Drug Rehabilitation

When I was first selecting a topic for this paper, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write about. I wanted to write about something that I could relate to or had some passion about. As I read over the topic suggestions in our syllabus, I saw drug rehabilitation and instantly knew that was I wanted to research. My oldest cousin developed a drug problem when he was in high school. It started with him smoking marijuana then evolved into heroin use when he was in his early 20s. Later, he was arrested and during his time in prison, he went through drug rehabilitation, then after serving his sentence he was released from prison. After several years of being clean, he relapsed and overdosed. Since his passing, I have wanted to learn more about drug rehabilitation, hoping I could better understand it and learn if there was something more I could have done to help him. In this paper, I will analyze how and why drug abuse starts in teens, how their drug abuse is rehabilitated and ultimately what are the results of the rehabilitation. When discussing anything that has to do with teens, it’s important to remember that adolescence is time of change. Teens are going through puberty and their relationships with their peers become more important. This time of change along with pressure from peers lead to teens trying new things including experimenting with drugs and alcohol. “Young people between the ages of 15 and 19 years old comprise the largest group of new drinkers in the United States, and almost 50% of adolescents who use marijuana say they first used it when they were 13 years old or younger” (Gordon, 2003). Gordon (2003) also says “most adolescents who experiment with drugs and alcohol do not become addicted. They generally begin with occasional experimentation with alcohol and tobacco, progressing to use of these drugs whenever they are easily available. Those who move onward to abuse and addiction do not stop with occasional use. They begin to use marijuana, tobacco,

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