Two words that should never be spoken together are teens and drugs. Unfortunately in America today, this is not the case. Every year the percentages of teenagers who are experimenting with drugs increases drastically, and sadly those same teens gradually end up doing more than just experimenting. Our country’s youth have gone from being curious and trying drugs to becoming addicted to substances that can potentially destroy their lives.
So, what can we do to prevent this from happening? The answer to that question lies in knowing what the reasons are that our teenagers start using drugs to begin with. There are many reasons why this happens, and we must educate ourselves to better understand them.
Low self-esteem can be a prime factor in why teens begin to experiment with illegal drugs. If a teenager does not feel he belongs or isn’t part of the “in” crowd, he may be an easy target for other teens drug users who will convince him that it is “cool” to live this lifestyle. For this reason, parents, teachers, and other adult role models must encourage teenagers to help build their self confidence. We need to teach them about self worth and how to know that their lives are too valuable to even consider experimenting with drugs.
Another reason that teens may fall into drug abuse has to do with the lifestyles their parents lead. Children are always watching and listening to what goes on around them. If they see their parents using drugs, chances are, they may follow in their footsteps. It is the responsibility of the parent to raise their children in a stable, loving home that does not involve any type of drug abuse.
Being a victim of child abuse is also a common reason for teens to start using drugs. They may start abusing drugs to help relieve the pain that has been inflicted on them both physically and emotionally. The depression that occurs from being abused can be so strong, that teenagers can become addicted to drugs within a very short time period.
Teen drug abuse must be stopped immediately. As adults, we need to instill the value of life in them from a very young age. If we see a teen reaching out for help, we must be there to lend a helping hand. We must take every step to get teens drug use to stop and prevent others from going down this deadly road.
