ADOLESCENT DRUG USE

Adolescent Drug Use

Adolescent Drug Use

Introduction

Drug abuse is a pattern of the using any drugs which makes a user dependent on its use for survival. This term has differing definitions in different contexts but primarily refers to negativity of the use of drugs. Drug use is one of the major problems among the adolescents. Although the government has relentless funded drug abuse treatment programs, but the desired results have not been realized as yet. One possible factor is that the risk factors facing the adolescents have not been understood clearly. There is an urgent need to research thoroughly on the risk factors associated with ongoing drug abuse. The prevalence of drug abuse among the racial and ethnic population, and the major costs and consequences linked to the problem have proved to be an important indicator of severity of the issue; thus, the concerned authorities should come forward with multifaceted programs, aimed at addressing the root causes of illegal drug use.

Usage of drugs leads to various kinds of harm in terms of social, physical and psychological harm also leads to criminal penalty at times, but this depends on the local jurisdiction of a country (Bachman, Drainoni, Tobias, 2003). Drug use is one of major concerns prevailing in the American society. Although, there are a number of drug intervention programs in place, but they have failed to produce any substantial results depicting any decrease in the drug using trends among the adolescents. Studies show that 47% of the drug users are the twelfth graders and most of the children in this grade have happened to have consumed drugs at least once. It has also been noticed that 21% of students studying in high school have taken drugs without prescription from a physician (Bachman, Drainoni, Tobias, 2003).

Factors Influencing Drug Use among Adolescent

There are many factors, social, economical, and emotional that influence an individual's through process during adolescence, eventually leading him or her to get addicted to drug use.

Ethnicity

During the analysis phase, it was found that ethnicity is one of the major factors that contribute to the prevalence of increased drug usage among individuals. It was found that Native Americans and Whites are more likely to use legalized drugs, whereas other groups, more significantly, blacks and African Americans were found to be attracted towards using illegal drugs (Salyers, Ritchie, Luellen, Roseman, 2005). It is also a fact that the number of male adolescents using drugs is much more than that of adolescent girls involved.

Socioeconomic Status

Individuals, who belong to the families, living below the poverty line, are most likely to get addicted to drug use (Salyers, Ritchie, Luellen, Roseman, 2005). During the interview, it was found that Native American adolescents tend to use more drugs as compared to any other group.

School Dropouts

Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the personality of an individual. The increase in the rate of school and college dropouts is yet another concern, highlighting the inadequacy of the American education system and more so the future prospects of individuals leaving out ...