Teen Drug Abuse - Research Paper Example

 Teen Drug Abuse Abstract Drug abuse among teenagers is exceedingly common; teenagers influence each other into abusing drugs. This habit of drug abuse among teenagers commence early in life. In most cases, the problem leads to addiction or lifetime habits, which proceed to adulthood. Unless this problem ends, it will ruin many young lives of the children. Teenagers face many physical, emotional and mental challenges as they go through the transition from childhood into adulthood. This paper will explore the problem of drug abuse among teenagers. Further, the paper will analyze the factors that lead teenagers into drug abuse, the symptoms and lastly, the paper will explore the methods of treatment. Teen Drug Abuse According to Kaminer & Bukstein (2008), there are copious causes of drug misuse among teenagers, and each cause has the potential to develop to a habit of excessive drug consumption. The drugs commonly abused by teenagers include cigarettes, alcohol and medicinal drugs, which they may obtain from the family stock of drugs or other sources. There are circumstances that act as risk factors for drug abuse among teenagers, which means that any teenager who exploits those risk factors will have a higher chance of abusing alcohol and other drugs. Causes of Drug Abuse among Teenagers Poor or inadequate parental supervision remains the chief cause of drug abuse among teenagers. Parents who leave their children without supervision for a whole day give them a chance to gain exposure to drugs (Aarseth, 2011). The same happens to teenagers who have the liberty of coming home any time they want or leaving at their own pleasure. Such teenagers get an opportunity to interact with drug abusers in the street. Alcohol and cigarettes are the favorite drugs for many teenagers, but teenagers cannot obtain these substances easily unless an adult sells to them (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Therefore, parents should take keen interest in how the children spend their time and the people that the children befriend. Parents who monitor the activities of their children can protect their kids from alcohol and drugs. This is different from parents who do not monitor the activities of their children. The second factor that makes teenagers plunge into drug abuse is the availability of drugs and alcohol. Parents who keep alcohol in places where teenagers can access give their children a golden chance to end their curiosity with drugs. It is imperative to note that, drug abuse among children may not be limited to cigarettes and alcohol only (Aarseth, 2011). Teenagers have realized that they can get high, if they use legal prescriptions that other people get from doctors. Psychoactive and hallucinogen drugs discovered in many parties come with children, and they obtain them from their own homes. Parents can curb this behavior by locking drugs in cabinets. According to Kaminer & Bukstein (2008), parents should warn children that drug abuse is against the law whether children use the drugs at home or outside home. Besides drugs that come from homes, children can obtain drugs from local retailers, who sell drugs to minors. Although some localities prohibit the buying of drugs without an ID, some retailers sell drugs to minors. Further, communication breakdown contributes to drug abuse as children fail to grasp the dangers of abusing drugs. Teenagers who comprehend the consequences of drug abuse are more likely to avoid drug abuse than those who have little knowledge about drugs. Some minors abuse drugs because they assume that their parents care little about them (Hanson et al., 2011). This problem can be handled by maintaining a healthy communication channel with children and performing impromptu checks in their bags. This will convince the children that parents might discover their habits of drug abuse. Most children fear the consequences that will follow if their parents discover that they are indulging in drug abuse. School leniency and tolerance to drugs contributes to drug and alcohol abuse. Many teenagers obtain drugs from their classmates who sell drugs from their lockers. Such behavior puts many children at the risk of drug abuse. This behavior can also result to mass casualties, if teenagers consume drugs that have already expired, or poisonous drugs (Kaminer & Bukstein, 2008). The school’s administration should perform locker checks regularly in an attempt to curb drug selling and distribution in schools by students. Teachers should also be conversant with identifying signs of intoxication in students, and follow the strict rules that guide the disciplinary measures for such misconduct. Most children abuse drugs during school sporting days if they realize that their teachers are not monitoring them properly (Kaminer & Bukstein, 2008). Media adverts on drugs also intensify the curiosity of teenagers; it makes them wish to experience the thrilling feelings that other people obtain from drugs. Some media adverts portray the pleasant feelings obtained from drugs and alcohol; this influences the teenagers negatively (Kaminer & Bukstein, 2008). Drug use is also common in movies that children watch and it is evident that movies and TV programs affect people’s lives. Therefore, children imitate the behavior of movie stars. They assume that alcohol use can make them fabulous like the celebrities they admire. The last cause of drug and alcohol use is the lack of proper modeling from parents. Some parents abuse drugs in front of their children; this sets a terrible example to the children. Parents who come home drunk and mistreat their children might push the children into drug abuse due to stress and anxiety (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Children imitate the things that their parents, friends, sibling and teachers do; drug use is no exception. Symptoms of Drug Abuse among Teens People who begin abusing drugs while they are kids may develop drug dependency and addiction. The part of the brain that regulates human impulses in kids is not fully developed (Thompson, 2012). Therefore, if kids abuse drugs, they will not be able to suppress the urge of abusing drugs in the future, and this results to addiction. The chief symptom of drug abuse in teens is the development of high tolerance to drugs (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Teens who abuse drugs become tolerant over time and they consume large amounts of drugs without experiencing any effects. Such teens take large amounts of drugs with increased frequency in an attempt to quench their desire for drugs. Further, the kids may show signs of inability to handle life issues and common challenges that face people. Drug abusing teens develop relational problems, and they often quarrel with their friends and parents (Thompson, 2012). Others may show withdrawal syndromes characterized with emaciation and body shaking if they stay for a long time without taking drugs. Further, teens who abuse drugs might loose class concentration and show tremendous drop in their academic performance. Prevention and Treatment of Drug Abuse among Teenagers Parents should be attentive and keen with the activities of their kids within and outside the home. Parents should always supervise their kids to guarantee that the children do not join unprincipled friends, who might introduce their children to drugs (Thompson, 2012). Further, parents should be aware of their neighborhood and spot any retailers who sell drugs to minors. Such drug dealers should face the legal consequences for their actions, as selling drugs to teenagers is ruining their present and their future. Shops suspected of selling alcohol and drugs to teenagers should be closed down with immediate effect. This will protect teenagers from destruction (Siegel & Welsh, 2010). Teachers and parents should educate children about the adverse effects of abusing drugs and alcohol at a young age (Hanson et al., 2011). Proper knowledge about drugs and their side effects helps children to develop their own mechanisms, which will help them in dealing with temptations of drug abuse. Thorough checks ups at schools and non-tolerance on drugs suppress the behavior of drug selling in schools. Further, schools should revise their rules, which will ensure that teenagers caught with drugs get a direct suspension. The school administration should educate teachers on how to recognize the signs of drugs abuse in students (Hanson et al, 2011). This will discourage the habit of using drugs due to the consequences that follow the drug users in school. Parents should always maintain a healthy communication channel with their children. This will help in knowing the issues that affect their children and fix them before things get out of hand. Parents should also ensure that they act as role models to their children by portraying proper conduct to their children. Proper parenting demands that parents should demonstrate desirable behavior that their children can emulate (Thompson, 2012). Parent should lock all drugs at home in cabinets, where children cannot access them. This will deny the children a free access to harmful drugs and ensure their safety and health is not compromised. Teenagers who abuse drugs should be taken through a rigorous treatment program, which aims at eliminating their behavior, and discouraging them from future drug use and abuse (Thompson, 2012). The treatment program should be reinforced with regular counseling sessions that aim at establishing the possible causes of alcohol abuse. Children who have developed drug dependency should be taken to rehabilitation centers for a comprehensive treatment program (Aarseth, 2011). In conclusion, drug and alcohol abuse is significantly common among teenagers. Various factors make children abuse drugs. They include poor parental supervision, availability of drugs, poor modeling from parents, and drug tolerance in schools. Drug use can be prevented by proper parental supervision and strict rules in schools as well as minimized exposure of drugs to children. Drug users should be admitted to the treatment facilities, which help them to recover from the drug use problem. Drug abusing teens develop relational problems, and they often quarrel with their friends and parents. References Aarseth, E.J. (2011). Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parent. New York: JHU Press. Hanson, G.R., Venturelli, P.J. & Fleckenstein, A.E. (2011). Drugs and Society. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Kaminer, Y. & Bukstein, O.G. (2008). Adolescent substance abuse: psychiatric comorbidity and high-risk behaviors. New York: Taylor & Francis. Siegel, L.J. & Welsh, B.C. (2010). Juvenile Delinquency: The Core. London: Cengage Learning. Thompson, S. (2012). Understanding Causes of Teenage Drug Abuse. Retrieved from www.life123.com › ... › Drug Abuse Read More