Drug Use amongst Teenagers
More than 70 percent of 15 to 17-year-olds see high schools as a place where drugs are sold, used and kept. Almost 70 percent of 17-year-olds can buy marijuana within a few hours or even minuets and have friends who smoke pot or have a serious drug or alcohol abuse problem. Most of these teens find marijuana easier to buy than cigarettes or beer and claim drugs to be their number one problem, far exceeding social and sexual pressures. And to make things even worse, this type of behavior is on the rise and is disturbing the parents as well.But why are drugs so popular among teens? And why is the use of drugs rising faster than a helium balloon? To fully understand that, one has to understand why a person would use drugs in the first place. There are several reasons and each depends on the age group, situation and the person's background history. The first and most common reason why people use drugs is in order to reduce unpleasant anxiety and unwanted feelings (Brain & Mind 2). Feelings such as depression and anger. A group of philosophers described life as an emotional roller coaster, which always ends by death. Human beings are unwillingly thrown into it and constantly confronted by tragedy, depression and confusion. No wonde
So now you can see why someone would result to drugs. After all, us humans are constantly seeking pleasurable stimuli, such as tasteful foods or a nice cold coke. This triggers a special reward in our brains, thus causing us to want to do the same thing again. Which is how an American neurobiologist named James Olds believes drug addiction works. He states that "Whenever a person uses a drug and the effect is produces is somehow pleasant, this effect gets a rewarding quality for that person" (Cardoso and Sabbatini 1). It's unbelievable how blind the government really is. Do they even realize how easy it is to get drugs? Do they know how often a teen gets asked if they want Ecstasy, Crystal Meth, PCP, Acid, Speed and etc. right on streets of downtown? And the prices make it very affordable even if you deliver newspapers. Crystal Meth, one of the most addictive and brain damaging drugs, go as low as $5 a cap. All night parties (Raves) have the same problem. But imaging having been asked 20 times and not have to worry about police catching you like they can on the streets. And these are all age parties we're talking about. So pretty much anyone can get inside. But it's not and they have to be educated and shown exactly what they're doing to their bodies. And to be honest, putting up ads such as "Just Say No!" isn't going to do it. Because that doesn't show anything! All that shows is that the government does not want us to use drugs. Do they honestly think that a rebellious teenager is going to do exactly what the government is telling them? I highly doubt it. What they need is a new strategy. They need to show exactly why drugs are not good for young developing bodies. And they have to make it as gruesome and realistic as possible. And show all the nasty outcomes that comes with drugs. Such as broken families and depression. Not because it makes them look "uncool". I laugh when they try to
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1283
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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