Years ago, the common image of an adolescent drug abuser was a teen trying to escape from reality on illegal substances like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. Today, there is a great discrepancy between that perception and the reality of who is likely to abuse drugs. A teenage drug abuser might not have to look any further than his or her parent’s medicine chest to ‘score.’ Prescription drug abuse by teens is on the rise. Also, teens are looking to prescription drugs to fulfill different needs other than to feel good or escape the pressures of adulthood. Teens may be just as likely to resort to drugs with ‘speedy’ side effects, like Ritalin to help them study longer, as they are to use prescription
There are many bad outcomes to abusing drugs. Some teenagers just waste away their lives. Others hurt the ones they love by stealing from them or treating them horribly when they are coming down off their high. Some teens become very violent and out of control towards everyone around them. Some teens run away and disappear for life. Other teenagers get raped not even knowing it unless someone tells them what happened unless they were awake during the rape. A rising problem among teens and drug use is teen
The existence of a myriad of social problems among teenagers that both parents and states have to deal with is a factor whose weight ought not to be treated lightly. The increasing level of drug use among the adolescents constitutes one of the ever increasing situations in the society and may, as a matter of fact, be a representation other underlying issues. The level of the situation in the contemporary world, though not discussed as much as it ought to be, has reached alarming levels. There seems to be an increasing predisposition among the use to take the drugs as it's reflected in the escalating trends of drug abuse among this generation of individuals (spooner, 1999). The ever deteriorating levels of this situation coupled with the widespread permissiveness in the society and the absence of attention from appropriate caregivers at different institutions only means that the need to address the problem is paramount. Different avenues of solutions can be applied in reducing the level of the problem and averting the massive negative consequences that come with the phenomena. Dealing with this issue is not a matter of instance as the different parameters of the problems, its causes and possible workable solutions have to be discovered. As such, research on these dynamics is a mandatory undertaking.
Today’s teenagers are more prone to drug abuse because they see it as a way of rebellion. Author Tiana Rosenberg stated on 2012 that more and more teens are smoking each year because it is considered cool. It’s a form of teenage rebellion, the carelessness and disobeying adults. Teens think they are invincible and overweigh the pleasures of doing drugs over the risks. Part of the brain dealing with making decisions are still developing (Moore
Many teenagers between the ages of 12-18 are exposed or already on their way to addiction to substances that are not good for our mental or physical health. Many teens experiment with drugs but aren’t addicted. According to addictioncenters.com “teen drug abuse can have long term cognitive and behavioural effects since the teenage brain is still developing.” A study also shows that half of all new drug users are under 18. This is because our brains are still seeking the “thrill” and temptation of substances. Other common reasons are curiosity, peer pressure, stress, emotional struggles and wanting a escape. Thankfully drug use among teens, despite popular opinion are significantly decreasing. The teenage brain is very immature. By doing drugs as a teen you are at a greater risk for being an addicted adult.
Prescription drug abuse is a problem that is not just focused on adults. There has been a substantial rise in prescription drug abuse among teenagers. Teens are abusing prescription drugs for a number of reasons, including to get high, pain treatment, and/or because they think that it will assist them with school work (Coalition against Drug Abuse, 2014). However boys and girls tend to abuse some types of prescription drugs for different reasons. For example, boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, where girls would abuse them to stay alert to study or for weight loss.
Teens are highly affected by drugs around the world but training has begun to stop it. Along with brain damage and lung damage. Countless teens around the world use drugs for social advantages.The United States represents 5% of the world's population and 75% of prescription drugs taken. 60% of teens who abuse prescription drugs get them free from friends and relatives. Doctors are already trained to find ways to help.If teens smoke too much it can cause them to die or overdose.
Prescription drug abuse is an ongoing problem in rural teens. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health suggests that 13% of teens between the ages of 12-17 have experimented with nonmedical prescription drugs at some point in their lives. Researchers have identified several factors linked with nonmedical prescription drug use such as their school enrollment status, history of depression, and a two parent household presence (Gever, 2010).
Valdez, A. (2014). Rx for injury: Adolescent Prescription Drug Misuse. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 40(5), 497-9. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy-kutztown.klnpa.org/10.1016/j.jen.2014.05.011
If your teen is undergoing substance abuse treatment near Fort Lauderdale, you may be wondering what risks teen substance abuse can cause for your child. Rehab is one part of helping your teen or adolescent recover from addiction, but prescription drug abuse can cause long-term difficulties for your child and your family.
Have you ever heard these words –hillbilly H, a-minus, red birds, Vitamin R, and roses? There is no question that we have heard some of these words. Yet, what is unexpected is they are all code words used by teens for prescription drugs (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016). Prescription drug abuse among teens has rapidly increased, and has become a public health concern. (Milner, Ham, & Zamboanga, 2014.) With many other issues going on in today’s world; there is a need to provide technological interventions to decrease the incidence of this issue. Prescription drug monitoring systems should be used to help with screening and monitoring patients who are prescribed high-risk medications. With the implementation of any new improvement plan, there are barriers and ways to overcome them. Primary care physicians struggle to screen and monitor adolescents that are at high-risk for prescription drug abuse, and implementing a system can help decrease abuse rates.
Non prescribed prescription drug use by adolescents is a major concern. There are many dangers associated with this abuse that teens are not aware of and many teens do not realize the effects these drugs will have on their body and mind as they continue to mature. Most teens use these drugs for recreational purposes such as a study aid to help them stay awake. These teens do not realize that these drugs are just as dangerous as illegal street drugs.
Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in today's high schools. Most drug use begins in the teenage years, these years are the most crucial in the maturing process. During these years adolescents are faced with the difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority figures and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer pressure, curiosity, and
It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.