High School Students Problems
Teenagers should be able to live their best live without being tempted by illicit drugs and substances. Many teens think that the use of illegal drugs and substances is a way to make them cool, it is causing wreckage to their future and America’s future. Underage consumption of illegal substances and drugs is becoming an epidemic. The consumption of illegal substances and drugs causes negative physical and mental effects to the youth, the people around them and the society, thus threatening America’s future.
Teens are starting to use illegal drugs and substances for the same reasons that adults do—to modify how they may feel because they want to feel better or different. Other accounts can include: socializing with friends, peer pressure or the need to feel part of a group, relaxation or fun, boredom, curiosity, experimentation or simply wanting to take risks. Many teens will even resort to using Adderall and Ritalin to help them study because teens believe that these drugs will help to improve their grades. Teens tend to be more likely than adults to binge drink and do drugs.
The most common types of illegal drugs and substances include: amphetamines, adderall, opioid painkillers, synthetic marijuana, tranquilizers, cough medicine, vicodin, oxycontin, sedatives, ecstasy, LSD, cocaine, ritalin, inhalants, salvia, and hallucinogens. In a study done by the American Medical Association “almost a third of teens say that they have used or are using illicit drugs and substances”(American Medical Association). Illicit drug use is something many teens do occasionally, and a few do regularly. The use of illegal drugs and substances causes many problems with teens including: education problems, dependency problems, financial problems, medical problems, social problems, and even death amongst teens. Using illegal drugs and substances can cause many problems including effects on behavior, it causes: paranoia, aggressiveness, hallucinations, addiction, impaired judgment, impulsiveness, and loss of self-control, thus causing risks to themselves and others.
The teenage years are usually a time of experimentation, even if parenting is good or bad. The effects on teens due to illegal drugs and substances are tremendous including brain development. In an article by Matt Gonzales he describes that “drugs have a more drastic effect on children and teens than on adults because the brain continues to develop until about age 25”(Gonzales). Since the brain does not fully develop until the age of 25 illegal drugs and substances can cause effects on the brain that can later affect the youth in the long run. Chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Wandler states that “Teens have chemically naive brains that have not been exposed to drugs or alcohol, the neurochemical effects that they get are much more intense than folks older than 25”( Dr.Wandler). Even with this teens are not mature enough physically and mentally. When teens try to be cool or part of a group they are actually ruining their future and causing health problems to themselves without even knowing it till its too late.
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High School Problems
Illegal drug and substance use within high school students causes problems in school. Use of illicit drugs and substances causes a drop in grades and causes a drop in IQ levels also. In an article by The Recovery Village a study was done on high school students who stated that they have used illicit drugs and substances or use illicit drugs and substances on a regular basis showed that “Regular drug and substance use caused a drop in IQ of up to 8 points”( The Recovery Village). Illegal drug and substances can cause students not to apply themselves in school, even the best students. Some may think that the use of illicit drugs and substances is not that bad for students to use, it causes students to become dependent on the use of drugs and illegal substances. In a statistical article done by the Recovery Village “According to experts, around 13% of people who start smoking pot as teenagers become dependent on it”( The Recovery Village). The more dependent teens become on illicit drugs and substances the more school becomes less important. The use of illegal drugs and substances was more likely among high school dropouts than among those who are still in school. While dropouts are very bad and mess students future, dependency problems are much worse. While some may not become as dependent on drugs and illicit substances others will develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others. This is important to the dream because when teens use illicit drugs and substances they are jeopardizing their school future. When students use illicit drugs and substances they ruin their high school grades causing dropouts and causing teens to not have a good education, thus causing in the long run to effect their future badly.
The teenage years are a time to socialize and make new friendships. During the teenage years decisions will have to be made, problems will have to be solved, and there will be responsibility that will need to be handled with the teenage years. With the use of illicit drugs and substances it causes it to be hard for teens to improve the skills of learning how to solve problems, building close friendships, make decisions, and being able to handle responsibility. Without being able to improve those life skills teens will not be able to master those skills in adulthood. The use of illicit drugs and substances contributes to many challenges like school failure, poverty, and criminal activity. The use of illicit drugs and substances causes teens to become more distant from friends and family. Illicit drug and substance can cause lack of school connectedness, rebelliousness, and association with substance using peers. The dream is that teens should be able to live their best life without being tempted by illicit drugs and substances. But, how are teens supposed to live their best lives when they don’t socialize with their peers, when they don’t have fun, and when they stay to themselves. The answer is they don’t. When teens start to use illicit drugs and substances they are not living their best life. They are not socializing with their peers, they are not going out and having fun, they are staying to themselves and becoming depressed.
Medical Problems Within High School Students
When teens use illicit drugs and substances it not only affects their school life and socialization life it also has major health problems. A teenage brain in more prone to addiction because the brain is not fully developed, the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25. Teenage brains adapt more quickly to repeated drug use, leading to cravings and dependence. A developing brain is more easily damaged than a fully matured brain. Substance and drug abuse in high school impacts the brain significantly. Memory problems and other lifelong brain issues are common in high schoolers who use illicit drugs and substances excessively. Substances abuse affects the teen brain development by: interfering with neurotransmitters and damaging connections with the brain, creating problems with memory, and causing missed opportunities during a period of heightened learning potential. Substance abuse in high schoolers can also cause stunted growth. In a study by the Recovery Village on teenage boys “high school addicted to illicit drugs and substances were an average of 4.6 inches shorter when they reached age 20”(The Recovery Village). Drug abuse can cause serious immediate and long term damage to the brain, liver, kidney, heart, and lung. It can also deplete the brain of certain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, sending high schoolers into a prolonged depression and leaving them susceptible for more destructive behaviors. People who abuse illicit drugs and substances at a young age often suffer mental health problems—including depression, personality disorders and suicidal thoughts later in life. In a article by the Addiction Center “excessive drinking in teens can result in: delayed puberty and negative effects on the reproductive system, lower bone mineral density, higher levels of liver enzymes that indicate liver damage, and shorter limbs and reduced growth potential”(Addiction Center). Teens are supposed to have fun in life. They are not supposed to worry how the illicit drugs and substances that they are using are going to affect them. Teens now have to worry about the medical problems that they have brought upon themselves, some are even worrying if they are going to make it to the next day.
Financial Problems in America Due to Illicit Drugs and Substances
Money is always an issue, it is either spending too much or having too little. When it comes to illicit drugs and substances no matter of age American always tends to spend too much. In an article by the Office of National Drug Policy it stated that “A new report… helps provide a clear picture of the impact of illicit drug and substance abuse and its consequences on America. According to this new study, drug users in the United States spent approximately $100 billion annually over the past decade on illicit drugs”(Office of National Drug Policy). This is about $1 trillion over ten years. And think as the years go on the amount of drug users goes up so that means that the money spent annually has gone up significantly. Of all the money that is spent on illicit drugs and substances none of that goes to anything good. The money is basically going down the drain and disappearing. In the same by the Office of National Drug Policy it goes on to say “ In 2007 alone, illicit drug use cost taxpayers more than $193 billion in lost productivity, healthcare, and criminal justice costs”( Office of National Drug Policy). The use of illicit drugs and substances is not only causing problems for the people who are using the drugs and substances, but also the taxpayers who are having to pay for drug users mistakes. Americas are missing out on healthcare money, productivity money and the costs to put drug users in jail and fix the things that the drug users have messed up. As for the dream his completely ruins it because Americans future is being ruined just with the money aspect of illicit drug and substance use. Billions of dollars going to waste.
Deaths Among High School Students
While the use of illicit drugs and substances is just bad overall the have been countless deaths and visits to the ER. In an article by the Recovery Village “Underage use of illicit drugs and substances is responsible each year for almost 200,000 ER visits and 4,300 deaths among kids under 21 years old”(The Recovery Village). Teens may think it is cool to use these illicit drugs and substances but they are harming themselves and continuous use will eventually kill them. Death among teenagers is now happening more and more due to the use of illicit drugs and substances. Teens who use illicit drugs and substances have a higher chance of having medical issues that could lead to death such as: kidney failure, heart problems, brain issues, many different types of cancers, liver problems, and can also lead to depression. These things cause more deaths than anything, it is either medical issues or teens deciding to commit suicide because they are depressed. When teens are faced with the temptation of illicit drugs and substances it becomes hard for teenagers to say no, so they say yes to the pressure thinking that the use of illicit drugs and substances will not affect them. However, teens become addicted, thus causing continuous use of illicit drugs and substances. The continuous use leads teens to have health problems that causes death. This is majorly affecting the dream that teens should be able to live their best life without the temptation of illicit drugs and substances. This affects the dream because if teens are dying how are they living their best life? Answer is, their not.
To recap many teens think that the use of illegal drugs and substances is a way to make them cool, it is causing wreckage to their future and America’s future. Underage consumption of illegal substances and drugs is becoming an epidemic. The consumption of illegal substances and drugs causes negative physical and mental effects to the youth, the people around them and the society, thus threatening America’s future. Underage use of illicit drugs and substances causes teens do not do well in school and to not apply themselves at simple tasks in school. As teens start to use illicit drug and substances more and more a dependency problem stats to arise causing school to be pushed back to the less important things to students. Considering that neatly 4,000 teens try illicit drugs and substances for the first time everyday, it is an undeniable problem that is impacting high schoolers everywhere. As teens start wanting to experiment more they start to push themselves away from their peers, thus cutting of all socialization with any friend group or even family members. Teens start to isolate themselves in their own bubble. Not communicating with any one, not having fun, and slowly becoming depressed. Many teens think that using illicit drugs and substances will now affect them in the log run, their wrong. The use of illicit drugs and substances causes more problems than many will ever know. The use of illicit drugs and substances causes many health problems and causes many deaths each year to people under the age of 21 years old. In terms of deaths, suicide is one of the most common ways that teens are dying because the age becoming depressed after continuous use if illicit drugs and substances. Yes, many deaths are caused from suicide but their are also many internal health problems that are just as lethal. Weather is : alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, or other illicit drugs and substances, the bottom line holds true: teens that use drugs put their future in danger and are not able to live their best life.
High School Students Problems. (2021, Apr 12). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/high-school-students-problems/
