Schrader 1

Madison Schrader

Mrs. Niki Bliss-Carroll

ENG 112

March 17, 2019

Drug Abuse in Teens

When someone says the word drugs one might think marijuana, meth, cocaine and things

like that, but drugs can be as simple as nicotine or pain killers. There are many reasons teens

abuse drugs some being rebellion, music, public figures, stress and availability. Most of the time

teens do not often do drugs just because they are fun, there is a more significant reason behind it.

For teens who already use drugs, music and public figures and things like that only help increase

in use of drugs because teens are encouraged to do them. This paper will talk about some

reason's teens abuse drugs and how it affects them.

Rebellion often leads teens to do drugs. Drugs use is a form of rebellion because teens

like to flaunt their independence and make their parents angry. For some it just starts out as a

stage they are going through, but then leads into an addiction. Teens often like to do the things

they are not supposed to; it gives them a rush of adrenaline when they do the things they are not

supposed to, and they get away with it. “The ANCD report indicates that adolescents are 'less

likely to engage in binge drinking if their parents actively disapprove of this behavior'” (Gross).

Teens do not think of the consequences that can come from rebellion, they like the feeling of

getting away with it and soon it turns into an addiction. The reasons for teenage drug use are as

complex as teenagers themselves Once teens are addicted it can affect them in a bad way, they

start slacking on school work and if they do not have a job, they do whatever they can to get
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what they need it just depends on how bad their addiction has become and what they are addicted

to.

Music and public figures have a big influence on teens when it comes to drugs. Today's

music that teens listen to is all about drugs. “Because adolescents and young adults are exposed

to a great deal of popular music, they are vulnerable to a multitude of references to illicit

substance use and abuse” (Sterrett). The music that teens listen to makes drugs seem cool and

makes teens feel like it is okay to do drugs. Some teens turn to music to get them through the

hard times and the message they get from the songs they listen to can affect how they decide to

deal with their problems. Teens who do not have anyone to look up to typically look up to a

public figure. They dress like them, speak like them and more because they want to be just like

them. When teens see their role model or the one, they look up to doing drugs they want to do

them to because their public figure they look up to does them and has been successful.

Teens are stressed with things like school and work and drugs are their escape from

reality. Teachers pile on homework as if it is the only class the teenager takes. They have

multiple assignment in each class they take and the teens that work have a hard time trying to

find the time to do it all. “Stressed teens find ways to unwind.” (Peterson). Teens often do drugs

to take it off their minds even if it only last for a little while. Teens also can get drugs easily.

Drugs are on every corner and all it takes is asking someone if they know where they can get

some. Drugs have become popular in high school and a lot of the kids in high school that are 18

and some that are younger sell them because everyone wants them, and it is easy money.

The most common influence for teens who abuse drugs is their peers. The people they

hang out with influence them even if they do not see it. Teens hangout with the people they do

because they have things in common and can relate to things in each other's life's. Most teens
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have similar problems and when one tries drugs and it give them a short cut to happiness for a

little while, they share their experience and how good it made them feel. Even though it might be

a temporary fix, teens do not feel alone when they know their friends are doing the same thing.

Teens often feel rewarded by their friends when they make bad decisions and that makes them

feel good. Teens are always trying to impress their friends and make themselves look cool. The

term yolo is used mostly by teens yolo mean “you only live once” and teens use it to encourage

each other to live in the moment and take risk because they never know what day could be their

last.

There are many hotlines teens can call to get help if they do have a drug addiction. Most

parents when they find out their teenager has a drug addiction, they want to do whatever they can

to help them out so they send them to rehab hoping for the best, but rehab does not always work

when they are forced to go. Once they get out it is likely they will relapse. Teens can offer all the

help they need, but it is only affective if they want help and want to get clean and have time to

prepare themselves for rehab because it is hard to stop cold turkey. There is help available even

if they do not want it.

The point is there is many reasons teens do drugs and get addicted it may be out of

rebellion, stress, or influenced by music, a public figure or even just by a friend. Teenage years

are confusing and is when a person is most vulnerable. All it takes is just making one bad

decision to change the path someone is taking, and teenagers do not always have someone there

to point them down the right path. For those who do try drugs just one time just to see what it

does and how it makes them feel they end up getting addicted but, there is always help for them

when they need it.

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Work cited

Gross, Kate. "Report reveals alarming teen alcohol and drug abuse." Youth Studies Australia,

June 2008, p. 3+. Health Reference Center Academic,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A180969214/HRCA?u=shel41774&sid=HRCA&xid=0

efba536. Accessed 12 Mar. 2019.

Maloney, J. (2016, Dec 13). E-cigarette use falls among teens; vaping and marijuana use more

popular among teens than regular cigarettes, according to NIH. Wall Street Journal

(Online) Retrieved from

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/18481397

21?accountid=10163

Peterson, K. S. (2003, Aug 20). Three factors threaten teens ; too much money, boredom and

stress can lead to substance abuse. Usa Today Retrieved from

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/40892572

1?accountid=10163

Sterrett, Z. (2015). An exploratory study on the influence of song lyrics referencing marijuana,

heroin, and/or ecstasy: Perceptions of maryland college students (Order No. 1591296).

Available from ProQuest Central. (1696940055). Retrieved from

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/16969400

55?accountid=10163
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Ticker report: North carolina utilizing new addiction recovery helpline for sobriety assistance

(2014). . Chatham: Newstex. Retrieved from

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/16406070

90?accountid=10163

Wood, M. (2011). Media's positive and negative frames in reporting celebrity deaths from illegal

drug overdoses versus prescription medication overdoses (Order No. 1508010). Available

from ProQuest Central. (963541475). Retrieved from

https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/96354147

5?accountid=10163