FREE ESSAY ON JUVENILE DRUG USE

JUVENILE DRUG USE

A drug is a substance that alters the mind, body or both. Drug use is the increasing
problem among teenagers in colleges today. Most drug use begins in the preteen and
teenage years, these years most crucial in the maturation process (Shiromoto 5). During
these years adolescents are faced with difficult tasks of discovering their self
identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with
authority and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily,
adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and
there us 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 availability.
Drugs addiction among adolescents in turn lead to depression and suicide (Shiromoto 12).

One of the most important reasons of teenage drug usage is peer pressure. Peer pressure
makes drugs seem popular, makes you have a fear of being an outcast, and since everyone
is doing it, it is the "cool" thing to do…right? Wrong. Peer pressure represents
social influences that effect adolescents, it can have a positive, or a negative effect,
depending on person's social group and one can follow one path of the other. We are
greatly influenced by the people around us. In today's colleges, drugs are very common;
peer pressure usually is the reason for their usage (www.nodrugs.com 1). If the people in
your social group use drugs, there will be pressure a direct or indirect pressure from
them. A person may be offered to try drugs, which is direct pressure. Indirect pressure
is when someone sees everyone around him using drugs and he might think that there is
nothing wrong with using drugs. People might try drugs just to fit in the social norms,
even if a person had no intentions of using drugs one might do it just to be considered
cool by his friends. Today drugs are considered to be an acceptable social phenomenon by
many teenagers. If parents are involved with children on a day-to-day basis, they will
more than likely know when the child starts to take drugs because of the big changes
going on in their lives. There are many positive alternatives to drugs, so drugs are not
the only fun and "cool" things to do (www.nodrugs.com 2). 
Before children descend into drug addiction a whole array of signals normally appears,
suggesting the family is in trouble. Few people are equipped to recognize these signs
(Henican 181). Stresses of everyday living is just too great a burden to bear alone; they
feel like they need a protective shell, that invisible physic capsule they can hide
inside. Most high school students said that some time in their lives they have used
alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. More than seventy one percent of high school students have
tried cigarettes, forty two percent have smoked marijuana, twenty seven percent had a
cigar, seven percent tried cocaine, and eighty percent had a drink of alcohol (Dryfoos
26). 
In today's colleges the availability and variety of drugs is widespread. There is a
demand for drugs and the supply is plentiful. Since drugs are so easy accessible, a
natural interest in them may develop. A person may hear about drugs experiences, on
reactions of drug usage, such as  Hey the weed that he sold us was cool, I got stoned
man. This response will create a sense of curiosity and may convince the person to try
drugs themselves. Many teenagers today believe that the first use of drugs is safe.
However, although there is no instant addiction with the first try, teenagers tend to
experiment further (Teen Drug Abuse 3). Soon a person could actively seek the euphoric
effects of drugs. Drug addiction is the result of intense preoccupation with the dicer to
experience the mental and bodily changes with drug use. The final and the most disastrous
stage are when a person needs drugs in order to function adequately. Therefore,
availability, curiosity, and experimentation could result in drug addiction among
teenagers (Teen Drug Abuse 6). 
One of the most devastating side effects of drug addiction and abuse is depression.
Depression is the result of chemical imbalance, environmental influence, or a combination
of both. Drugs and alcohol are the most readily available methods of emotional
anesthesia, if not on hand, they would find a substitute (Henican 141). Using heavy and
very highly addictive drugs as heroin, cocaine, opium and many other will cause sudden
mood changes, deterioration of the immune system, nervous breakdowns, unusual flares of
temper and many other side effects. Besides physical side effects, drug addiction can
create problems in a person's social circles. The person may run into many conflicts with
his family and friends, resulting in desire for isolation. This in turn will create more
problems since the person will have no social support. Furthermore, drug addiction is a
financial strain especially for teenagers. When a person is addicted to drugs, he will do
anything to obtain money to fulfill his needs (http://narconon.org/html/soln1/sol4.htm).

According to previous studies, drug addiction is the results of three I's. Teenagers may
think of their problems as Inescapable, Interminable, and Intolerable. Life may seem
bleak and miserable. Seeing no way out feeling lonely and no prospects for improvement
leads to depression. Which can further lead to attempted suicide. Many studies have found
that drugs are a contributing factor to suicide. Using drugs may reduce inhibitions and
impair judgement, suicide is a possibility. As one statistic illustrates 70% of all young
people who attempted suicide used drugs (Dryfoos 30). 
Drug addiction was first declared a threat to the public welfare in the early 1850s
(Henican 36). Dependence or addiction can be described as the continuous, uncontrollable
or compulsive use of chemicals without regard to the ill effects it may have on ones life
(Shiromoto 2). Chemical dependency and or addiction is a disease because it is: primary
illness, not a symptom of social emotional problems; progressive, meaning it gets worse
if it is not treated; it is a chronic illness, it will not go away; and without the aid
of treatment, it will certainly destroy the individual's life (Shiromoto 16). Some signs
of dependence and or addiction are the following. The user has a preoccupation with the
drug, he or she is constantly thinking or craving it. They very often maintain an
uninterrupted supply. When the user is addicted or depending on the drug, he or she will
have an increased tolerance meaning that they need a higher dose for the same effect.
Some physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms are ill, depressed, anxiety, panic
attacks, denial and severe physical pain (Shiromoto 3). 
Early initiation of any negative behavior generally predicts that other problems will
follow. Substance abuse is closely related to delinquency, and almost all of the
incarcerated youths report the use of drugs. Healy alcohol, smoking, and marijuana use
appear to occur with early-unprotected intercourse. Dropouts appear to be involved with
sex, drugs, and violence to a much greater degree than enrolled high school students.
Falling behind is associated with these behaviors also (Dryfoos 33). Crime and drugs go
hand in hand. Personality decreases with drug usage and users feel increasingly
disassociated from the world in which they live, and drugs among the youth become a more
costly and major problem. Much juvenile distress appears to grow out of the drug
business. Much of the problem comes from experiencing with gateway drugs
(http://narconon.org/html/soln1/sol4.htm). Tobacco is a gateway drug, it teaches smoking
skills. It is like training wheels for marijuana. Alcohol, marijuana cigarettes, and
inhalants are all gateway drugs (www.nodrugs.com). A lack of jail cells prevents
significant prosecution of drug dealers. Drugs have changed the social landscape of
America. Street gangs spring up over night looking for enormous profit drugs can bring
(Teen Drug Abuse 6). 
Illegal drugs, for example, weed, speed, acid, or ecstasy has always been a problem among
the teen youth, the problems gets even more serious if it involves additive substances
such as cocaine. 
A very common seen illegal drug around teens is Ecstasy, or generally called E. E's are
usually involved in rave parties; people take E's and dance overnight. The academic name
for E is hallucinogenic stimulant, it generally affects the concentration of the brain,
and it can change one's mood, sleep, sexual behavior, body temperature, and appetite. The
sensation sight, sound and touch are enhanced, that is why it is usually used at discos
and parties. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get high and about three to four hours to
wear off. Side effects include heart and blood pressure problems, blurred vision, chills
and sweating. The tablet changes every week and counterfeits are always around, it is not
addictive. It is illegal to buy, sell, produce or posses any amount of E (The Information
Series on Current Topics 24). 
Another popular drug is LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), which is a little similar to E.
It alters a person's perception of sights, sounds, and touch etc, a person that has taken
LSD might see or hear things that don't exist (The Information Series on Current Topics
25). Known as acid, this drug is extremely powerful, once teaspoon can contain up to
25'000 doses. Only 200 micrograms is needed for one trip. The danger of LSD is that the
effect of LSD is extremely unpredictable since it depends on a person's physical
conditions and also his/her mood. About one hour after taking LSD it'll start to take
effect, the user will see or feel things that doesn't exist, images maybe altered, for
example, small objects may look huge, and also mysterious experiences, such as seeing
ghost or religious objects. The consequences of taking LSD are severe, physical side
effects include inducing violent and hazardous behavior, also LSD develops tolerant
quickly, so frequent users has to eventually increase dosage (Shiromoto 10).
The other most popular thing is marijuana, or weed. It is usually imported from Africa,
Asia, South America, and Caribbean, but homegrown weed is getting increasingly popular
because of the sophistication of growing equipment (The Information Series on Current
Topics 4). The most common effects are talkativeness, cheerfulness, relaxation, and
greater appreciation of sound and color. It has been said that smoking weed improves
performance of creative works such as arts or writing, it also makes skin, hearing and
sight very sensitive. Some immediate physical effects of weed use include a faster
heartbeat and pulse rate, bloodshot eyes, and dry throat. The drug can impair or reduce
short-term memory, alter sense of time and reduce the ability to do things that require
concentration, quick reactions, and effective co-ordination. A common bad reaction to
marijuana is an acute anxiety attack. People describe this reaction as an extreme fear of
losing control," which causes panic. After all, we advise you all to not to get involved
with illegal drugs, since it will cost you greatly both physically and emotionally (The
Information Series on Current Topics 5). 
Most teenagers used this drug because it is easy to get and a fun party drug. It also
helps for stress on the mind. College teens feel many emotions going through the change
of life. Living on their own and dealing with problems that mom and dad cannot fix.
Marijuana is a drug this said to fix it all. That is why today most teens use marijuana
and more want to try.
The leading cause of death in all young people is unintentional injuries due to alcohol
related motor vehicle accidents. Drivers from sixteen to twenty who were involved in
fatal crashes were more likely than any other age group to have been under the influence
of alcohol (Dryfoos 27).
The problems of teenage drug use, depression, and suicide are evident in our society.
These are very real and threatening issues that have to be dealt with. We have to face to
problems of our future generations. There are many non-profitable organizations that help
teenagers to cope with drug use. There are help lines, community services that offer
information about drugs, and individual counseling is available almost in every education
institution. 
Bibliography
Dolan, Edward F. Jr. Drugs In Sports. New York: Library of Congress Catalog in
publication Data, 1986. 
Dryfoos, Joy G. Safe Passage. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. 
Henican, Ellis, and O'Brien, William b. You Can't Do It Alone. New York, NY: Simon &
Schuster, 1993.
http://www.narconon.org/html/soln1/sol4.htm.
Shiromoto, Frank N., and Sooren, Edgar F. Drugs & Drinks: Painful Questions. Monterey,
CA: Choice Press, 1988. 
"Teen Drug Abuse." CNN. 28 Mar. 1999:6.
The Information Series on Current Topics. Illegal Drugs. Texas: Information Plus, 1997.
www.nodrugs.com.