Shawn Liberatore
English Composition
Professor Eric Kaarla
Aug. 10, 04
Informative
Abstract
There are definite consequences linked with
the use of alcohol and drugs among teenagers in our society. Nearly two thirds of
all teenagers try an illegal drug before they even finish high school. The
consequences vary among each individual such as low self-esteem, low
self-worth, severe depression and the sad, but true reality it takes many
people to the gates of insanity and even death. There is also definite link to
suicide due to the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. Suicide is the third
leading cause to death in teens in youths between the ages of ten and fifteen.
Besides the depression due to using, alcohol and drugs alter a person’s
judgment. Using drugs and alcohol interferes with the ability to assess risk,
make good choices, and think of solutions to our every day problems in life.
The result of teenagers using alcohol and
drugs interferes with their education as well. High school students who drink
and drug are five times more likely than other students to drop out of school.
The life time costs of dropping out of high school include lost wages and
productivity, lost fringe benefits, and other non-market losses. The total
lifetime cost can be between $890 million and 1.4 billion. This is an average
for 1,584 students in the
Motor vehicle crashes are the number one
killer which in the year 2000, 2,339 youth died in alcohol-related
crashes-accounting for more than one-third of all youth traffic fatalities.
More than 60 percent of crashes that result in death due to alcohol occur in
rural areas where traffic isn’t even heavy.
These are just some of the facts of what
happens when teenagers and our youth begin a life which includes the use and
abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Shawn Liberatore
English Composition
Professor Eric Kaarla
August
8, 2004
The Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse among Teenagers
There are many negative effects of alcohol and drug
abuse on the quality of life for teenagers.
Alcohol and drug abuse causes many people to have low self-esteem and
also increases the suicide rate in the
According to the
(
Evidence of the negative impact of
alcohol and drug abuse on the lives of teenagers in the
1) Suicide rates among teenage drug addicts
2) High school dropout rates
3) Alcohol and drug abuse - effects on crime rates
4) Drinking and driving among teenagers
5) Death due to alcohol and drug abuse
Suicide Rates Among Teens
Much has been written about suicide rates among
teenagers and the various causes and conditions that may contribute to this
problem. “
Teen
suicide is becoming more common every year in the
Substance abuse problems also put teens at risk for suicidal thinking and behavior. Alcohol and some drugs have depressive effects on the brain. Misuse of these substances can bring on serious depression, especially in teens prone to depression because of their biology, family history, or other life stressors.
Besides depressive
effects, alcohol and drugs alter a person's judgment. They interfere with the
ability to assess risk, make good choices, and think of solutions to problems.
Many suicide attempts occur when a teen is under the influence of alcohol or
drugs. Teens with substance abuse problems often have serious depression or
intense life stresses, too, further increasing their risk.” (Teens Health website,
“Suicide”, Nemours Foundation).
An article in the London
Free Press News gives a personal account of one family’s direct experience with
this aspect of the social cost of drug and alcohol abuse. A mother loses her son to drugs and
alcohol. “This could be your child or
your husband or your wife,” said Linda Gardiner, whose son
High School Dropout
Rates – Relationship With Substance Abuse
According to research
information conducted in
Drinking and
Driving Among Teenagers
Drinking and driving among teenagers is a serious problem. Consequences result in very serious injuries and sometimes-even death. The sad truth is that, very often, innocent people pay the price for other people’s destructive behaviors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides the following sobering statistics:
“Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of youth ages 15 to 20. In 2000, 2,339 youth died in alcohol-related crashes—accounting for more than one-third of all youth traffic fatalities. Think of it this way—in some communities, that's how many students attend one high school! More than 60 percent of youth alcohol-related crash deaths occurred in rural areas-roads where traffic isn't even heavy.”
Alcohol And Drug Abuse - Effects On Crime Rates
The abuse of
alcohol and drugs by teenagers contributes to crime rates in the
1.
According
to the federal Household Survey, there are more than 48 million Americans who
use alcohol an average of one or more days each week of the year. This is more
than the combined total number of Americans who have ever tried cocaine, crack,
and/or heroin (29.7 million), and two and a half times the number of Americans
who have used marijuana once in the last year (18.7 million)(Dept. of Health
and Human Services).
2.
On
an average day in 1996, an estimated 5.3 million convicted offenders were under
the supervision of criminal justice authorities. Nearly 40% of these offenders,
about 2 million, had been using alcohol at the time of the offense for which
they were convicted (
3.
About
6 in 10 convicted jail inmates said that they had been drinking on a regular
basis during the year before the offense for which they were serving time.
Nearly 2 out of 3 of these inmates, regardless of whether they drank daily or
less often, reported having previously been in a treatment program for an
alcohol dependency problem (
4.
About
a quarter of the women on probation nationwide had been drinking at the time of
their offense compared to more than 40% of male probationers (figure 30). For
those convicted of public-order crimes, nearly two-thirds of women and
three-quarters of men had been drinking at the time of the offense (
5.
For
more than 4 in 10 convicted murderers being held either in jail or in State
prison, alcohol use is reported to have been a factor in the crime. Nearly half
of those convicted of assault and sentenced to probation had been drinking when
the offense occurred (
The following graph shows the increase in death rates due to
unintentional drug overdoses: (North Carolina Department of Health And Human
Services).
The information below,
from an article called “Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction”, helps to put
drug abuse in perspective:
“Many people view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem. Parents, teens, older adults, and other members of the community tend to characterize people who take drugs as morally weak or as having criminal tendencies. They believe that drug abusers and addicts should be able to stop taking drugs if they are willing to change their behavior”.
These myths have not only stereotyped those with drug-related problems, but also their families, their communities, and the health care professionals who work with them. Drug abuse and addiction comprise a public health problem that affects many people and has wide-ranging social consequences. It is NIDA's goal to help the public replace its myths and long-held mistaken beliefs about drug abuse and addiction with scientific evidence that addiction is a chronic, relapsing, and treatable disease.
Addiction does begin with drug abuse when an individual makes a conscious choice to use drugs, but addiction is not just "a lot of drug use." Recent scientific research provides overwhelming evidence that not only do drugs interfere with normal brain functioning creating powerful feelings of pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity. At some point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction, a chronic, relapsing illness. Those addicted to drugs suffer from a compulsive drug craving and usage and cannot quit by themselves. Treatment is necessary to end this compulsive behavior.
A variety of approaches are used in treatment programs to help patients deal with these cravings and possibly avoid drug relapse. NIDA research shows that addiction is clearly treatable. Through treatment that is tailored to individual needs, patients can learn to control their condition and live relatively normal lives.
Treatment can have a profound effect not only on drug abusers, but on society as a whole by significantly improving social and psychological functioning, decreasing related criminality and violence, and reducing the spread of AIDS. It can also dramatically reduce the costs to society of drug abuse.
Understanding drug abuse also helps in understanding how to prevent use in the first place. Results from NIDA-funded prevention research have shown that comprehensive prevention programs that involve the family, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse. It is necessary to keep sending the message that it is better to not start at all than to enter rehabilitation if addiction occurs.
A tremendous opportunity exists to effectively change the ways in which the public understands drug abuse and addiction because of the wealth of scientific data NIDA has amassed. Overcoming misconceptions and replacing ideology with scientific knowledge is the best hope for bridging the "great disconnect" - the gap between the public perception of drug abuse and addiction and the scientific facts.”
In conclusion, my overall opinion of this research leaves me with a feeling of deep gratitude that I am aware of the effects of alcohol and drug abuse in our society. There are so many people who die each day due to the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs. Then, of course, we have many who are unaware of the treatment available for the disease of addiction, and they remain suffering. There are millions of people who need help, but how many really want the help! This is the riddle of addiction, which only can be solved with a sincere desire to stop and stay stopped.
By gaining a better understanding of the effects of alcohol and drug abuse among teenagers, all of us can be better prepared to deal with those who abuse substances and the many others who are affected by the disease of addiction.
Works Cited
Bowser, Yo. “Graphic Design
Portfolio”. Graphic chart.
<http://www.gdcada.org/dii/l/l.htm>.
Miner,
John. “Son’s suicide leads to drug
crusade”. The
National
Institute on Drug Abuse. National Institutes of Health. “Understanding Drug
Abuse and Addiction”. June, 2003. <http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/understand.html>
Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human
Services, National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Population Estimates 1998
(Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, 1999).
Teens Health website. “Suicide”.
Nemours Foundation,
The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, “A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy
and Drug Free” <http://family.samhsa.gov/set/3dmonth.aspx>
.