Drug Addiction News Blog: Drug Addiction Affects Health
Substance abuse in teenagers is becoming a growing problem in the United States. On the news this morning, it was reported that a teenage girl was found on a ledge in the playground passed-out. It appears that she and her friends had a party drinking four loco and other alcoholic beverages. She was fortunate that a security person stopped one of the teens because of erractic behavior. After searching him and finding marijuana and four loco in his possession. They looked at his phone and on the phone was a picture of the girl. The officer was able to locate her and get her some medical assistance.
It appears that her blood alcohol content was four time the legal limit. She survived and that is a good thing.
When it comes to teen substance abuse, it seems like we’re always playing catch up. Anytime a new drug hits the street, its popularity soars, and we find ourselves fighting against it. At the same time, drugs that have been around for years sometimes rise sharply and unexpectedly in popularity. Why is that? There seems to be no rhyme or reason to either the increase or decrease, in drug use among teens. Though certain trends have been discovered over the years, the cause of those trends seems a mystery.
The primary factors that seem to affect increased or decreased drug use among teens are perceived risk, perceived social approval and perceived availability.
The more risky or less accepted a drug is thought to be, the less likely it will be used by teens. Perceived availability is often associated with overall social approval (peer pressure) and so, a drug that’s readily available is considered socially acceptable and will likely increase in use. While these seem like common sense factors, how these perceptions are created is harder to understand
The negative effects of teen drug use are undeniable and obvious. When considering those negative effects, it is alarming to see some of the actual statistics concerning the amount of teen drug use in high schools and middle schools.
Alcohol is a dangerous drug especially to teens who are unfamiliar with its effects. What you should know is alcohol kills five times more teenagers than all other drugs combined. Here are some short statistics alarming as they may be associated with teen drug use and abuse.
*8th grade–30.3% *10th grade–44.9% *12th grade–52.8%
Underage drinking costs the United States more than 58 billion dollars annually, enough for a new state of the art computer for every student. In the last 30 days 50% of teenagers report drinking with 32% being drunk at least on one occasion.
The challenge we face in curtailing teen drug use and abuse is that the perceived “benefits” of using a certain drug are known sooner and spread faster than perceived risks. The benefits of a drug (euphoria, the energy, the numbness) are immediately evident, and electronic forms of communication like blogs, chats, and text messages allow these positive experiences to be broadcast and spread quickly.
RESOURCES
ABUSE OF SUBSTANCES BY TEENAGERS Substance abuse in teenagers is becoming a growing problem in the United States. On the news this morning, it was reported that a teenage girl was found on a ledge in the playground passed-out. It appears that she and her friends had a party drinking four loco and other alcoholic beverages. She was fortunate that a security person stopped one of the teens because of erractic behavior. After searching him and finding marijuana and four loco in his possession. They looked at his phone and on the phone was a picture of the girl. The officer was able to locate her and get her some medical assistance.
It appears that her blood alcohol content was four time the legal limit. She survived and that is a good thing.
When it comes to teen substance abuse, it seems like we’re always playing catch up. Anytime a new drug hits the street, its popularity soars, and we find ourselves fighting against it. At the same time, drugs that have been around for years sometimes rise sharply and unexpectedly in popularity. Why is that? There seems to be no rhyme or reason to either the increase or decrease, in drug use among teens. Though certain trends have been discovered over the years, the cause of those trends seems a mystery.
The primary factors that seem to affect increased or decreased drug use among teens are perceived risk, perceived social approval and perceived availability.
The more risky or less accepted a drug is thought to be, the less likely it will be used by teens. Perceived availability is often associated with overall social approval (peer pressure) and so, a drug that’s readily available is considered socially acceptable and will likely increase in use. While these seem like common sense factors, how these perceptions are created is harder to understand.
DRUG USE AND TEEN STATISTICS
The negative effects of teen drug use are undeniable and obvious. When considering those negative effects, it is alarming to see some of the actual statistics concerning the amount of teen drug use in high schools and middle schools.
Alcohol is a dangerous drug especially to teens who are unfamiliar with its effects. What you should know is alcohol kills five times more teenagers than all other drugs combined. Here are some short statistics alarming as they may be associated with teen drug use and abuse.
*8th grade–30.3% *10th grade–44.9% *12th grade–52.8%
Underage drinking costs the United States more than 58 billion dollars annually, enough for a new state of the art computer for every student. In the last 30 days 50% of teenagers report drinking with 32% being drunk at least on one occasion.
The challenge we face in curtailing teen drug use and abuse is that the perceived “benefits” of using a certain drug are known sooner and spread faster than perceived risks. The benefits of a drug (euphoria, the energy, the numbness) are immediately evident, and electronic forms of communication like blogs, chats, and text messages allow these positive experiences to be broadcast and spread quickly.
Go From Abuse To Teens Substance Abuse
In the mind of a young person, the “risk” of use and abuse has many dimensions. Not only do teens consider physical risk, but also emotional (acting inappropriately, or getting depressed, social, and aspirational. Physical risks include addiction, while social risks include disappointing friends or family, and losing friends. Aspirational risks include losing a job, or getting in trouble with the law.
Parents play a pivotal role in all this. The risk of a parent finding out about the teens drug use. The more important part is the parent talking to the teen concerning drug use and abuse Parents can prevent their children from using drugs by talking to them about drugs, open communication, role modeling, responsible behavior, and recognizing if problems are developing.
Drug use and abuse is associated with a variety of negative consequences, including increased risk of serious drug use later in life, school failure, and poor judgment which may put teens at risk for accidents, violence, unplanned and unsafe sex, and suicide.
Parents should spend more time talking to their children about drugs and the dangers and pitfalls. It all begins to be with the parents first as the first line of defense. So, I urge you, if you have a teenager take the time to tell them about. Do not say, don’t use it. You what that gets, just tell the stories of people who have used it and what occurs.
Pernell Johnson BA CADC ICADC CAS
HTTP://WWW.ADDICTION-RECOVERY-EXPOSE.COM
I am a professional alcohol and drug counselor in Newark, New Jersey. I currently work for Catholic charities and we are contracted out to DYFS. The main purpose is to get the parents who need it into treatment. Also, if the parents have lost their children to foster care try to help facilitate getting the children home (Reunification).
I have been counseling for over twenty years and I have worked in most all of the modalities from detox in the hospitals, therapeutic communities and methadone clinics. There is not much that has to do with substance abuse and addiction that I am not familiar with. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pernell_Johnson
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