Parent Tips - Part 1: Why do young people experiment with drugs?
Understanding why a youth might start using drugs is paramount into formulating a proper response to their involvement. Current research has identified over 50 factors which might contribute to someone being at risk for drug use. Many of those factors are similar in a variety of addiction related issues including violence and gambling to name a few. What is interesting to note that these factors do not fall into a particular subgroup but fall across multiple subgroups. Examples of these would include free time available, family structure, peer group, social pressures and media exposure. This is really important for parents to understand that they have to deal with the individual youth’s situation and state of mind if they are going to have an opportunity to make an impact.
OK so what drive’s a youths desire to experiment with drugs? According to the research on the pathways to drug use Dr. Alan I. Leshner, PhD Director of NIDA says, “that there is one of two types or reasons. One group of people seems to sue drugs simply to feel good. They are seeking novelty or excitement, to have a good time.” This would include those youths who just want to fit in with the group, who want to be “cool.” According to Leshner, this specific group is also the most responsive to prevention programming that educate through harm reduction, as well as those influenced by the powerful protective factor of having strong and living parents interested in them and in all aspects of their lives.The second pathway is from an entirely different group of young people who are using drugs for quite different, actually more problematic reasons. This group is suffering in some way or another and uses the drugs as a form of self-medication to make themselves feel better or even normal. This group often times includes people who are stuck in very difficult life situations - poetry or abuse families to name some examples. It may also include youth who are suffering from a variety of undiagnosed or untreated mental disorders, like clinical depression, manic depressive illness, panic disorders, and schizophrenia. According to Dr. Leshner "there are as many as 10 million children and adolescents who may suffer from emotional and psychiatric problems of such magnitude that their ability to function is compromised, the majority of those kids are at extremely high risk of becoming addicted to drugs."
Young people who use drugs to medicate themselves are doing so not only to feel better but to feel normal, in which in many cses they may be treated with anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications. But because they are undiagnosed the use of illicit drugs does not effectively treat those issues. In fact it may actually enhance those issues making the youth feel worse.
So what other factors are there that contribute to youth drug abuse? The more common ones are listed below:
Enjoyment
Despite all the concerns about illicit drug use and the attendant lifestyle by young people, it is probably still the case that the lives of most young people are centered on school, home and employment and that most drug use is restricted to the use of tobacco and alcohol They may adopt the demeanor, fashion and slang of a particular subculture including the occasional or experimental use of illegal drugs without necessarily adopting the lifestyle.
Even so, the evidence of drug use within youth culture suggests that the experience of substances is often pleasurable rather than negative and damaging. So probably the main reason why young take drugs is that they enjoy them.
Environment
Many young people live in communities which suffer from multiple deprivations, with high unemployment, low quality housing where the surrounding infra-structure of local services is fractured and poorly resourced. In such communities drug supply and use often thrive as an alternative economy often controlled by powerful criminal groups. As well as any use that might be associated with the stress and boredom of living in such communities, young people with poor job prospects recognize the financial advantages and the status achievable through the business of small scale supply of drugs.
Curiosity
Most young people are naturally curious and want to experiment with different experiences. For some, drugs are a good conversation point, they are interesting to talk about and fascinate everyone.
Some young people will use drugs specifically to ease the trauma and pain of unsatisfactory relationships and the physical and emotional abuse arising from unhappy home lives. Such young people will often come to the attention of the school. If these problems can be addressed, then if drugs are involved they can become less of a problem.
Whether or not part of any particular subset of youth culture, young people like to be exclusive, own something that is personal to themselves and consciously or unconsciously drug use may act as a means of defiance to provoke adults into a reaction. Promotion and availability
There is considerable pressure to use legal substances alcohol and pain-relieving drugs are regularly advertised on television. The advertising of tobacco products is now banned on television, but recent research from Strathclyde University published by the Cancer Research Campaign concluded that cigarette advertising does encourage young people to start smoking and reinforces the habit among existing smokers.
Despite legislation, children and teenagers have no problems obtaining alcohol and tobacco from any number of retail outlets; breweries refurbish pubs with young people in mind, bringing in music, games, more sophisticated decor and so on while the general acceptance of these drugs is maintained through sports sponsorship, promotions and other marketing strategies. Obviously, the illicit market is more discreet, but those determined to experiment appear to have little trouble obtaining drugs.
Cost
Value for money is often a factor as to which drug to use. Cannabis sufficient for a few joints would cost about $20, while an LSD trip would be around $3-$10. In terms of how long the effects last, this compares very favourably with an average price for a glass of beer is around $1.80. By the same token, ecstasy of highly variable quality is still selling for up to $1 a tablet and many drug users have been voting with their wallet and turning to cheaper drugs such as LSD and amphetamine.
What Can Parents Do?
What, if the answer is "yes," your child is using drugs? What do you do? In a small percentage of cases, parents can work with their own kids to get them to stop using drugs. This might be easiest when the young person is just using drugs occasionally to have a good time. And, of course, the earlier you start talking to your children about drugs, the better the chances are they won't become involved with them. If a child reaches the age of 20 without using alcohol, tobacco or marijuana, the probability is almost zero he or she will ever develop a serious drug problem.
But if you suspect your child is really trying to self-medicate, or if you suspect your child is using regularly or even is addicted, you need to get help right away from the professionals. These are not, problems the typical parents can handle alone. And help is available. There are many professional social workers, nurses, drug counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists well trained to deal with both mental disorders and drug use problems. Your child's school, your family doctor, or community health center can help get you a referral. Do not assume Sally or Johnny's drug use is just a passing phase or something every kid must go through. It isn't. It may well be the beginning of a lifetime of problems that could be prevented with early intervention.
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