Drug/Alcohol Abuse Sasha McBride
May 19, 2014
4th Hour Did you know that kids who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are up to 50% less likely to use drugs/alcohol? Teen drug use is becoming a common cause of death among people between the ages 12­17. 66% of teens use drugs or alcohol because of peer pressure. Alcohol and drug use in teens is a factor in teen car crashes, property damage, early intercourse and STDs. More teens drink alcohol than smoke cigarettes or use marijuana. Drinking endangers teens in multiple ways. Teenagers take drugs because they want to change something about their lives.
Teens do drugs to fit in a community, group or gang, to escape or relax, and to feel grown up among their peers. Also, to relieve boredom and give them personal excitement, to rebel and get violent without fear. Other reasons are to experiment
(curiosity) and peer pressure.
Many people who have taken drugs say they saw it as a solution to a problem or barrier. But they ended up broken, failed and in deeper problems. Every person has problems or challenges in life. No one is perfect. Problems are part of life, and using drugs to solve a temporal problem is like creating a bigger problem to solve a little one. Drug abuse can put you in danger of getting HIV/AIDS. When a person is high on drugs, his judgment is broken, making them do risky things. He might have sex without using a condom to protect against HIV/AIDS by sharing needle with someone

who is infected. Doctors have learned that helping people stop abusing drugs also helps them avoid getting HIV/AIDS.

An 2007 National Survey in the USA on Drug Use and Health showed that 8%

of the population aged 12 or older used illegal drugs. The most commonly used illegal drug is marijuana. According to the United Nations 2008 World Drug Report, about
3.9% of the world’s populations between the ages of 15 and 64 abuse marijuana. Young people today are exposed earlier than ever to drugs. Based on a survey by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in 2007, 45% of high school students nationwide drank alcohol and 19.7% smoked pot during a one­month period.

Peer pressure plays a big role in drug and alcohol abuse. Sometimes your close

friends keep telling you to do something (like dye your hair) because they are all doing it. Or everyone in your class is going to holiday gatherings during the vacation, and you feel you are the only one not going. It can be a bit uncomfortable because sometimes we all want to fit well within a group. Pressure is the feeling that you are being pushed toward making a certain choice­ good or bad. This peer (A peer is someone in your own age group) pressure. One way to stay strong is to know yourself and know what works well for you. Use your head in making decisions and don’t give in to silly or foolish ideas, just because your friends said so. You can always speak to your parents if you are worried about