Drug Abuse Among Youth

Drug Abuse among Youth

Being young, beautiful and naive is something that can be ruined so easily by using drugs. Experimentation with drugs during adolescence has become very common. Adolescents tend to feel immune to the problems that other people experience with using drugs. Drugs can have many physiological and psychological effects. In addition, drug abusers lose what makes humans unique and admirable. Finally, consuming drugs can create a dependency. Due to these consequences, the youth should be better protected against drugs.

It is generally known that most drugs can have very negative effects on people. Drugs are substances used without medical supervision to change the way a person feels, thinks or behaves so that he or she can have ''fun.'' Especially teenagers with a family history of substance abuse, who are depressed, who have a low self-esteem or who feel like they do not fit in the mainstream are potential drug abusers. Drug abuse can have physiological consequences such as fatigue, respiratory infections, digestion problems, red and glazed eyes and lasting cough. The mood-altering chemicals in drugs affect the brain because they are similar in size and shape to natural neurotransmitters. Therefore, drugs affect the way the brain functions and alter its responses to the world. Drug abusers can show personality changes, violence, poor judgements, physical irritability, irresponsible behaviour, low self-esteem, depression and general lack of interest.

Drug abusers can lose what makes them admirable and unique. Most persons become less admirable when they start using drugs, because they will experience personality changes if they continue using drugs; they are not aware of their responsibilities towards the society; they lose respect towards others, even towards their friends and family. When drug abusers cannot use drugs, they get depressed and, therefore, run the risk of losing many friends. Drug abusers get less unique, since the drug abuse damages the ability of people to act as free and conscious beings, capable of taking action to fulfil their needs.

Drug abuse can cause physiological dependence, which means that when persons stop taking drugs, they will experience physical withdrawal symptoms and a craving for drugs. Adolescents use drugs for many reasons such as curiosity, because it feels good, to reduce stress, to feel grown up or to fit in. Experimentation with drugs during adolescence is common, in a study conducted by the European Journal of Pediatrics ''[a] total of 56 tenth grade students between 15-17 years of age at a secondary school in Dresden, Germany were enrolled in a pilot study by answering a self-completion questionnaire. Of adolescents, 57% took from one to six different