Adolescence comes with it several changes in the life of a human being. These changes include physical, emotional and psychological maturation that result in the search for independence through experimentation. For many of the teenagers today, engage in substance use as a way of experimentation. Although the use of alcohol and drugs is common among the teens, those who develop dependent characteristics of these substances arouse the concern of the public health. The use of drugs in adolescents increases the risk of one becoming a drug addict in adulthood (MO'Malley, Johnston, & Bachman, 1998). Experts state that small degrees of substance abuse can result in adverse health consequences and thus the use of drugs by adolescents should not be
…show more content…
The continuum for substance abuse ranges from developmental variation to addiction problems which are characterized by disorders of abuse and dependence. Abstinence is the stage when the adolescent has not yet used any psychoactive substance while the initial utilization of alcohol, cigarette or other drugs define the experimental stage. At the experimental stage, most teenagers use drugs for enjoyment and discovering. This stage remains hazardous to the health of the user as the user has limited knowledge of the recommended dosage (White et al., 2002). The final stage in substance abuse is the problematic use. Adverse consequences characterize this stage as a result of repeated use of alcohol or drugs (Sussman et al., 2008). Adopting the scientific explanation to this is that the adolescent’s brain does not have a complete development in part responsible for judgment and decision-making. It is because of this that the adolescent is more susceptible to the dire consequences of the drug. The use of drugs increases the risk of involving in risky behavior because of impaired judgment which in turns impairs development hence heightening the chances of addiction (Park, 2011). The dependence on alcohol or drugs results in depression, impaired relationship between parents and peers, low self-esteem, motor vehicles crashes, and injuries. Moreover, sexual assaults, legal problems, high rates of sexually transmitted infections and …show more content…
Reports show that about 75% of the deaths of people between 10 to 24 years of age are due to motor vehicle crashes, suicide and homicide attempts which are linked to substance abuse the victims (MO'Malley et al., 1998). The number of those admitted to hospitals because of drug addiction has relatively increased over the years. Today, a counselor is more likely to see an addicted patient who started using alcohol or other drugs in their younger years of adolescents. This is even worse in males than in females. The prevalence of alcoholism and other substance abuse is higher in males than females (Sussman et al., 2008; White et al., 2002). The resurgence of adolescents use of illicit drugs and alcohol use has resulted in the call for more evidence-based intervention as a way of providing treatment (White et al., 2002). The end of the 20th Century has seen significant advancement in research towards providing treatment for the adolescents. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment uses Treatment Improvement Protocols to spread the innovations in the treatment of substance abuse by adolescents (White et al., 2002). The search for effective treatment for adolescent addiction is promising with the coming years. The past years has seen several methods adopted to treat addiction in youths without any success. The first method used was the use of opiate which
The continuum for substance abuse ranges from developmental variation to addiction problems which are characterized by disorders of abuse and dependence. Abstinence is the stage when the adolescent has not yet used any psychoactive substance while the initial utilization of alcohol, cigarette or other drugs define the experimental stage. At the experimental stage, most teenagers use drugs for enjoyment and discovering. This stage remains hazardous to the health of the user as the user has limited knowledge of the recommended dosage (White et al., 2002). The final stage in substance abuse is the problematic use. Adverse consequences characterize this stage as a result of repeated use of alcohol or drugs (Sussman et al., 2008). Adopting the scientific explanation to this is that the adolescent’s brain does not have a complete development in part responsible for judgment and decision-making. It is because of this that the adolescent is more susceptible to the dire consequences of the drug. The use of drugs increases the risk of involving in risky behavior because of impaired judgment which in turns impairs development hence heightening the chances of addiction (Park, 2011). The dependence on alcohol or drugs results in depression, impaired relationship between parents and peers, low self-esteem, motor vehicles crashes, and injuries. Moreover, sexual assaults, legal problems, high rates of sexually transmitted infections and …show more content…
Reports show that about 75% of the deaths of people between 10 to 24 years of age are due to motor vehicle crashes, suicide and homicide attempts which are linked to substance abuse the victims (MO'Malley et al., 1998). The number of those admitted to hospitals because of drug addiction has relatively increased over the years. Today, a counselor is more likely to see an addicted patient who started using alcohol or other drugs in their younger years of adolescents. This is even worse in males than in females. The prevalence of alcoholism and other substance abuse is higher in males than females (Sussman et al., 2008; White et al., 2002). The resurgence of adolescents use of illicit drugs and alcohol use has resulted in the call for more evidence-based intervention as a way of providing treatment (White et al., 2002). The end of the 20th Century has seen significant advancement in research towards providing treatment for the adolescents. The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment uses Treatment Improvement Protocols to spread the innovations in the treatment of substance abuse by adolescents (White et al., 2002). The search for effective treatment for adolescent addiction is promising with the coming years. The past years has seen several methods adopted to treat addiction in youths without any success. The first method used was the use of opiate which