However, it was very beneficial for an adolescent to have support from others when recovering, along with encouragement, comfort and guidance. The definition of addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit/practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit forming (such as drugs, alcohol, other narcotics, etc. ); to such an extent that its cessation can cause severe trauma (Merriam- Webster’s, 2000). There are many different types of addictions, from drug addiction to alcohol addiction to even small addictions (such as a shoe or shopping addiction), but for this paper, it will involve drug addiction in adolescence from the early stages to their later years. Drug addiction in adolescence has been an ongoing problem for a number of years
It has a profound and direct impact on their families as well as their friends and acquaintances. When you are an alcoholic, even though you may not notice the changes, everyone else around you will. It may start with sudden changes in your behavior such as mood swings. Your judgment may be impaired and you can start to have problems with relationships, be it in your marriage or with your children. Furthermore, you may start to have problems with your job that can lead to obvious financial problems and maybe even legal problems stem from arrests due to bad judgment caused by alcohol.
The most common areas for social risk factors for drug abuse and addiction include males, being between 18 and 44 years of age, unmarried, and lower class status. The physical and psychological effects of drugs can be detrimental to someone's life. Physical effects of using drugs vary depending on the drug but intoxication with a substance can cause physical effects that range from marked sleepiness and slowed breathing as with intoxication with heroin or sedative hypnotic drugs, to the rapid heart rate of cocaine intoxication, or the tremors to seizures of alcohol withdrawal. Signs of a teenager having problems with substance abuse can be shown by a frequency of missing school or work, lack of energy and motivation, lack of interest in clothing or a lack in attempting to look nice, sudden and frequents requests for money. Other physical symptoms include an increased heart rate and blood pressure, dry mouth, red eyes, decreased coordination, slowed reaction time, and increased appetite.
Possible causal factors in drug abuse include the influence of peer groups, the existence of so- called “drug culture,” and the availability of drugs as tension reducers or pain relievers. Some recent research has explored a possible physiological basis for drug abuse. The discovery of endorphins, morphine-like substances produced by the body, has led to speculation that a biochemical basis of drug addiction may exist. The so-called “pleasure pathway (MCLP) has come under a great deal of study in recent years as the possible potential anatomic site underlying the addictions. The treatment of individuals who abuse drugs is generally difficult to treat and often fails.
And perhaps, because of those people you become an addict. Thanks to peer pressure, you could ruin your future, and it happens on a daily basis.Because it can lead you to the wrong tracks It can lead you to a wrong track because when you are peer pressured it is mostly for bad things, it may also be a good thing for advising a friend. When peer pressure they mostly do it around drugs. So are you saying drugs or anything around that is good. Peer pressure isn’t always a negative thing.
Society may feel the drug addict caused their own predicament and that it is a waste of government funding to try to help them overcome the addiction. People can change but it may take a lot of therapy to do so. The family will also need someone to talk to because they most assuredly will have gone through a multitude of emotions trying to deal with their loved one. Drug Addiction Affects Individuals, Their Families and Society Drug addiction will destroy a person’s life, cause great stress on their family and take them to depths they never intended to go. The highest priority will be to get the drug even if it means turning against their family.
Some people are shy and by using substances such as drugs and alcohol can help them not be nervous to talk or socialize better. There are also many cons of substance abuse, if abused it can cause increased risk of cancer in the mouth, breast, among others. Substance abuse can also reduce nutrient absorption, lower inhibitions leading to high risk behaviors such as unprotected sex or drinking and driving. People also tend to do things they wouldn’t normally do in a sober environment, they can murder or assault somebody without even knowing what they have done or don’t remember. It can also make use have poor decision makings through misperceptions of our own
For example, an alcoholic who had liver damage caused by alcohol abuse would need a radical change of lifestyle quickly to preserve their life. Psychoanalysis may be unable to provide this. Conversely, there may be some addictions that would not respond so well to aversion therapy where therapy and counselling would effect a long term change. The behaviourist approach could also be used to target, and change, challenging behaviour in children and young people in residential care. This theory would argue that
Teenagers also have difficulty in reacting to new partners. While they may like the new partner, teenagers may worry that they are betraying the other parent. Divorce at this time may exacerbate the potential for dangerous behavior such as promiscuity, drug/alcohol abuse, violence, and delinquency. Some other problems of divorced parents and custody are: even if joint custody is a possibility, it still makes life more difficult than need be. One parent is usually burdened with the transportation obligations.
Some parents do not teach their children the effects of drugs and because of the parents’ irresponsibility; they introduce their children to drugs by exposing them to the children. “The disease model assumes that because the consequences of drug use are automatic, then if children are given any taste of a drink or a drug, they are more likely to become addicted” (Volkow 377). Common substances that are abused are alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs, ecstasy and tobacco. There are also substances like mouthwash, hand sanitizers, and cleaning products such as bleach and all purpose cleaners. Regular household products such as these are used to “get high” and it affects the brain and body function severely.