Deardorff, J. (2005). Early Puberty and Adolescent Pregnancy: The Influence of Alcohol Use. Pediatrics, 116, 6, 1451 -1456. Grossman, M. et al. (2002). Get High and Get Stupid: the Effect of Alcohol and Marijuana Use on Teen Sexual Behavior. Retrieved from Pregnancy.ygoy.com. (2011). Leading Causes of Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved from Thenationalcampaign.org. (2011). Teen Pregnancy, Substance Use, and Other Risky Behavior. Retrieved from < http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PYPU5u-9WNUJ:www.thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/pdf/risky_behaviors.pdf+link+between+teenage+pregnancy+and+drug+abuse&hl=en> Read More