Substanse Abuse

In the year 2006, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that one in every ten Americans over the age of 12 struggles with substance abuse or dependence. According to the NIH Medline Plus, “Currently, addiction affects23.2 million Americans – of who only about 10 percent are receiving the treatment they need.” The NIH Medline Plus also notes that the economic costs of substance abuse and addiction is estimated to exceed a half trillion dollars annually in the United States.

Behavioral signs to help spot a substance abuser include drop in attendance and performance at school, unexplained need for money or financial problems, engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors, sudden change in friends and hobbies, and frequently getting into trouble such as fights and accidents. Psychological warning signs of drug abuse include unexplained change in personality, sudden mood swings or angry outbursts, periods of unusual hyperactivity or agitation, lack of motivation, and abnormal appearances of anxiety or paranoia. Long term effects of substance abuse can lead to developed psychological disorders, increases in chance of stroke or heart attacks at a younger age, severe brain damage, deformations in offspring, and irreversible damage of bodily organs.

The primary causes of substance abuse appear to be linked to one main area of focus. Substance abuse is normally caused by cultural and environmental effects during adolescence based on peer pressure, media glorification, and childhood maltreatment. Since many adolescents and youths are developing substance abuse problems as a result of peer pressure, this can be considered very troublesome.

An adolescent’s decision to use drugs is not only influenced by direct peer pressure, but also indirectly by observing and associating themselves with valued peers who use illegal substances. Co-author of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Tracy Scull notes that, “When adolescents associate with peers whose drugs, they are...