Substance Abuse by Adolescents
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Substance abuse by adolescents is a pattern of substance (drug or alcohol, for instance) use leading to significant problems, e.g. absence from school, interference with family or friend relationships, or legal problems (Payne, Golden and Kaminer, 2002; UAB, 2004). Substance dependence is continued use of drugs or alcohol, even when significant problems related to their use have developed. There may be an increased tolerance to the drug of choice, a need for increased amounts of the drug to attain the same desired effect, withdrawal symptoms with decreased use, difficulty stopping use of the drug, withdrawal from social activities and continued use of the drug even with awareness of the physical and psychological problems encountered. Chemical dependence is the term used to describe the compulsive use of drugs or alcohol and the inability to stop using them despite the problems they cause. The substances most commonly used by adolescents include alcohol; marijuana; hallucinogens; cocaine; amphetamines; opiates; and anabolic steroids (Payne, Golden and Kaminer, 2002; UAB, 2004). Substance abuse and chemical dependence are caused by a number of factors including genetic vulnerability, environmental stressors, social pressures, individual personality characteristics, and psychiatric problems. Which of these is the primary cause and which the secondary has not been determined for adolescents. Some adolescents are more at risk for developing substance-related disorders,
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urvey on Drug Abuse which showed that in the early 1990s, substance abuse among young girls between the ages of 10 and 14 increased significantly (Ginther, 2002). Among girls reporting their first use of marijuana, 24 percent fell into this age group, as did 31 percent of girls reporting alcohol use. Similar rates were found for the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs among girls aged 12 to 17, and a significantly higher percentage of both males and females reported using psychotherapeutic drugs such as painkillers, tranquillizers, sedatives, and stimulants.
Genetic factors have been found to play a significant role in addiction (Nestler, 2002). For instance, alcohol abuse has been found o run in families with an estimated risk for this disorder being genetic of between 40 percent and 60 percent. Similar rates of a genetic cause have been found for other drug addictions such as the opiates and cocaine. The only definite gene identification so far has been in a certain East Asian population in which there is a defect in the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme that metabolizes alcohol. This defect dramatically increases the side effects of acute alcohol intake, and reduces the individualĘs vulnerability to alcoholism.
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Approximate Word count = 1607
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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