The rabbit hole that many teens fall into regarding addiction, arrests, and self harm all lead back to the start of the simple experimentation of drugs or alcohol. After pondering which topic to research for this semester, I came to the realization that the issue regarding juvenile drug abuse in society today is too prevalent to be ignored. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. Although there are crusades fighting to end this issue, my research argues that some prevention methods are not working as efficient as possible. This is a serious issue because “substance use is strongly linked to the leading causes of adolescent mortality and many other health problems” (Harris, Sion Kim). The severity of juvenile drug abuse has revealed to me that this problem is underplayed by American society and needs to be refocused on through screenings and prevention programs.

According to a survey from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System conducted in 2011, “3% of students had used any form of cocaine one or more times during the 30 days before the survey; 11.4% of students had used inhalants to get high one or more times during their life; and 8.2% of students had used ecstasy one or more times during their life.” AAP News and Journals states that “40% of US adolescents are current alcohol drinkers, and more than 20% use cannabis (marijuana) or another drug.” The mean age of teenage drug abusers is 16.6 years old with 52.4% of them being female (Bb, Bartelson). These shocking statistics support my claim of the severity of this issue in 21st century society.

The prevention of illegal drug use is being attempted by many different angles. My research argues which way is most effective in preventing early on drug abuse in youth and which way is most effective in helping those already addicted. From electronic screening to group-centered in person therapy, there are many options in preventing drug abuse. One overarching commonality in my research is that parents play a pivotal role in the prevention whether it be having honest conversations or attending weekly meetings with their children. After reviewing many different approaches I have come to the conclusion that it is not which method is best, it is which method is best for the single person. 

After watching the TedTalk “Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong,” I was made aware of the opinion that the incarceration and punishment of addicts actually deters them from ever getting better. Shying them away from society and making it more difficult for them to find work makes it tougher for an addict to find meaning in his or her life. This TedTalk that I watched opened my eyes to a better approach for the healing of addicts. The video also banished my idea that addiction is purely chemical having nothing to do with a person’s environment. An predominant claim that I found in my research is that an addict needs to rejoin a community in order to become better emotionally and physically. Johann Hari used a “RatPark” as an example to compare a rat in a cage all-alone with nothing to occupy his time and a rat that was accompanied by many other rats, many wheels and toys, and copious amounts of sex, calling that cage “RatPark”. The experiment revealed that the rat in the bare cage preferred cocaine laced water while the rat in “RatPark” nearly never used the cocaine laced water. This was a great example of how a an environment can influence a body to choose to either self medicate or enjoy the connections and joys of human life.

According to Jay Rankin of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the use of drugs by most teens in the past 20 years has had a 1% decrease. The surveys also showed that “perceived access to marijuana declined” (Rankin, Jay). This counter argument believes that this stride for the decrease in use of drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana proves to be a win for the war on drugs. Rankin even went to say that this decrease, specifically in opioids, may help reduce the threat of overdose in teens. I think that this is a naive opinion to have, as this is a trivial decrease in the grand scheme of the other 35% still using drugs. The issue of drug use is still not being addressed and prevented properly. Yes, maybe the statistics show that there is a tiny decrease, but this source does not provide any proof that there won’t be more serious drug use down the road from those that answered drug positive. The most common drugs that are being misused in regards to prescriptions are opioids and stimulants. These drugs are must more common and easier to find than people think.

The most common places that a teen gains access to prescription drugs is at home, at a friend’s home, and at school. This experimental turned detrimental abuse of drugs begins when anxious, curious teens find themselves with too much free time on their hands, often leading them to find ways to entertain themselves. The improper use and improper disposal of these pills land them in the wrong hands (Bb, Bartelson). The proper disposal of these drugs is tremendously important because “over 70% of prescription drug abusers say that they got those drugs from family or friends” (Clarkin, Sean). Clarkin cites the “Drug Enforcement Administration's [DEA's] first prescription drug "Take-Back" day [in Fall of 2013] where they collected 121 tons of pills from 4,000 locations in 50 states” which encouraged the proper disposal of unused prescription drugs out of the cycle. My research does not place blame on parents for their child’s misuse of drugs but simply states that to lessen this misuse parents must become better informed. Parents must also be honest with their children because honest communication is often the most simple prevention measure. Clarkin published that “one in four teens (25 percent) reported taking a prescription drug not prescribed for them by a doctor at least once in their lives, and more than one in five teens (23 percent) used a prescription pain reliever not prescribed for them by a doctor.” Researchers would argue that prescription abuse by teens is the most dominant issue in the war on drugs.

If you think about going to college in a broad view, a teen is away from home for the first time without guidance and with little influence from the world outside of the campus. Huddling all types of people and ages into classrooms and hallways leads to exposure. To begin with, a young adult’s mind is not fully developed and does not obtain fully mature decision making skills. Being on any campus cultivates all types of peers involved in different activities and different morals leading to many being exposed to harmful activities. Being influenced to experiment with gateway drugs like alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco often to leads to more severe drugs or addiction (Bb, Bartelson). Through a study done by the RADARS System, the results of over 16,000 surveyed youth found that the “five most frequently misused or abused drugs were hydrocodone (32%), amphet- amines (18%), oxycodone (15%), methyl- phenidate (14%), and tramadol (11%).” These drugs may seem foreign, but it is highly likely that one of these drugs is sitting in your medicine cabinet at home leftover from a prior surgery, for example. The study also found that drugs obtained in a youth’s own house was a shocking 86.3%.

There are also studies viewing whether computer facilitated tests like the CRAFFT are effective in screening drug use. The CRAFFT a popular new screening device is only a 6-question survey that is graded by a point system. This simple test reveals a teen’s likelihood of drug abuse and informs the doctor if they need to take any measures if drug abuse is already occurring. (Harris, Sion Kim). These new electronic surveys are not being favored as imagined due to “lack of time and personnel to perform the screening, unfamiliarity with screening tools, lack of training in how to deal with positive screens, and lack of effective interventions” (Harris, Sion Kim). Although these tests seem to provide fast results it is controversial whether in person questioning forces teens to be more honest. It can be argued that only being asked on a screen about a teen’s behaviors leads them to feel more comfortable about lying. 

There are many different ways of prevention including early screening and different prevention groups. Family and individual prevention programs both have been proven to be affective. After viewing the results it was prevalent that the group-centered therapy worked the best, but the authors also stated that the best therapy was personal to that certain person. Many addicts in their teenage years are locked up instead of being treated for their addiction. The courts overlook the need for therapy and finding a positive community to fall back into after they are released from jail (Nissen, Laura). The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation works to have influence on every aspect of teen’s incarceration process. The five-step program makes sure that as they are in jail they have a mentor, and after they get out that they are surrounded by a stable, nontoxic environment conducive to their healing (Nissen, Laura). Nissen states that her “research shows youth in long-term residential treatment programs had an 85 percent reduction in alcohol or drug use in the 90 days following treatment. One year later the total reduction was still 70 percent.” It is clear that working to heal these incarcerated teens compared to punishing them in the long run is better for society.

The ruthlessness of juvenile drug abuse has shown me that this problem is underplayed by American society and needs to be refocused on through screenings and prevention programs. As seen by my many statistics, this drug abuse is plaguing the youth of today. By screening at early ages at the doctor’s office and honest communication between guardians and teens a lot of this experimentation can be avoided. For those that fall into addiction the best way to help them heal is to welcome them into the population giving them purpose and a sense of belonging. Both the Reclaiming Futures Model and Johann Hari’s stance on addiction will lead society to a healthier and smarter stance on drug addiction. My research varying years from 2005 all the way to this year all concludes the same claim that the teenage drug abuse rate is far to high. The issue of drug abuse in youth today is being pushed aside and not properly addressed to help those who need it.
