Teenage Drug Conformity And Addiction In America

According to a study published by The New York Times in October 2010, there has been a systemic rise in pharmaceutical prescription drug use in America over the last decade. This trend is a telling one, as it is also evident in the alarming rise of drug addiction in teens, according to DrugAbuse.

While there is no single factor that is causing a rise in teenage drug addiction, there are several likely reasons why this is taking place. Much of the issue comes down to the fact that teens are impressionable, and still finding their footing in the world in which they are striving to survive.

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Why Good Parenting Matters

One of the most obvious factors in teen drug conformity and addiction has to do with the parents. The home is where teens learn their most valuable lessons and gain their sense of self-worth. To this effect, studies show that a strong family with good parents is the first line of defense. Unfortunately, the inverse is also true: parents who drop the ball leave their teens at risk for drug problems.

So, it makes sense that the study mentioned above would correlate with the one published on WebMD:

“For the first time, more teens said prescription drugs were easier to buy than beer. The percentage of teens who considered prescription drugs the easiest drug to buy increased by 46% over the previous year.”

From where are these teens able to find these prescription drugs? It makes sense that a rising trend in prescription drug use would mean a rise in drug supply. Especially if the parents are not taking care to keep tabs on their legally prescribed drugs, then the drugs are likely to wind up in the hands of their teens and distributed.

In addition, teens learn lessons from their families –so if the parents are taking drugs to solve life problems, then teens are likely going to feel the same way. Also, if parents aren’t spending time with their kids and nurturing them, then teens are likely going to find their self-worth in other places… their peers.

 

The Peer Pressure Is Real

Drug conformity is often known by a more easily recognizable name: ‘peer pressure’. Essentially, peer pressure is what happens when a teen wants to fit in, so they do as their peers do. While this may have been a major factor in drug use in the past, this issue has become an even bigger problem of nightmarish proportions.

One of the major causes of this is due to the media often glorifying the drug culture, in addition to the fact that teens are living in hyper-connected society.

In the old days, peer pressure only happened face-to-face and over the phone. But now, with social media penetrating into every aspect of the teen’s life, peer pressure has been put on steroids. Not only is conformity hard to fight when interacting with peers directly, but it’s inescapable even when the teen goes home. If the parents exacerbate the issue, then it’s easy to see why a teen would turn to peers for acceptance.

This has created a perfect storm: between drug-obsessed culture, the constant connection to peers through social media, and the fact that drugs are more widely available, teens often find themselves bombarded and finding self-worth with the ‘wrong crowd’.

 

Stress

The Huffington Post published an article in July 2013, concerning the fact that social media itself is causing life to be more stressful. Who are the people that use social media the most? Teens.

In another published study from the Huffington Post, ‘Millennials’ are the most stressed generation:

“Apparently, half of all millennials are so stressed out that they can’t sleep at night, and 39 percent of millennials have stress levels that have increased in the past year.”

According to Forbes, stress kills creativity, productivity, and will hurt a person’s ability to cope with daily responsibilities. This is also another reason why teens are turning to drugs. After all, a massive percentage of adults between the ages of 20-59 are on anti-depressants, and teens are learning that substances can provide a ‘way out’, a release, and even increased performance from stimulants.

A popular motion graphic was created by 12 Keys Rehab depicting these statistics and more:


 

One study by ABC News found that stress is directly linked to drug use in teens. This of course, makes sense. Stress caused by unstable family environments and too much pressure to perform can easily lead to the teen needing release and acceptance from their peers, the availability of drugs, and the drug’s ability to provide temporary benefits. However, as we have seen time and time again, drug abuse and addiction only leads to worsening problems.

Ultimately, teens need good parents, who provide them with self-worth and the feeling of acceptance. This will make negative peer pressure easy to beat, creativity to blossom, and happy life to be had.

Ryan McHandley is a health and fitness writer with a passion for helping people.

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