The Question Of Teens And Drug Abuse RequiresOur Utmost Attention
Drug abuse among teens has reached epidemic proportions. It Doesn’t matter how vigilant you are, your teens are going to be exposed to drugs at school, the very place you believe to be a safe environment. Mrs. Reagan’s ‘Just say no to drugs’ campaign was a complete failure. The fact is that teenagers view adults as old fuddy-duddies that have never seen the outside of a paper bag. Parents, try as they may, face a bitter war in safe guarding their kids from the ravaging effects of drugs.
The battle is made tougher by the fact that most of us have prescription medications in our medicine cabinets. When confronting the issue of teens and drugs, you have to give them a rational argument that distinguishes between necessary prescriptions and illegal drugs. This isn’t easy. Some well known prescription medicines are being peddled in schools as a way to catch a buzz. Teens don’t realize that these medications are issued in duplicate or triplicate, as a method to control the use of certain narcotics. Without having experienced a legitimate need for these drugs themselves, they may well come to the conclusion that their parents are enjoying some high that they are somehow being denied.
One more problem with teaching children about the issue of teen drug abuse is that this society does not show any differences between drugs. Some pharmaceutical drugs are needed, but when it comes to our youth and drugs, we say that every drug is bad. This is a deception. Some teens require prescription medication for a legitimate condition. as prescribed], that medication can get a [kid who doesn’t need it. Sometimes, that medication can have fatal consequences when used as a ‘recreational’ drug.
Kids are not able to make those distinctions. For example, a person with severe pain because of arthritis or cancer, could be prescribed codeine or another opiate to manage the pain. Children don’t understand that this patient doesn’t get high. That med only dulls the pain. However, in the world of kids and drugs, this potentially dangerous drug becomes an opportunity tocatch a buzz. They don’t realize the difference.
One huge deception that encourages teenage drug abuse is the fable of marijuana. This street drug is made out to be the first step to drug addiction, thrown in the same bag as meth and ice. The minute that middle school kid tries weed, the kid sees that even though it makes them feel good, they can hide this new habit from their parents and it doesn’t make them crazy. They make the conclusion that the rest of the warnings issued on kids and drugs are deceptions. That’s why they step into the grip of the extremely dangerous drugs.
As a nation, we need to educate our kids. Teach them the effects of drugs. Mescaline, crack, heroin and drugs like ‘ecstasy’ can ruin their lives or kill them. Be honest. We can defend our teens.Addiction is a terrible problem in our society today but with the “proper” education we can teach our future generations the realities of addictions and drug abuse.
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