When we are in the passion of young age, everything that is prohibited becomes glamorous and attractive. The age craves independence, liberty and the freedom of choice. The more people tell youngsters to stay away from a specific person or action, the more they feel like getting to know it. Unfortunately, the one act that tops the list is drug abuse – something that can be catastrophic, fatal and thrilling; all at the same time.
In today’s day and age, no other age group is more affected by drug abuse than the youth. It has become so common that every family has had to deal with the situation in some big or small way. According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, over twenty-three million people over the age of twelve suffer from drug and another similar substance abuse. Unfortunately, they also affect and cause pain to millions of other people associated with the abusers; their families, friends, the community, their teachers and the like.
It is sad to state that nearly sixty percent of college going youngsters do not see marijuana addiction as dangerous and unsafe, even though the addictive element in it is five times stronger than it used to be years ago. It is even sadder to note that drug use has been increasing in the past decade or so while the availability of drugs to the people most vulnerable to them has increased even more; sixty percent of teens who use drugs get them for free from people they know.
The effects are not limited to physical disabilities but also social and financial ones. Since one’s decision making powers are affected, one can have extremely unstable personal relationships, they withdraw from familial activities, set bad examples for younger siblings and lose closeness to family members due to erratic and unpredictable behavior which often insults people who are close to the drug abuser.
Financial situations are affected as well. The money that they earn mostly goes on drugs and other abusive goods, and little else is left to run one’s home. Researches have shown that people who take drugs during their working hours, or have taken drugs while they were youngsters are more likely to end up in low-status jobs or are more likely to end up unemployed.
Most importantly, once someone gets involved in drugs, in one way, or another, they will get caught up and make their way in the criminal list. Government needs to takes steps to control illegal drugs’ sale and prevent youngsters from having access to such hazardous materials.
It is time steps are taken to protect our youngsters from creating a dark abyss in which they will continue to sink deeper and deeper until they are completely gone.
References
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). Sixty percent of 12th graders do not view regular marijuana use as harmful.. [ONLINE] Available at: HTTP: //www.nih.gov/news/health/dec2013/nida-18.htm.. [Last Accessed November 17, 2014 ].
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (-).Alcohol, Drugs and Youth. [ONLINE] Available at: https://Alcohol, Drugs and Youth/for-youth/233-overview. [Last Accessed November 17, 2014 ].
Rick S. Zimmerman, R. Lewis Donohew, Philip Palmgreen, Seth Noar, Pamela K. Cupp, Brenikki Floyd, (2011). 'Designing Media and Classroom Interventions Targeting High Sensation Seeking or Impulsive Adolescents to Prevent Drug Abuse and Risky Sexual Behavior.' In: Michael T. Bardo, Diana H. Fishbein, Richard Milich (ed), Inhibitory Control and Drug Abuse Prevention. 1st ed. New York: Springer New York. pp.263-280.
Lewis Donohew, Howard E. Sypher, William J. Bukos, (1991). Persuasive Communication and Drug Abuse Prevention. 1st ed. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc..
K. S. Kendler, H. Ohlsson, J. Sundquist, (2014). Clinical features of drug abuse that reflect genetic risk. Cambridge Journals. 44 (12), pp. 2547-2556
