Theme Of Substance Abuse In The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Each and every day, teens succumb to the pressures of drugs and alcohol. Whether kids realize it or not, their lifestyle and daily activities have a major impact on the choices they make. Given that over 50 percent of high school seniors have abused some type of drug , it is clear that they are becoming a major issue (Substance Abuse Concerns par. 16). Drug and alcohol abuse is also actively present in the novel, The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, when Charlie and his newly found group of friends struggle with their identities. When Charlie is befriended by a group of seniors during his freshman year of high school, they introduce him to a new world of love, drugs, and friendship. When things do not go their way, they turn to substance abuse hoping that it will ease the pain. Charlie’s friends make him realize that life is better when you are living it, and not being a …show more content…
Although he trusts his friends, Sam and Patrick open Charlie up to a whole new world he has never experienced before. Sometimes Charlie is skeptical of his actions and regrets them later. An example of when Charlie regrets his former decisions is the quote “Regardless, I decided never to take LSD again” (Chbosky 100). This quote is the beginning of when Charlie starts to realize that the drugs are not helping him, but hurting him. When Charlie’s friends forgive him for his earlier actions, he is thankful and knows he needs to stop abusing the drugs he is taking. Therefore, Charlie decides to nontheless change his ways. When he is having a sub par day, he tries not to immediately turn to drugs as the answer. “I figured that it was about time to stop smoking so much pot” (Chbosky 154). Charlie finally realizes that he does not need to use drugs to be as happy as he can be. He learns and understands that true friendships are much more important to