Causes of Drug Abuse Among Teens

Drug abuse among the teenagers continues to be a major problem in many societies all over the world. Instances of school dropouts, addiction, and teen violence continue to highlight the depth of the drug problem amongst teenagers. There have been different reasons that have been fronted as to why drugs find their way into the lives of teenagers. However, there are certain generally agreed reasons as to why the age at which children are introduced to drugs continues to be lower each year.

Media

Even though the media has recently become more responsible and has been involved the fight against underage drinking and smoking, it still remain one of the largest culprits of causing drug abuse among teens. The media has been keen in promoting (for the sake of advertisement revenues,) drinking and smoking as “cool.” Still in advertisement, pharmaceutical companies have been promoting both prescription and non-prescription drugs as beneficial to the lives of the users without giving clear guidance on the usage and their potential abuse. The media has also indirectly supported drug abuse by playing music or showing movies that glorify drug use. Once the teens follow the lives of their role models as portrayed in the media, they find themselves in a trap which they are unable to come from.

Curiosity

Curiosity is also another factor that affects the life of the young people. Curiosity makes teens experiment on different types of drugs to see how they will affect him. Once they do this, they get hooked up to these drugs: what started as a simple experiment ends up consuming the lives of the teenagers. What started with a single step ends up being a journey of misery and mere existence.

Peer pressure.

Much has been said about peer pressure and how it makes teens conform to what their peers are doing. Many times, it is assumed that teens who choose to conform to their peers’ actions are weak. However, the force carried by peer pressure is so much that it can be likened to resisting the attempts of an armed robber. The pain that is caused by loss of friendship or loss of recognition amongst ones peer are just too much for the majority of the teens to bear. For this reason, many teens choose to submit to the authority of their peers so as to be safe. This in some cases turns out to have disastrous effects. Once one gets hooked up with the wrong world, it becomes difficult for one to change paths.

Lack of proper family guidance

As societies continue to change and values that were held by society are dispensed with, many teens are left wandering without proper guidance from their parents. This means that children are left unattended and any confusion that teens may experience are not handled with the dedication that is deserved. The teen therefore tries to find his identity where he may end up in a “den of dope”. Parents should take great care to ensure that their children are properly advised about drug and its effects.

All in all, it’s important to know that those who start abusing drugs when they are in their teens tend to get addicted more than those who started later on in life. The hormonal changes that teenagers face are in themselves huge challenges for those living with them. The complications brought about by drug abuse ends up complicating the situation even further. Whether the drugs are legal or not, parents and teachers must ensure that children are protected from the monster of drug abuse.