Topic: Discuss the impact of drugs abuse on youths

1. Introduction

Drug abuse is also known as substance abuse. It involves the repeated and extreme use of a drug to produce pleasure or escape reality despite its destructive effects. Drug abuse can either be the use of illegal substances such as marijuana and heroine or the misuse of legal drugs such as prescription drugs. Drug addiction is a brain disease. It alters gene expression and circuitry hence affecting human behavior. The impact of drug abuse can be really far reaching. Cancer, HIV/Aids, stroke and lung diseases are just some examples of the consequences and others are categorized into physical, emotional, family, school and social problems.


2. Background of drug abuse today

Today, the problem of drug abuse among the youth has assumed a greater significance and increased concern in many countries. Though no accurate figures are available to measure the actual extent of the problem, drug addicts reporting to counseling in the country points out that the problem has spread among various age groups, and much among youths aged 16 to 25 years.


3. Reasons youths turn to drugs

There are many reasons that lead to the consumption of drugs by teenagers.

One of which is that teenagers desperately want to be accepted by their peers and are very likely to imitate the behavior of their peers, including taking drugs.

The other reason is that they are thrill-seekers. Their curiosity made them want to try out those drugs.

Furthermore, people who are suffering emotionally use drugs to self-medicate themselves out of loneliness, low self-esteem, unhappy relationships, stress, and many other types of problems. They think that drugs can alleviate shyness, relieve nervousness and solve every problem that they faced. However, this is not true!

Many people do not realize that drug use does not solve any of those problems but can easily make them worse. Fortunately, the use of drugs has declined over the years. It has also been estimated that about half of all drug abusers also suffer from a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia as noted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.


4. Some of the more popular drugs abused by youths

There are several types of drugs that teenagers used. They are Marijuana, Phencyclidine, Hallucinogens, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Inhalants and Opiates, Opioids and Narcotics.

Marijuana

Apart from tobacco and alcohol, Marijuana is the most popular substance among teenagers. The source of Marijuana is the hemp plant (cannabis sativa). The active ingredients are THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and other cannabinoids, found in the leaves and flowering shoots of the plant. Hashish is a resinous substance, taken from the tops of female plants. It contains the highest concentration of THC.

There are several bad effects that the use of this drug can cause.

Firstly, it decreases one's ability to perform tasks that requires a great deal of coordination. One example would be driving of a car.

Secondly, visual tracking could be impaired.

Thirdly, sense of time is typically prolonged. In addition, learning may be greatly affected because the drug reduces one's ability to stay focus and pay attention. Studies have proven that learning may become "state-dependent", meaning that information learned while under the influence of marijuana is best recalled in the same state of drug influence.

Phencyclidine (PCP, "angel dust"), "Peace Pill"

PCP is also known as "Peace Pill" in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Its use never became very popular because it had a reputation for causing "bad trips." During the 1980s however, it became a drug that most people used. Majority of users are aged between 15 years old to 25 years old.

There are numerous effects of “Peace Pill”.

Firstly, huge doses of this drug may produce paranoia, auditory hallucinations ("hearing voices"), and psychosis similar to schizophrenia.

On top of that, people who incur significant injuries may not feel any pain as a result of the analgesic (pain-killing) properties of PCP.

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens are commonly associated with extreme anxiety and absence of contact with reality at the height of the drug experience ("bad trips"). These experiences can come back as a "flashback," even without using the drug again. Such experiences occur when one is stress. This drug also decreases in frequency and intensity if the individual stops taking the drugs.

Effects of this particular drug are as follows.

Lower doses of PCP produce euphoria (feelings of joy) and decreased inhibition similar to drunkenness whereas middle-range doses cause numbness throughout the body, with changes in perception that may result in extreme anxiety and violence.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a very addictive drug that many people use. This is particularly because of the effect of extreme pleasure that one can obtain when he or she takes the drug although it is only a short-lived effect. Hence, it encourages people to frequently use this drug to get the desired effects. Cocaine may be inhaled through the nose ("snorting"), or dissolved in water and administered intravenously. When mixed with heroin for IV use, the combination is referred to as a speedball.

Effects if cocaine are mood swings, depression, sleeping problems, memory loss, social withdrawal, and loss of interest in school, work, family, and friends. In addition, as heavy use of this drug may cause paranoia, cocaine users usually become violent.

Amphetamines

During the 1950s and 1960s, Amphetamines were commonly prescribed for conditions such as fatigue, obesity and mild depression. People stop using this particular drug as it creates a high potential for addiction, resulting it being categorized as a controlled substance.

Effects of this drug are irritability, restlessness, sleep disturbances, tremors, dilated pupils, skin flushing, and weight loss over time.

Inhalants

Inhalant abuse became popular with young teens in the 1960s with "glue sniffing." As a result of this popularity, more varieties of inhalants have been introduced. They include model glue, spray paints, cleaning fluids, gasoline, liquid typewriter correction fluid, and aerosol propellants for deodorants or hair sprays. People who use this drug involve younger teens or school-age children. Initially, children use inhalants as an experiment.

There are numerous adverse effects caused by the use of this drug. They include liver or kidney damage , convulsions , peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), brain damage, and sudden death.

Opiates, Opioids and Narcotics

Opiates are derived from opium poppies. These include morphine and codeine. Opioids refer to synthetically produced substances that have the same effect as morphine or codeine. Opiates and opioids include heroin, oxycodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, propoxyphene, and methadone. All of these substances, natural or synthetic, are considered narcotics. They are commonly used as pain-killers, these drugs promote sedation, decrease anxiety, and produce a different perception of painful stimuli .


Drug and alcohol addicted individuals also may combine both alcohol and illicit drugs together because of interactions between abused substances in the body. As we know, both drugs and alcohol activate certain brain areas involved in reward, thus, by combining 2 or more substances may increase these effects. Other alcohol and drug interactions may counter unpleasant effects that often accompany or follow substance abuse. Clinical reports suggest that coca ethylene, a combined cocaine-alcohol metabolite that is formed in the body following concurrent alcohol and cocaine use, appears to reduce the anxiety that can accompany cocaine use. Recent research in rats confirms that coca ethylene plasma levels remain high as cocaine levels fall, producing a delayed, relatively long-lasting rewarding effect that may counter the aversive effect induced when cocaine plasma levels recede.


5. Impact of drug abuse on youths

When youths turn to or abuse drugs, they may develop some symptoms and signs which may be obvious to people around them, giving the message that they may well be abusing drugs.

Therefore, these symptoms and signs can be catergorized as physiological, behavorial and social.

5.1 Physiological

• Frequent exhuation or weakness
• Unexplained injuries and infections
• Blackouts
• Flashbacks
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• Withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, tremors and sweating

5.2 Behavorial

• Angry outbursts, mood swings, irritability, manic behavior, or overall attitude change
• Depression
• Talking incoherently or making inappropriate remarks
• Risky behavior, such as driving under the influence of drugs, starting a fight, or engaging in unprotected sex
• Secretive or suspicious behavior: frequent trips to the restroom, basement, or other isolated areas for privacy while using drugs
• Deterioration of physical appearance and grooming
• Wearing sunglasses and/or long-sleeved shirts frequently or at inappropriate times
• Frequent absences from work or school; drop-off in quality of work or grades
• Neglect of family responsibilities
• Evidence of money problems: frequent borrowing, selling possessions, or stealing items from employer, home, or school
• Legal problems rooted in drug use: arrest for driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, disorderly conduct, or stealing
• Using drugs first thing in the morning
• Using increasing doses of a drug
• Motivation and psychosexual and emotional development will be affected

5.3 Social

Abandoning or spending less time on activities such as hobbies, sports, and socializing Inability to relax or have fun without doing drugs Associating with known drug users and dropping friends who don’t use drugs

Talking about drugs all the time and encouraging others to use Estrangement from old friends and loved ones Deprive communities and peers of positive contributions they could have made

6. Social implication of drug abuse on youths

6.1 Families and community
6.2 Health
6.3 Education
6.4 Crime

6. 1 Families and community

• Firstly, their family will be far more complex. Their family may be a source of burden such as tension, problems, pathology etc. that will harm weaker members of the family. Also, it will cause financial problems.

• Secondly, drugs use by peers may exert a greater influence than the attitudes of parents. Some researches found that peers have a higher degree of influence only when their parents have strict rules applied in the family.

• Family factors that may lead to youths taking drugs are thought to be parental absence, strict discipline, failure to communicate on an emotional level, chaotic or disturbed members and parental use of drugs, which provides a negative role model for children.

How much a family is affected by problems with drug abuse depends on how long it has been aroud them, or how serious it has become, the amount of shame and secrecy, and the type of roles and responsibilities of the person with the disorder. If this issue continues to be left untreated, family members of the abuser will also develop to have destructive behaviors, such as self-denial, enabling, as well as co-dependency, in which they are then being manipulated by the abuser.



6.2 Health

• Health problems impair family life and productive employment, diminish the quality of life and may threaten survival.

• The following addictive substances that includes tobacco, alcohol and solvents, have several important characteristics in common. They alter the function of the human brain and have an impact on behaviour. It also keeps increasing social and economic costs for productive
  enterprises and by drawing upon limited government services.

6.3 Education

• Education is the principal means of preventing drug abuse.

• The 3 examples mainly home, workplace and religious institutions are the following source to seek education for either the young or the old. Without education, it will lead to social conditions that lead a person to engage in drug abuse.

• Therefore, education is often seen as producing its
  results only over the long run, involving parents and making gradual social changes to reduce experimentation, occasional or regular drug use.

6.4 Crime

• Heroin addicts are usually deeply involved in crime. examples are that many heroin abusers are not interested in obtaining treatment although drug treatment programmes do reduce the criminality of addicts while they are in treatment.

• illicit production, manufacture, distribution or possession of drugs may constitute a crime.

• Secondly, drugs may increase the likelihood of other, non-drug crimes occurring.

• Thirdly, drugs may be used to make money, with
  subsequent money-laundering.

• And fourthly, drugs may be closely linked to other major problems, such
  as the illegal use of guns, various forms of violence and terrorism.

7. Stages of juvenile drug use

There are several stages of drug use. Young people seem to progress more quickly through the stages than do adults.

• Experimental use -- typically involves peers, done for recreational use; the user may enjoy defying parents or other authority figures.
• Regular use -- the user misses more and more school or work; worries about losing drug source; uses drugs to "fix" negative feeling; begins to stay apart from friends and family; may change peer group to others who are regular users; takes pride in noting; increased tolerance and ability to "handle" the drug.
• Daily preoccupation -- the user looses any motivation; the user is indifferent toward school and work; behavior changes become obvious; preoccupation with drug use overrides all prior interests, including relationships; the user engages in secretive behavior; may begin dealing drugs to help support habit; use of other, harder drugs may increase; legal complications may increase.
• Dependence -- cannot face daily life without drugs; denial of problem; worsening physical condition; loss of "control" over use; may become suicidal; financial and legal complications worsen; may have severed ties with family members or friends by this time.

8. Drug abuse treatment

Parents can help through early education about drugs, open communication, good role modeling, and early recognition if problems are developing. If there is any suspicion that there is a problem, parents must find the most appropriate intervention for their child. The decision to get treatment for a child or adolescent is serious. Parents are encouraged to seek consultation from a mental health professional when making decisions about substance abuse treatment for children or adolescents. Parents and families must be informed consumers and should be involved in their child's recovery. Here are some important things to consider:

• No single treatment is appropriate for all teens.

• Effective treatment must attend to the multiple needs of the individual -- not just the drug use.

• Counseling (individual and/or group) and other behavioral therapies are critical components of effective treatment.

• Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way.

• Medical detoxification is only the first stage of addiction treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.

• Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.

• Recovery from addiction can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment.

9. Conclusion

Therefore, in conclusion, it can be seen that there are many factors contributing to the reasons why youths actually turn to drug abuse. However, it is evident that the impact of drug abuse on youths is indeed very huge and detrimental, ranging from areas like their own health to even affecting other people i.e. social problems. It is quite reassuring, though, to know that rate of drug abuse has gone down, although it is still a problem which needs attention.

Hence, we should ensure our youths or any other drug abuser live a healthy lifestyle right at the beginning, using approaches like open communciation, good role modeling to their children, and early recognition if problems are developing on the part of parents, as well as good influential peers of the youths themselves, because it all boils down to prevention being better than cure.


Sources used

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/4783/kids_and_teens/of_drugs_and_youth.html

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatment.htm