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Akash Singh
Professor Hanson
English 1A
27 July 2017
Adolescent Drug Abuse
The teen years are the most challenging years in an individual’s life. In this stage, teens
experiment with everything and they are confronted with different emotional feelings. It’s the
stage where teenagers feel they are mature enough to make certain decisions that otherwise
require a level of experience built over a period of time. Many teens resort to drugs for a number
of reasons. One of those reasons would be to boost their feelings of maturity or confidence.
Many also feel peer pressured into taking drugs. There are many reasons why teens abuse drugs
although there are also many different options to helping teens and stopping drug abuse early.
Peer pressure is one of the most powerful forces that attract teenagers into taking drugs.
The adolescence stage is a stage where teens struggle to understand whom they are and where
they fit in best. During this stage, some teens might try different things in order to fit in. Many
people will actually have friends that try to influence them into trying drugs. Different friends
from all grade levels will try to influence someone into drugs, mainly consisting of marijuana
and alcohol. Some of the more hardcore drugs are sometimes involved but not as common until
high school and college years. “Friends have a direct impact on adolescents risk behaviors and
significantly the teens interact with the risk behaviors of their friends.” (Huang, G., et al, 508-
514) A lot of friends encourage experimental drug use and risky behavior. Teenagers tend to get
peer pressured into doing many things and sadly, drugs is one of them. This powerful desire to
get accepted and liked makes it very difficult for the teens to say no to drugs. They have this fear
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of not feeling popular and not fitting in so they follow along with others and try to fit in. Many
teens resort to online bullying also known as cyber bullying. Some kids who don’t follow trends
often get made fun of online. They fear to say no since it can have several consequences such as
being a laughing stock among their fellow teens or just seen as not cool.
Saying no could make them feel embarrassed, rejected, and possibly even bullied. Out of
this powerful pressure, the teens find it extremely difficult to avoid drugs seeing their peers use
them. They don’t want to be seen as weak or unpopular. It’s at this stage where some teens say
“its just weed” or that “everyone else is doing it so it’s fine.” They will come up with all manners
of excuses to support their use of drugs and they will try everything to convince you into trying
drugs. It is also common for teens to throw parties where drugs are present majority of the time.
During the party scene, peer pressure can be at its greatest, whether its smoking cigarettes,
marijuana, or drinking alcohol. At this stage for a teen to host a party with his/her peers, there are
many opportunities to abuse drugs. They see people smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and
other drugs as fun. Just alone, seeing all the drugs can be enough of an influence to start taking
drugs.
According to Chavannes, Barry, and White, most teens want to be treated as grown-ups.
Many teens go through this phase where they try to act like adults or want to be treated as adults.
It’s at the adolescence stage where teens feel they are mature enough and feel like they must be
recognized as adults. It’s at this stage where correcting them can get tough as you can hear them
tell their parents things like “I’m a grown up” or “don’t treat me like a child anymore.” Or
something similar like “dad don’t treat me as a kid anymore, I’m a grown-up now.” (Sussman et
al, 476) Teens during this age are going through a maturity phase but do not know how to handle
it or act the part. Many teens feel drugs give them a sense of maturity or age factor. At this stage,
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most teen’s get attracted to things, which make they feel like adults. Drinking, smoking, and
abusing some other drugs boost their feeling as adults. Most of the teens believe they are mature
enough to make their own decisions, to take risks. At this very age, the teens are way too
vulnerable to drug abuse as they overestimate their maturity. In the moment they feel a lot more
independent and under estimate the influence certain drugs can have on them. They feel more
mature, sophisticated and feel they can drink alcohol and use other drugs at will. They feel they
can take care of themselves. This feeling is what makes them vulnerable.
Many teenagers look up to their parents as their role models. However, some teens live in
houses where drugs are frequently present or with families where parents tend to use drugs. As
young teens, being exposed to drugs at such a young age hurts their future and well being. These
