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Everyones doing it

After a long week of countless lectures and sitting in uncomfortable desks, the weekend

is what every teenager looks forward to. It is when we can wake up whenever we want to with no

annoying, mediocre, buzzing sound ringing to wake us up. We can also go to bed as late as we

want because we dont have to worry about waking up for school the next day. Sure teachers

may have assigned us homework for the weekend but thats where procrastination plays a role.

Or maybe you thought ahead and decided to complete it all on Friday to have the whole weekend

to yourself. Regardless of the situation, you knew you would finally be putting school aside, for

the moment, and living up your teenage years. Typically, Saturday evening is where all your

motivation would go to. As the day went on, social media would spread like wildfire as everyone

was desperately trying to figure out what house to escape to and be as carefree as they want. The

sound of cell phone-tapping and messages being sent back and forth all talking about the same

thing: a party.

When I arrive to the party, I hear the music vibrating through the walls from the lawn and

hear the murmurs of voices. Upon entering the front foor, the music began to be deafening,

strobe lights were rotating all over the room, and the spirit was high. This was your typical house

party. I see the so called perfect student who tends to be really quiet and collective playing

beer pong and laughing endlessly with their friends. Then there is a guy, whose GPA is extremely

high, is currently having a smoke session outside in the backyard. As I look around the house, I

realize that I am the only sober one and everyone else is already under the influence of some

drug. This is only the beginning. In college, our weekends will be alcohol-and-party-fueled and

all students can do is go along with what seems to be the norm of society nowadays and try to

study when we are sober and hopefully, not hungover.

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You start to wonder to yourself, why has partying every weekend become such a norm to us

high schoolers? At parties, you see the people you know and people you occasionally run into in

the hallways just drinking away enough to not be consciously there or even smoking AND

drinking at the same time, causing them to be completely under the influence. The popular kids

are leading the party and putting out more drinks. We even tend to make more friends at these

parties too. What is it about being in this state of mind that drives teenagers to do it so often?

These thoughts ran back and forth in my head and led me to my final question: how does drug

abuse affect an adolescents mental health, both biologically and chemically?

The brain is what drives humans on a day-to-day basis. It is the most complex living

organ in our bodies. By age six, 90% of the structural and functional architecture of the brain is

developed already. The final 10% of brain growth is accomplished in adolescence. (Healey).

Moreover, while areas such as problem-solving and critical thinking are being developed, teens

are more at risk to try drugs as they wont think of the consequences. All drugs, including

alcohol, can cause a series of changes in the brain process, altering the way we think, behave,

and feel. When taking drugs, there is a incline of certain neurotransmitters that tend to give you

pleasurable feelings, or known as the good high. Neurotransmitters are defined as chemicals

that are released from a nerve cell which then transmits a message from a nerve cell to another

nerve, muscle, or organ. Dopamine is one of the neurotransmitters in the brain that plays a

tremendous factor in drug abuse (Maisto, Connors, Galizo). It is responsible for our pleasure

levels, as well as, movement and emotion. Once the drug enters our bodies, it can either

stimulate or block our neurotransmitters thus causing an unbalanced flow. In fact, some drugs

can act as a substitution, mimicking a neuron and bind to a receptor unlocking it to give the

person heightened emotions, such as adrenaline. Virtually all drugs of abuse have common

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effects, either directly or indirectly, on a single pathway deep within the brain. Activation of such

path appears to be a common element in what keeps drug users taking drugs (Leshner). It is

important to realize that drug users have lost control because of the consistent regulation of per

se drug. Because of such consistency, the brain has now gotten used to drug-induced

neurotransmitters that if one stops, it will produce powerful urges to go back to this mental state

causing dependence of drug(s). Nonetheless, it is still possible to overcome dependency and will

require determination, medical attention to not experience a relapse, and most importantly,

support from peers or loved ones.

Many teens go through emotional turmoils such as, divorce, death of a loved one, or peer

pressure, that can lead to drug abuse. They may even be predisposed to these types of behaviors

by family or friends. The excuse you will hear the most from teens is that theyre looking for an

escape from their problems and stress, and/or just want to try it out. According to the

National Institute on Drug Abuse, 6 in 10 substance abusers also have a mental disorder (NIDA).

Depression and anxiety are the two most commonly found in teens, especially during high

school. Teens begin to self-medicate during these years in hopes of reducing their problems but

instead, it is only increasing the risk of addiction as they start to believe they need the drug to act

normally. This causes dual diagnosis among teens. Dual diagnosis is known as for when

someone experiences a mental illness and a substance abuse problem simultaneously. Recently,

it is starting to be seen more often in teens than ever before.

To learn more about dual diagnosis, I went on to visit the behavioral health center at John

Muir hospital. Once I had set one foot on the mat, it sensed my presence and automatically

opened the double doors for me. A cool breeze of air conditioning had brushed my hair back and

sent chills down my arms, making the hair on my arms rise. There were sounds of machines

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roaring through the hallways and the smell of disinfectant and febreeze mixed together was

pungent enough to travel between my nostrils and stay there for the remainder of the time. There

was children sitting in the waiting room, babbling to one another, deciding which decorative

blocks to use for a castle as they patiently wait for their appointment. Although I enjoyed being

surrounded by the sleek pastel blue walls at each turn, I had to get to the second floor. After

looking at the lengthy directory, I pressed the circular button with the number two engraved in it

and right away I felt myself going up a level in the small-squared elevator. The music vibrantly

flowed through one ear and out the other relaxing my thoughts as I reached the second floor.

Once the doors opened after a long beeping sound, noises began to bounce off the walls and

overwhelm my train of thought all over again. It was finally my turn to speak to the receptionist

and she was rather excited to see me as she too was surprised I had reached out to Dr. Fred Von

Stieff for an interview.

When asked about addiction and teens and how the two correlate, Dr. Stieff explains that

during teen years, a part of our brain, prefrontal cortex, is constantly changing until our mid-20s

and is very responsive to our environment thus causing teens to become more prone to risky

behaviors:

Compared to kids and adults, the teenage brain is really good at seeking new
experiences, enjoying thrills, and seeking out risk. Thats why it is so responsive when it comes
to rewards and decisions. The prefrontal cortex, the front of your brain, continues to change until
your mid-20s, this is important to note because this part of your brain helps you think about
consequences and helps you regulate your behavior and emotions. Since this part of the brain
isnt fully available until way past adolescence, it makes sense why teenagers make impulsive
decisions.

He also goes on to say that addiction is like the flu, the virus is all around you but not

everybody gets it. In todays society, it is imperative to understand that teenagers have been

exposed to anti-drug messages ever since they were in elementary schools. Generally, they were

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advertised so much to generate fear and enforce parents to establish a clear foundation with their

children to say no to drugs. Drugs are an integral part of the American life. In fact, eight out of

ten adults in the U.S. use at least one medication every week, almost seven in ten take a

prescription drug, and a quarter of women aged 50-64 are using antidepressants. Fifty-six percent

of adults in this country have used alcohol in the last month; and more than 114 million

Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at some time in their lives (Rosenbaum). As

children got older, they began to differentiate between good and bad drugs. The good

drugs are known as problem-solving drugs, these are only to be administered to escape reality or

to brighten your mood because you were feeling a bit down. An example of this are prescription

drugs. If they are being used without a doctors consent then it is more likely to be abused.

Melody Peterson, author of Our Daily Meds, goes on to say in her book that, The medicine

promoters have turned what were once normal life events- menopause, despair from a divorce,

anxiety caused by a workaholic boss- into maladies that can be treated with a pill. After all, when

patients are customers and medicines are commodities, the industry thrives when people are ill-

or believe they are (Peterson). As a result of this, people no longer understand that every drug

comes with its own risk. Now the bad drugs are known as the problem-causing drugs, these

tend to cause problems to arise and are a very unhealthy consumption. An example of this are

hallucinogens, such as LSD. The effects of these drugs include, but are not limited to: visual

hallucinations, alterations of mood and thought, and dreamlike visions (Stevens). Despite of its

illicit nature, its annual prevalence has been increasing over the past decades.

Law enforcement officers often see and interact with people with mental disorders. But

those law enforcement officers that are placed on school grounds tend to see how they are

established and dealt with within teens. It is estimated that about 17.5 million Americans over

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the age of 18 had a serious mental health disorder in the past year (Important Statistics on Dual

Diagnosis). It is statistically shown that mental disorders begin to spring upwards dramatically

once you are in the last year of high school. Instead of schools implementing a peaceful working

environment, it is causing more stress and anxiety onto teenagers. I interviewed Nicole

Rosenbusch, a school resource officer, who also works on duty with the Walnut Creek Police

Department, and gathered that teens could get by more easily with less stress in general:

Less stress in general would help them focus more- you also dont know if its stress, peer

pressure, or parenting though. And then you have the type of person with no situation and still

tries drugs. But I do definitely think stress is a factor.

Furthermore, from Nicoles perspective, she adds that the drugs she sees more frequently

used by teens nowadays are: tobacco, marijuana, pills, dabs, concentrated cannabis, alcohol. All

of these drugs named are considered to give you the good high, which ultimately a study

recorded by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America showed that 73 percent of teens report the

number-one reason for using drugs is to deal with the pressures and stress of school. Yet, only 7

percent of parents believe that teens might use drugs to cope with stress (Feliz). These numbers

show the miscalculation parents are having about stress being a factor on a teens decision

making. Within adolescence years, especially high school, there is, sometimes, a gap between the

relationship of the child and parents. Whether it be lack of communication or trust, something is

constantly missing. To narrow that gap, parents must put themselves in their childs shoes and

try to understand their actions. Only then will there be a clear understanding between the two and

hopefully cause less stress upon the child therefore limiting their drug use. In the United States,

there is a constant pressure over grades and competition in schools but nobody ever wants to talk

about what happens behind closed doors, especially during late study nights.

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As mentioned earlier, teens go through a lot of internal and external struggles during

those seven teen years, even into young adulthood. Adolescence is a time of growth and change.

Through the use of drugs, mental disorders such as, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit

disorder, etc., are often shrugged off and the drugs create a gateway, a sense of relief you might

say. But as regulation of the drug continues, addiction becomes more of a reality to most.

Treatment for drug use and alcohol has become pivotal in the mental health industry over the

past recent years. The public health approach to drug addiction and related health conditions is

built on the concept that addiction is a disease requiring treatment which is offered on a

voluntary basis to patients(Sharfstein). Also, all treatments must be individualized because

everyone is different and has different needs. Each treatment method should fit the lifestyle of

the person and help them recognize self-control and redirect their life without the abuse of drugs.

The need for commitment in the early part of the action stage is paramount, since there is much

pain and no apparent gain in the first steps of breaking the addiction and removing the drug from

the physically and psychologically (Connors, Donovan, Diclemente). Some believe relapses

or a slip are necessary for a full treatment as it will only make you notice your best-self and have

you reconsider your actions.

To get a second opinion about mental health and substance abuse, I went to go see

Shannon Brueckner, a part-time counselor and clinician, and when confronted with the question,

which of the two [mental health or substance abuse] do you think comes first?, she responded

with:

Well first off, I do think there are people with mental health issues and when they are not
able to manage them, they tend to use different substances to help manage the emotions or
anxiety, or whatever they are struggling with so they use substances as a coping skill, which is
not a very good coping skill. There is that side of the argument. But I do think there are people
who just fundamentally have addiction problems, and some of their stresses can cause depression

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which will lead to more self medicating. So then their mental health issues can be secondary due
to their addiction. Its hard to really pin point which of the two it is.

With this perspective in mind, I went on to ask if taking care of the issue, regardless of which

one it is, early on will help cause a lower relapse level and she stated:

I think that relapse is apart of addiction. Having people open to that if they relapse its
not the end of the world, and that they havent failed. Its apart of recovery, and only a matter of
picking up where you left off and I think especially with mental health issues, definitely the
sooner someone receives treatment the better their progress will be.

Getting a perspective from a Doctor specializing in addiction and the perspective of a counselor

who works with a variety of mental health issues was very helpful in forming a clear pathway to

my question and trying to answer it.

As Ive been writing this, I have become much more aware of my peers and what they

can be going through. My attitude and views towards teenagers drinking have changed, I may

not be able to first handedly help them, but I can do little things to get there. I did not expect to

find so much recent studies about teens and their use of drugs. I first became interested on the

topic at the beginning of my senior year when I started thinking about every 15 minutes. It is a

program that has helped students become aware of things such as drunk driving and being under

the influence. It brought to my attention that programs like these should be emphasized more as

we are leaving high school because it is when we gain independence and become young adults. I

also have a friend who has lost a loved one due to drunk driving and it is heart-breaking to see

the effects of it play out onto the family of the deceased. Drunk driving can easily be prevented

before it can affect another live(s). Having a plan before going out to an event is an important

thing to do and something we should all get in the habit of doing.

Through these observations, I came to the conclusion that adolescents are going to continue

being exposed to all types of drugs and we, as a society, should rather inform the youth than try

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to stop them. It is better for adolescents to be aware of their actions to cause a less misuse of

drugs, especially dependency. With these precautions, teens and young adults will reduce the

rates of death and injury due to risky behavior.

Works cited

Connors, Gerard J., Carlo C. DiClemente, Mary Marden Velasquez, and Dennis M.

Donovan. Substance Abuse Treatment and the Stages of Change: Selecting and Planning

Interventions. New York: Guilford, 2016. Print.

Feliz, Josie. "National Research: 73 Percent of Teens Report Number One Reason for

Using Drugs Is to Cope with School Pressure, Yet Only 7 Percent of Parents Believe Teens

Might Use Drugs To Deal With Stress." Partnership for Drug-Free Kids - Where Families

Find Answers. Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, 4 Aug. 2008. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

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Healy, Jane M. Your Child's Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth

to Adolescence. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1994. Print.

Leshner, A. I. "Addiction Is a Brain Disease, and It Matters." Science 278.5335 (1997):

45-47. Web.

"Important Statistics on Dual Diagnosis." Dual Diagnosis. Foundations Recovery

Network, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.

Maisto, Stephen A., Gerard Joseph. Connors, and Mark Galizio. Drug Use and Abuse.

N.p.:

Harcourt Brace College, 1994. Print.

"National Survey on American Attitudes on Drug Abuse XVII: Teens." The National

Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. CASAColumbia, Aug. 2012. Web. 18 Feb.

2017.

Rosenbaum, Marsha. Safety First: A Reality-based Approach to Teens, Drugs, and Drug

Education. San Francisco, CA: Safety First, 2004. Print.

Sharfstein, Steven S. "Mental Health in Public Health." The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 73.05

(2012): 722. Web.

Stevens, Jay. Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream. Cork: BookBaby, 1998. Print.

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