Teenage Prescription Drug Abuse
How should the issue of teenage drug abuse be handled? Prescription drugs are very popular amongst teenagers. Some teenagers have been known to abuse prescriptions drugs and possibly become addicted to them at a very early age. Some teens have turned to drugs for various reasons which may include peer pressure, family relationships, or sometimes wanting to relieve themselves of stress. There is no real answer to explain exactly why teenagers decide to abuse prescription drugs. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse's 2003 Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders found that 10.5 percent of 12th graders reported using Vicodin for non-medical reasons and 4.5 percent of 12th graders reported using OxyContin without a prescription. (Volkov, 2007) Teenage drug abuse has sometimes caused many family relationships to change. It can also cause a noticeable change in their academic performance. In some cases the abuse of drugs by teenagers can also
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The end result of peer pressure can cause an impact on the academic performance in school. According to an article in the Green Haven Press, one reason why some of those students will go on to use is because as students age, pressure increases. Most commonly, the pressure to use begins at about middle school, although some students said their first encounters with drugs occurred when they were as young as 8. That exposure increases and is especially strong in high school, when parties become commonplace and kids are more rebellious. (Dudley, 2002) Many teens said the need to belong underlies the appeal of drug use. High schooler Joe Felion of St. Paul wrote, "If you ask an adolescent what the most important thing to them is, the answer will probably not be family, school or religion. More often than not the answer will be friends.... It is no surprise that they will do anything to fit in." (Dudley,
The end result of peer pressure can cause an impact on the academic performance in school. According to an article in the Green Haven Press, one reason why some of those students will go on to use is because as students age, pressure increases. Most commonly, the pressure to use begins at about middle school, although some students said their first encounters with drugs occurred when they were as young as 8. That exposure increases and is especially strong in high school, when parties become commonplace and kids are more rebellious. (Dudley, 2002) Many teens said the need to belong underlies the appeal of drug use. High schooler Joe Felion of St. Paul wrote, "If you ask an adolescent what the most important thing to them is, the answer will probably not be family, school or religion. More often than not the answer will be friends.... It is no surprise that they will do anything to fit in." (Dudley,