Mary Tyson was on her way home from the airport, as she had just finished her shift as a flight attendant. The phone rang, and she noticed that it was her husband calling. Mary answered, and her husband told her that he had bad news regarding their oldest son. In a later interview, Tyson stated, “I felt denial [as if it were not her child] and anger [that is not how they raised their child] and then sadness”. Tyson’s child, whose name has been withheld, turned to marijuana as an outlet for his depression and quickly became an addict. This teenager is just one of many adolescents in recent years whose lives have been impacted forever because they suffered from undiagnosed depression and abused drugs in order to escape the pain which engulfed
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As a matter of fact, it is even more common for teenagers to become depressed and abuse drugs than it is for adults. “Being a teen means trying new things and deciding what you like. You want to act like an adult and make your own decisions ... Perhaps people around you are drinking or experimenting with drugs, and it seems like a cool thing to do” says “Teen Health and Wellness”. In other words, teenage years are tough all around, and having these outside influences may not always cater to smart decisions.
On top of experimenting with newfound ideas such as drugs and alcohol, teenagers are reaching puberty at the same point in their life. Hormone imbalances and drastic mood swings are known to be a result of puberty, as well as a cause of depression. With “downers” or numbing agents readily available, it is not difficult for teenagers to have access to something that they feel will improve their mood. It is easy to give drugs a chance. Not only are unprescribed recreational drugs being abused, but often, prescription drugs are overused as …show more content…
Then I ask, ‘How many of you felt it was truthful and valuable?’ Out of 120 students, perhaps three hands go up” (as quoted in Rosenbaum).
Reinarman’s discovery certainly shows that educators need to revise their system, although it is debatable whether schools should be involved in teenage drug usage at all. Another modern controversy is drug testing in schools. According to “Drug Testing”, an article which focuses on this issue, many believe that schools performing drug tests on students is an invasion of privacy. Others feel that it is completely appropriate, deters teenagers from using drugs, and makes students aware of the consequences of using drugs. Meanwhile, studies have shown that these tests do not discourage drug use among adolescents, and many times the tests are inaccurate. Opponents of drug testing also feel that the concept can be unfair to certain students, such as athletes who may be required to pass the test, when there are a multitude of other students who are not required to be drug
As a matter of fact, it is even more common for teenagers to become depressed and abuse drugs than it is for adults. “Being a teen means trying new things and deciding what you like. You want to act like an adult and make your own decisions ... Perhaps people around you are drinking or experimenting with drugs, and it seems like a cool thing to do” says “Teen Health and Wellness”. In other words, teenage years are tough all around, and having these outside influences may not always cater to smart decisions.
On top of experimenting with newfound ideas such as drugs and alcohol, teenagers are reaching puberty at the same point in their life. Hormone imbalances and drastic mood swings are known to be a result of puberty, as well as a cause of depression. With “downers” or numbing agents readily available, it is not difficult for teenagers to have access to something that they feel will improve their mood. It is easy to give drugs a chance. Not only are unprescribed recreational drugs being abused, but often, prescription drugs are overused as …show more content…
Then I ask, ‘How many of you felt it was truthful and valuable?’ Out of 120 students, perhaps three hands go up” (as quoted in Rosenbaum).
Reinarman’s discovery certainly shows that educators need to revise their system, although it is debatable whether schools should be involved in teenage drug usage at all. Another modern controversy is drug testing in schools. According to “Drug Testing”, an article which focuses on this issue, many believe that schools performing drug tests on students is an invasion of privacy. Others feel that it is completely appropriate, deters teenagers from using drugs, and makes students aware of the consequences of using drugs. Meanwhile, studies have shown that these tests do not discourage drug use among adolescents, and many times the tests are inaccurate. Opponents of drug testing also feel that the concept can be unfair to certain students, such as athletes who may be required to pass the test, when there are a multitude of other students who are not required to be drug