The 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that nationwide 25.4% of students had been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug by someone on school property (Mieczkowski 1996). These statistics are staggering and directly correlate to the problem the United States is having with illegal drugs being trafficked into our borders. Finally, drug trafficking effects our economy in many ways. The most prevalent one is the amount of money America spends on “The War on Drugs,” which I will elaborate on later. Another effect is the loss of money made in America legitimately to crime groups for illegal goods.
Under Age Drinking Alcohol is the drug of choice to many teenagers and they are experiencing the consequences of drinking to much at an early age. As a result, underage drinking is the leading public health problem in this country. Each year approximately five-thousand people under the age of twenty-one die as a result of underage drinking, yet drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents nationwide. There should be a mandatory class that children take in school about the effects of alcohol and other addicting substances. As children move from adolescents to young adulthood they encounter dramatic physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes.The younger that children and adolescents are when they start to drink alcohol are more likely to engage in behaviors that can harm themselves and others.
Prescription Drug Abuse & Teens Prescription drug abuse has become a growing epidemic and is now the new drug of choice for teens throughout the country. Abuse is defined as taking a medication that was prescribed for someone else or taking one’s own medication in a way that is not intended by a doctor. Today’s teens are more likely to abuse prescription medication than a variety of illicit drugs (i.e. ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine) combined, excluding marijuana. In fact, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that nearly one in five teens admits to abusing a prescription medication to get high.1 In addition, Monitornig the Future, the nation’s largest survey of drug use among young people finds that 15% of high schools seniors
Stephen Barlas reports in Psychiatric Times that antidepressants are found to cause “possible suicidal ideation and suicide attempts as side effects” (2006). With these possible side effects, parents are looking at other treatment options to help their children, including the combination of antidepressants with cognitive behavioral therapy. When researching about various antidepressants, fluoxetine, also known as Prozac, offered the most relevant and conclusive data concerning its effects on adolescents, and it was the most noted antidepressant combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. This paper will examine the symptoms of adolescent depression, how using the antidepressant fluoxetine affects depression in adolescents, and the results of studies using the combination of fluoxetine and cognitive behavioral therapy to treat major depression in
As mentioned in the findings, the range is from poverty, violence (including gun possession), bullying and harassment, teen pregnancy, sexual behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health issues. The “Mental Health Issues and Services” list several concise and well documented frightening facts about today’s youth. Even though alarmingly high, they reported that 12% of high school aged students’ complete suicide. Suicide rates are on the rise for persona aged 10-14 years. Limitations: There aren’t clear outlines to firm up the statistics.
Make 18 the Age to Drink Many people begin experimenting with alcohol in their early teenage years. During these experimental times all of the users are underage. This underage drinking has become a major problem in America’s schools throughout the nation. If the drinking age was lowered to eighteen there would be fewer incidents where students get caught with alcohol and receive minor in possessions charges, drinking wouldn’t seem as appealing if it were legal, and if an eighteen year old can be drafted and risk his life for this country he or she should be allowed to have a drink at the end of the day. Lowering the drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen would lower the amount of alcohol related tickets, make drinking less appealing, and give young soldiers have an easy way to relax and help them cope with what they have seen at war.
It is obvious that the law has not succeeded in preventing the underage group from drinking. Violating the law will make the students to likely act unlawful manners, so why not make it legal? Once this law is approved, it will benefit the students from inhibiting them to make irresponsible behaviors. Since it is considered as an illegal activity for underage drinkers, teenagers have not been educated on how to drink in moderation beforehand. This is a great opportunity to teach those who are underage so they will have an idea of knowing their limits earlier.
Currently, college students mainly drink due to the convenience of accessibility to obtain substances from older acquaintances or friends who also enjoy having a good time. As a result, the Mother’s Against Drunk Driving and federal experts in health regulation have consistently fought to prevent the alcohol industry from altering the drinking age (Kirszner, Mandell 458). Furthermore, it is unethical and immoral practice for parents to be allowing minors to consume alcohol, as this is also illegal and detrimental to one’s overall growth and development. Although some countries in Europe may argue otherwise, intoxication levels are higher in Britain, Denmark and Ireland,
College students should take into account of their lives as they are tossing back indigenous amounts of liquor. A heavy amount of liquor consumed in a short period is not good on the body or the mind. It is highly unlikely that college students are able to quit binge drinking at the sight of more people around them doing the same things. Prevention of this horrific trend should have been laid to rest ages ago but yet colleges have let it grow substantially to where it is almost impossible to stop or control. As adults and parents, we need to put an end to the constant self destructive ways of our youth and future
Drug Use Did you know that on average males between the age of 12 and 19 are most likely to become addicted to drugs? For the most part drug users come from a background where one or even both parents are users. The statistics of drug use and addiction are sad, but just ever growing. This is a topic that will continue to be a growing problem. We need to remember though, we can do something about it, and we can help prevent it.