Addiction in Adolescence
Addiction in Adolescence
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The relationship between abuse and addiction among adolescents is based on recurrent use that eventually causes the individual to lose control over the decision to take drugs. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, addiction tends to happen when eventually repeated drug use takes over an individual’s brain function. The individual is noted to shift from voluntary drug use to compulsiveness reflected in the adolescents’ lack of control over the impulse to use drugs in spite of known negative consequences (“National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),” 2016). The reasons for drug abuse among adolescents vary ranging from the desire to fit in, to lessening feelings of depression, boosting performance in academics or sports, and even simply experimentation. In further exploring the relationship between use and addiction in adolescents, this essay looks at the effects on a developing brain, impacts of spiritual development on later use, as well as prevalence based on local news coverage, and an analysis of varied viewpoints.
Abuse or addiction is noted to affect the developing brain of an adolescent in devastating ways. While memory loss and damaged motor skills are likely to be evidenced by drug users at all ages, the effects are more adverse in adolescents as their brains are still developing. Research indicates that the hippocampus, which is the memory focus of the brain, tends to be severely affected by drugs during adolescence. Additionally, brain development is disrupted such that the prefrontal cortex, which controls reasoning, does not entirely develop (“National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),” 2016). This implies difficulties for the adolescent to cope with social problems later in life.
In spite of the above implications of drug abuse on the adolescents’ brain development, research also indicates that healthy spiritual development significantly minimizes the likelihood of abuse in adolescent years. According to research by The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse, adolescents and teens who considered religion to be important and consequently regularly attended religious services significantly reduced their chances smoking, drinking or using illicit drugs (The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 2016). Consequently, it is recommended that medical professionals recognize the significance of spirituality and thus use available spiritual resources in communities to address adolescent drug abuse.
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Due to recommendations such as spirituality continually being made to minimize the use of drugs among adolescents, local news coverage of alcohol and drug related stories show that substance abuse among youngsters is considerably decreasing. Local media reports, for instance, indicate that according to CDC reports, fewer adolescents are smoking and drinking today than they did in earlier years. In 2015 for instance, alcohol use was at 35 percent compared to 45 percent in 2007 among high school students (Fox, 2016). Based on such new stories and additional readings, it is evident the prevalence of addiction is minimizing. The National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that prevalence has significantly reduced over the last five years. Prevalent rates of alcohol, marijuana and hookah, however, remain higher than those of narcotics and sedatives.
Further analysis of news reports and readings reveal that different viewpoints are considered, analyzed and treated. In the analysis of the prevalence rates declining as noted by CDC above, for instance, the interest of the adolescents is also considered. The extent to which adolescents viewed particular drugs as harmful was noted, particularly indicating that majority of 12th graders found marijuana to be harmless. Additionally, considering rates at each particular grade also aids in determining the influence with advancing age. Different reasons for use are also considered. It is particularly noted, for instance, that some drugs used as pain relievers for adolescent athlete s end up leading to addiction. Considering the varied viewpoints notably aids in deriving accurate conclusions about prevalence.
References
Fox, M. (2016). Teen Smoking Hits Another New Low — But More Kids Are Vaping – NBC
News. Retrieved from
new-low-more-kids-are-vaping-n589271.
The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse. (2016). So Help Me God: Substance
Abuse, Religion & Spirituality | CASAColumbia. Retrieved from
religion-spirituality
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2016). Retrieved from
reatment-research