There are many famous people children look up to who abuse drugs. One actress that has had struggles is Lindsey Lohan. She was born in New York, New York in 1986. She started out doing modeling at age three. Her first starring role in acting was at age 12 in the Disney movie remake of the parent trap. She is also known for her movie Freaky Friday, which is also a remake of the one that stared Jody Foster in the 70’s.

Spiraling downward in 2007, Lindsey had two DUI’s and three rehab stays. This caused her to lose several movie deals. These stints have lead to a great deal of publicity in her personal life. As her celebrity status grew, so did Lohan's attendance at New York nightclubs. Her wild party lifestyle made Lohan an instant news flash in recent years, from her father's prison scandals to her own struggles with bulimia. I think being a child actress put so much stress on her she couldn’t take it anymore. She has had many problems with getting in trouble with drugs and alcohol.

One cause of drug abuse is haveing a bad child hood, and/or past. When children lose a close family member at a young age they tend to turn to drugs to forget about it and numb the pain. They often abuse these drugs cause they feel like no one is there for them, or will understand tem. Some children that only grew up with one parent also turn to drugs because they dont have that "father figure", or "mother figure" that many of their other friends have. "In particular, the relationship between peer pressure and reported drug use was weaker among adolescents living in homes with fathers or stepfathers than among those living without fathers or stepfathers; similar effects were not found for peer drug models (Peer Pressure and Drug Use)." Another cause of drug abuse would be watching your parent(s) be addicts as you grow up . This makes children think it's okay to do drugs or not listen. Parents who are not strict enough or are too strict is a major cause for bad behaviors like this.

Drug use is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to peer pressure. Peer pressure is social pressure by members of one's peer group to take a certain action, adopt certain values, or otherwise conform in order to be accepted. Peer pressure tends to have more of an effect on children with low self esteem. For a teen struggling to make friends and find acceptance, it may be hard to turn down the temptations of drugs. "This survey made three conclusions about the effect of peer pressure on drug and alcohol use: Teens with friends who do drugs and drink alcohol are more likely to do the same. Teens who do drugs and drink alcohol are more likely to convince their friends to do it too. Teens who do drugs and drink alcohol are more likely to seek out other teens who do the same (Statistics on Peer Pressure)." If a teen surrounds themselves with friends who experiment with or abuse drugs, it's only a matter of time before they decide to try, or worse, become an abuser of the drugs too. .As my mom would say "birds of a feather do flock together".

" Illicit drug use peaks in 19- to 25-year-olds and then declines with age. The most commonly used illicit drugs in 18- to 25-year-olds are marijuana and the non-medical use of psychotherapeutic drugs ( narcotic and opioid pain releivers, sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, antidepressants and antianxiety drugs). Less commonly used are cocaine and hallucinogens ( primarily ecstasy, or MDMA) (Johnson, Michael)."

Major health problems come along with the abuse of drugs, short and long term. Taking drugs weakens the immune system, therefore increasing your changes of getting infections or even a simple cold. They cause the liver to have to work harder eventually cause liver failure. Also another health problem is cardiovascular conditions ranging from abnormal heart rate to heart attacks. The abuse of any substance can KILL you. "As the body builds up tolerance for the drug, more is needed to maintain the