I have listed here five Reasons Why Teens Take to Drug Abuse:
1. Their role models are doing it: movie stars are idols for everybody, not just teens. But teen age is the time when we are most influenced by what our heroes do. We try to act like our role models. If the icons are the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, who have been in and out of drug treatment center, then there is a danger of an adolescent getting in to drug abuse. Parents don’t realize how big they are a role model for their child. If they themselves are using alcohol and cigarettes liberally in their daily routine, their children are most likely to follow their example.
2. Addictive drugs are easily available: Most of the cough syrups such as benadryl are OTC (over the counter) drugs, which don’t need prescription by the doctor. The cough syrup bottles are easily available in pharmacy and can be a cheap substitute to costly party drug like ecstasy,for getting a high. One of my friend’s teen son consumes three bottles of a cough syrup everyday.
3. Not so ideal atmosphere at home: Parents are buy earning money for their children ,and children are busy drowning their problems in alcohol and drug abuse. Parents, who have not opened an effective communication channel between themselves and their adolescent children, often have to face a deranged child, who is strayed astray. It may all have started as a rebellion against the parents and world. You tell them not to do drugs, and they will do it to defy you. The friend whose son is addicted to cough syrup, is a classic case of busy businessman. He goes out early and is never home before 11 pm. Most of the week ends are spent abroad in some meetings. How can you expect him to be there when his son is experiencing the teen confusions, when he is feeling attracted to some girl, when he has to prepare a project for his class. The support system in the form of a closely knit family, is a major force against drug abuse. Most of the time, it the adolescents of broken or dysfunctional families who get into taking drugs. If you provide quality time to your family and if your children trust you, then you won’t have to face a problem as my friend is facing now.
4. Everybody around me is into it, it can’t be that bad: Parents are avid smokers, alcohol is freely available in the family bar, TV is full of attractive commercials about cigarettes and wines, whole media machinery is running 24/7 to glorify the substance abuse. We see celebrities who abuse drugs, getting on the front page of newspapers after their latest stint with marijuana, or cocaine or ecstasy.
Cases of adolescent drug abuse are on the rise. Teen see their peers doing drugs and enjoying it. This is the time when an adolescent is trying hard to make his way in the world, to fit in the existing system, and not be declared a misfit. So if the prevalent trend, among friends, is to smoke marijuana, then it can’t be a bad trend? Everybody is doing it, right!
5. I have nothing else to do, so lets try it: The charm of experimenting something new is most prevalent in teen age. Older people are not easily dragged into trying new trends. If a dress is in fashion, the teens will be first to try and make it popular or simply trash it. Couple this with boredom, and we have a fatal combination that can wreak havoc in a teen’s life. I am getting bored here, let’s do something exciting and have a good time. OK, lets get drunk…….. OK, lets party. And we all know that any teen party today is not complete without the ultimate party drug, ecstasy. Drugs are considered a shortcut to finding pleasure.