Teen drug abuse is a very serious situation all over the country. Statistics are showing that teenage overdose death rates have climbed within 19 percent in the last year. There are many possible reasons why teens get addicted to drugs and how they start them. Most teens get addicted to drugs because they have mishaps, and do not know how to deal with them. Their friends are doing it, and they want to have fun.
Teenagers fail to realize the long term and short term effects of using drugs. In that moment they just want to feel good, have fun, and/or get away from their problems. The short term effect is the person’s thinking, mood, energy level and perception.
The long term effects are possible persistent memory impairments, white matter damage in the brain, decreased connectivity between areas, and last but not least death.
After a survey students at Cass Tech said drugs are not good for you and they should never be done. Most students said that students do drugs because others are doing them or because of peer pressure.
Cass Tech junior Mycah Cooper said: “Drugs should only be used unless they are for medical use, but kids our age (16) abuse that power, and tend to abuse substances that should be used for medical and research purposes. I think kids in this generation are followers, not leaders. They see others doing it and think it is cool but in actuality they are hurting themselves.”
Most students said that they feel their peers should uphold the drug free zone that schools provide.
Eventually teen drug abuse leads to death sooner or later if they do not get help. It is very important that if you know a classmate or friend is using drugs; let an adult know so they can get help.
