Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Research shows that 11% of ages 12-21 has drunk alcohol in the United States, and 10%has smoked marijuana, stated by therecoveryvillage.com. When children become adolescent teens, their physique changes along with the way they think. With these changes it causes teens to make adult decisions. In the world today, the ages of teens who try drugs and alcohol, are getting younger and younger, despite reasons for use staying the same, but there are ways to solve this problem.

As therecoveryvillage.com stated, the ages of teens who begin using drugs and alcohol or become addicted are as young as 12 years old. Studies show that 26.5% of teens who are in 8th grade through 12th grade do drugs in America, and 11% drink alcohol, proven by Statista. It is also proven that there are 4,300 teens who die a year from drinking. On CNN health, President Donald Trump stated that we need to be showing and telling teens that drugs are No good, and really bad for you in every way.

Most teens who do drugs and alcohol will say they do it for fun, and they do, but for others, the reason is so much more than just You only live once. Susan M. Gordon's article on Teen Drug Abuse explains how even though peer pressure is one of the main reasons why teens try drugs, reasons can also conclude to problems at home. The author states how some teens who are addicts also have parents at home who do drugs around them, but do not realize the affect it could have on the child. She also states how some parents believe that it is fine if their kids smoke a cigarette or have a few drinks as long as it is supervised.

This is not a good thing for teenagers to do because they will think that it will be ok for them to drink or do drugs any time they want, even if their parents are not at home. Drugs that are most commonly used by teens are marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and steroids. Adolescent Drug Use in the U.S by Statista states that 80% of teens who do drugs, use marijuana, and 27.3% use cocaine. Anxiety and depression are some other reasons why kids want to use drugs or alcohol, or it could be the outcome for using them. Teens who are insecure about their weight or their health may start to use drugs like steroids or marijuana to try to help with their insecurities about their health and appearance.

While teens are facing this problem today in America, there are people and programs out there who are trying to help them, and to teach others about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, so it won't happen to them. A way to help, is for parents or friends to get involved and to notice the differences and changes in their teens behaviour, and to know where to get help. The article, KIDS COUNT Indicator Brief Reducing The Teen Death Rate by Rima Shore and Barbara Shores states, Youth development programs can help adolescents avoid risky behaviours and make successful transitions to adulthood (8).

There are rehab programs for teens who are addicted to drugs and alcohol, and there are programs that teach teens and children about drugs and alcohol. D.A.R.E is a program that can be helpful to those who need to be taught about why to say no to drugs. D.A.R.E stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, and it is a program of people who go to millions of schools each year to teach adolescents about the dangers of drugs, violence, and gangs.

Knowing the dangers, teen drug and alcohol use can be prevented, and others can know how to prevent it from happening to somebody else. Teen drug and alcohol abuse is a problem children are facing in America, and one of the reasons why thousands of teens die each year. If people know how to prevent teens from using drugs and alcohol, and know how to help them with their addictions, then they can help make the children of America drug-free.

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