“Drugs take you to hell disguised as heaven.” is a quote by Donald Lyn Frost that concisely describes the harm in using drugs.
In the recent years, drug usage has grown quite popular amongst teens. However, due to the addictive factor in all drugs, they leave a large amount of damage on entire lives and futures of this generation.
Most teenagers find refuge in using drugs, unknowingly of the danger within them, or see them as purely a fun one-time experience. There are many reasons or risk factors that lead to teenagers turning to drugs. The reasons I will focus on are an unsteady home life, peer pressure, and social media influence.
A survey conducted by National Surveys on Drug Use and Health in 2014 concluded that around 8.7 million children aged 17 and under share a household with at least one parent who have/had a history of substance abuse. This creates a great risk factor of the children developing the same addiction.
It is stated by Teensavers that an estimated 55% of teens who self-reported their use of drugs did it in order to fit in and because they were pressured by others. When a young adult sees one of their friends trying something new, they may experience a desire or urge to do the same. If an individual is being pressured by another, they may want to “look cool” to others in order to be liked.
Another study provided by Addiction Center (your guide for addiction and recovery) showed that 75% of teenagers that saw ads or photos of others smoking weed or drinking alcohol were encouraged to do the same. These teenagers are likely experiencing FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. They view marijuana as something fun to do, so they don’t want to miss out on said fun.
Over the last decade or so, drug usage in teens has increased widely. According to Drug Abuse Statistics, roughly 314,000 of adolescents aged 12-17 years old have used drugs in the last month.
Among that number, 85.03% of said teens used marijuana, making it the most popular drug to young adults. The majority of these teens view marijuana as an all natural herb that has minimal side effects. However, the human brain does not fully develop until the age of 25, meaning that any distress put on the brain can very well become permanent damage.
The more commonly reported side effects drugs have on teenagers are shorter attention spans/difficulty maintaining attention, problems with memory and learning, difficulty with relationships, and more, as stated by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. All of these effects can lead to much worse problems, such as issues in the school and work environment and mental disorders. Issues like these could grow more and more until there are permanent life effects.
Despite the incredible growth, there are many ways to help teens you know who are struggling with drug use or addiction.
The first step is to reach out.
Let them know that they aren’t alone and many others are fighting in the same battle; they aren’t the only ones. Reaching out can give teens hope or make them feel like their life is valued.
Next is to provide resources.
This could mean creating centers at school specifically for helping students with their mental health. It could also mean talking about it more so that teenagers feel less estranged for falling into addiction. Talking about it early on could even prevent drug usage later in a teen’s life. It is most important to assure teens that we are here to help. The number for the SAMHSA National Helpline is 1-800-662-4357.
In conclusion, drugs are not as fun as the media can make them seem, but are toxic, unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Teens use drugs for various reasons, and the increase in use has grown to become an epidemic.
However, with the right resources, society can put a stop to this issue and hopefully prevent future generations from going through the same struggle.
Editor’s note: This is a monthly opinion piece featuring takes in and out of the classroom from students at our area high schools. This month’s piece was written by Helix Charter High School student Rayanna Woodworth.
