Adolescence And Addiction Research Paper

Adolescence and Addiction
Nelly Leenman
Liberty University
Adolescence and Addiction
Using alcohol, illegal drugs and tobacco among adolescents has become very common and is therefore a serious public health problem. Though the number of adolescents who smoke tobacco has declined, this too remains a problem of serious concern. Alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs are addictive which means that the body can become dependent on them in order to function properly. “Use of alcohol as well as other kinds of substance use and abuse, is one of several kinds of threats to health during adolescence” (Feldman, 2014, p. 371). Addiction, defined by the National Institute on Drugs Abuse, is “A chronic relapsing brain disease that is characterized
According to Feldman (2014), “Alcoholics, those with alcohol problems, learn to depend on alcohol and are unable to control their drinking” (p.373). Because of tolerance, after some time they need more alcohol to get the positive effects they desire. Drugs and alcohol slows the reflexes of the body and dull the senses. The body reacts by feeling slow, lazy and dazed. Alcohol can harshly damage the liver as well.
Impact of Spirituality on Addiction
Spiritual development significantly enriches and strengthens the other developmental areas. It enables us to have a better sense of self and to be better connected to the outside world and can therefore moderate existential anxiety and increase self-esteem. “In adolescence, spirituality is significant for the healthy, positive development of a person’s sense of self -his or her identity- and for enabling identity to frame the individual’s pursuit of a life path eventuating in idealized adulthood, that is, an adulthood involving mutually beneficial relations between the individual and his or her social world” (Roehlkepartain, King, Wagener, & Benson, 2006, p. 61). This sense of self might lead the adolescent to make good choices and to be less dependent on affirmation of others and therefore less prone to follow poor choices of their
Smoking marijuana is very common among high school students. Feldman (2014) claims that “One in 15 high school seniors smokes marijuana on a daily or near-daily basis. Furthermore, marijuana has increased over the last few years, a contrast to the decline that had occurred in the previous decade. Daily marijuana use is at a 30 year high for high school seniors (Nanda & Konnur, 2006; Tang & Orwin, 2009; Johnston et al., 2011)” ( p. 371). Prevalence in alcohol use is even higher than illegal drug use. According to Doremus-Fritzwater, Varlinskay, & Spear (2010), “Frequent and excessive use of alcohol is particularly widespread among adolescents, with approximately 25% of 12th graders reporting an episode of binge drinking within the last month. Importantly, drug and alcohol use during adolescence has been shown to correlate with an increased incidence of drug and alcohol problems in adulthood (De Wit, Adlaf, Offord & Ogborne, 2000; Grant, Stintson, & Harford, 2001)” (p. 117). Seventy-five percent of college students have had at least one alcoholic drink in the last 30 days. “More than 40 percent have had five or more drinks within the past two weeks and some 16 percent drink 16 or more drinks per week” (Feldman, 2014, p.372). However, alcohol use is not limited to college students; high school students, too, are alcohol consumers. “Almost 75 percent of seniors report having had consumed alcohol