Substance abuse has always been an incontrovertible part of life. People, especially the adolescent youth abuse several legal and prohibited substances for different reasons: to escape reality, self-medicative purposes, to intensify excitement, to achieve deeper consciousness, to escape reality, or to gain entry within a social group. This phenomenon is a very risky proposition; even small traces of substance abuse such as marijuana, over consumption of alcohol and inhalants can lead to detrimental consequences. Furthermore, the implication on using dangerous drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, or heroin are severe and could lead to irreversible consequences and death. The …show more content…
This is also the stage in life where they find their role in society, which can lead to several risky behaviors such as substance abuse. According to Sharma (2015), a 2011 survey conducted in the United States demonstrated that 23.4% of students reported tobacco use; 21.9% of students engaged in binge drinking; 39.9% used marijuana; 6.8% cocaine usage; 3% cocaine usage; 11.4% inhalant usage; 8.2% ecstasy usage; 2.9% heroin usage; and 3.8% methamphetamine usage. The most recent analysis provided by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion stated that rates of alcohol or illicit drug use in the past 30 days among the adolescent youth was at a combined average of 42% between the age of 12 - 17 (Substance Abuse, n.d.). These statistics demonstrates that the rates of substance abuse among adolescents have not decreased overtime and is becoming a widespread disease within the …show more content…
According to Potter (2016), all adolescents are at risk for experimental or recreational substance use, but those who have dysfunctional families are more at risk for chronic use and physical dependency. This condition may arise if the youth experiences lack of parental interaction and insufficient parental supervision. These leads to poorly communicated or absence thereof rules and regulations against prohibited substances; moreover, failure to realize the consequences of partaking in this activity. Furthermore, family conflicts and parental attitudes in favor of substances usage promotes substance seeking