Introduction
Drugs and Suicide among adolescents have become rampant in the last few years. Most cases do happen as a result of peer influence, and low stress management levels in these youngsters. Parents also do play a big role in these malpractices in most adolescents. Although this may account close to 20 percent of most of the drug abuse cases, when it comes to suicide cases that number doubles up increasingly. This may be attributed to several causes and factors that are as a result of effect from the environment and the social upbringing. In a matter of fact, it is of valuable evidence that parents may contribute to many of these cases directly or indirectly.
This paper focuses on why drug abuse and suicide happen in adolescents and why parents have a role in it. Systematic flow of this work will follow a logical order of understanding how the adolescents get themselves into these vices, what factors lead them into both of the vices, why they succumb into it, why a big percent of the peers are getting into drugs, what keeps them on drugs and why rehabilitation is not neutralizing these effects. (Hopkins, 2010)
On the second part of this research paper, focus will be on why parents or guardians of the adolescents play a role in their behavior. Logically, it would be important to understand why parents would play that role, the factors behind that, why they would fail in a role to correct these malpractices and finally the role they play in preventive measure if any or else why they do or can do little in the corrective measure.
This research paper will strive to bring out the reason for the debated relationship between alcohol and suicide basing adolescents. This study starts with the assumption that, from research, suicide rate proves commonly pronounced among alcoholics which suicide is a reason for death for a large percentage of alcoholics including adolescents. This review will depend on the assumption that the drug or alcohol use, particularly heavy use and alcohol dependency, associated with suicide in three methods, through its disinhibiting effects, it is a connection with suicide attempts and completions. Individuals with alcohol use disorders are near an increased risk of suicide as compared with the population at big, and at the populace level both nationally and internationally alcohol consumption correlates the entire suicide rate. This review updates and critically consider data within the alcohol use-suicidal behavior implications for future research in adolescent behaviors as a result of drugs abuse, which may at times result in suicide. (Grace, 2007)
Adolescents and Drugs
Drugs and suicide in adolescence and why parents play a role in this diversifies in many ways. Adolescents suffer most when it comes to drug abuse this because adolescents taking drugs out of interest. This happens especially through the effect of friends and peer group. Adolescents believe drugs will help to relief or overcome stress, misery, and fatigue. Most of the young aged people in adolescents’ stage start taking drugs because of lack of affection or love and understanding in the responsibility of the people who stay to them. That is why most adolescents suffer so much from life obstructions. Peer pressure in engagement to many adolescents is the main result to drug abuse. This is because social life from different perspectives and especially poor conduct individuals. Some of the social disciplines involve alcoholism gambling, prostitution, theft.
Parents play a role towards drugs abuse in either side because some of the parents take these drugs even before their children resulting to lack of respect, dignity and integrity to the teens. Teens will start taking drugs in the name of their parents support by taking drugs before them.
Parents or guardians will be directly or indirectly be involved on adolescent drug abuse and in return suicide cases. This may be explained from an approach of several instances of the role they play in adolescent growth and upbringing as a whole. Parents play an important role in whole life of their young kids especially in the explosive stage of adolescence. Ideally they are supposed and do prevent a lot of vices including and not limited to substance abuse among youth. The approach of doing so may be the challenge for different parents or guardians. Preventing a child from dangers of drug use and showing discontentment of such conduct is a key factor. For parents to succeed in this, it is essential to keep involved in a child’s day-to-day activities as well as leading by an example. Most youth may consider what their parents do as anything worth of doing or indulging in them.
The following are several factors that explain parents’ role in any adolescent’s behavior of indulging in substance abuse and later suicide.
Obvious communication by parents in regards to the negative physical, emotional, along with functional effects of medicines, as well as regarding their expectations regarding drug use are already found to significantly decrease substance abuse in teens. Inadequate parental supervision has been found to become a plus to drug use within youth. Specifically, parents discovering how, where, and with whom adolescents socialize, as well as constraining their children's access to substances which can be abused have been linked to less teenage drug work with them. Failure to limiting the amount regarding alcohol, cleaning solutions (inhalants) and health professional prescribed, and over-the-counter medications that are kept in your own home to amounts that usually closely monitors and accounts for having been found to decrease substance abuse by teens
Family focused abuse-prevention packages have produced reductions in adolescent drug use. Parents who do not focus on this very important aspect of their kids suffer problems of substance use and later stage suicide. Among ethnic minorities in the US (for example, African People in the USA, Hispanic, Native and Asian Americans), those who strongly identify because of their communities and cultures are already found to be more unlikely to experience risk factors for using drugs when compared with their peers who are less connected to their communities and nationalities. Therefore, incorporation of a cultural element of drug-abuse prevention programs might enhance the efficiency of those programs.
Drugs and Suicide
Drug abuse is recurrent use of alcohol producing impairment in interpersonal, interpersonal and professional functioning, when confronted with physical danger or lawful problems, and continued despite every one of the above risks. Craving is the term for compulsive drug-seeking.
Drug related issues today involving adolescents are more of alcohol abuse. There are several effects associated with this drug as it is the most abused in the youth. Alcohol-induced issues comprise delusions and delirium, memory disorder and sleep issues appearing during intoxication or even withdrawal and, in supplement, anxiety, mood and psychotic issues, dementia, and sexual dysfunction related to both acute and continual alcohol use. These disorders also include the typical microscopic hallucinations, delirium tremens and also Korsakoff’s syndrome this may occur within withdrawal period.
Suicide acts may be related to several causes of which may be as a result of many incidents including drug abuse. Acts having a higher probability of death, regardless of whether performed consciously or not, without any self-killing motive, are not considered as accidents. A suicide attempt can be an effort to kill oneself that will not result in death. Such attempts categorized by their grade of lethality. The most serious are those related to high lethality, which may be as a result of drug abuse and alcohol. Although the extent of a suicidal act relates to the intent with the individual, there is not a perfect correspondence. Though with the attribution of the suicide to drugs then a lot has to be determined since drugs may cause a lot. From time to time, permanent effects result and accidental death is usually a possibility (Johnson, 2009).
Parents Role in Adolescents Drug Abuse and Suicide
Drug abuse and suicide among adolescents could be linked partly to parental contributions.
The relationship that exists between parents and their children matters a lot. While some parents neglect their adolescent children’s social welfare and skills, others fully understand the importance of developing these social skills. Poorly developed social skills especially peer relationships is a contributing factor to suicidal behaviors and drug abuse among adolescents. Poor peer relationships are linked to low self-esteem, isolation and loneliness. Peers are fond of putting down their fellows and making them seem helpless and powerless. Most will then prefer to be alone and stay away from rogue and demeaning fellows. This leads to depressions, negative stress, substance abuse and probably suicidal thoughts (Hooper, 2009).
Parent’s relationships between themselves could build or ruin their children’s individual behavior. Positive and peaceful relationships in families impact positively on their children’s individual behaviors. Families that are characterized by frequent episodes of conflict and disagreements end up having adolescents vulnerable to drug abuse and suicide, and most of them end up succumbing into these. These families are poor in conflict resolution. The accumulated feelings of a neglected self in the associated adolescents cause stress and depression and end up influencing them to involve in activities like drug abuse and suicide.
Conflict filled families mostly end up in separations or divorce. What occurs to the kids in cases of family breakdown? Can they feel the family closeness anymore? The family bond broken impacts negatively on the young individuals. Family love has a great value to a person’s life. If it is taken away from one’s life repercussions anticipated, include neglected feelings, loneliness, stress and even mental illnesses. Most affected adolescents opt for drugs as a solution to these psychological problems.
How well do parents associate with their sons and daughters? This is a very important question when it comes to parent’s role in their teenage children’s social and psychological well-being. Most parents find difficulties in establishing close, open and meaningful relationships with their children. Most of them are very ignorant to notice unexpected or abnormal changes in their teenage children’s behavior. In cases where parents can notice these changes, then the difficulties of getting information from the children comes up. This leaves parents worried but clueless of what danger awaits suicide.
Parent’s economic status and social status are important factors when it comes to the subject of drug abuse and suicides in teenagers. Young individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds are at high risks of drug abuse and committing suicide. Others have been left on the streets and homeless by their parents, majorly due to economic challenges. These individuals easily succumb to drug abuse, and suicide is also very common among them.
Other parents have negative social reputation in the society. These parents are associated with non-acceptable values in the society. Though some are economically well-off, they are participants in law breaking and anti-societal moral values like terrorist activities, corruption at various levels, murder, theft and other activities that have traumatizing effects to their children. Some of these teens are absorbed into these values while others end up pushed away from the social circle and end up finding a solution in drug abuse. Some try to change their parents but fail, and gradually thoughts of failure and suicide attack them.
There exist exceptional cases of abuse from parents that bring about suicidal ideations and abuse of drugs among adolescents. This may be childhood abuse, in general or sexual abuse at a specified level.
References
Grace, M. (2007). Reseach Paper on a Parental role. LA.
Hooper, D. (2009).Mitigation of Adolescent Suicidal Behaviors. NY.
Hopkins, J. (2010). Adolescent Drug and Substance Abuse. NY.
Johnson, K. (2009). Drug and Suicide Case study. Chicago.
Kevin, J. B. (2008). CSR and Company Development.McGraw Hill.
