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The most valuable gift in life is a true friend. All of us have friends, right? The dictionary defines ‘friend’ in simple words, but the word has an abstract and a deeper meaning.
Our lives, as teens, are frequently surrounded by self doubt and in our struggle to fit in, we tend to cross our personal limits and give in to pressure from so-called ‘friends’ and to our social life influences.
Today, hundreds of teenagers are suffering with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). These disorders are categorised by the recurrent use of alcohol and drugs that result in several mental and health issues. According to a report by the UN, around 20% of the teens in the world are impacted by the use of drugs and similar substances. How are these rates extremely high? A simple answer is bad influence,in the form of peer pressure.
A physiatrist from the DrugFree organization stated the top seven reasons for teens to try alcohol and drugs (under the guise of ‘fun’).
- Other people: Teenagers see a variety of people (including their parents) drinking alcohol, smoking and vaping. Besides, these substances are readily available. Often, teenagers will follow the example set by their parents. Similarly, by seeing other teenagers smoking, or vaping, they might start to see it as a normal part of the teenager experience.
- Popular Media: 45% of teenagers agree that movies and TV shows make the use of drugs and alcohol seem cool. Additionally, different drug related posts on social media pages are frequently taken seriously by most of the teenage viewers.
- Escape through self-medication: When teens are unhappy and do not have a healthy outlet for their frustrations, they may turn to chemicals for solace. And if these chemicals provide them the needed relaxation, teens will obviously continue to consume them.
- Boredom: Teens who are bullied or alone are prime candidates for substance use. Furthermore, those substances tend to fill that internal void they feel.
- Instant gratification: Vapes, weeds and alcohol provide instant, short-term gratification and hence are obscure of the future side-effects.
- Lack of confidence: Shy and timid teens report that they cannot do some daring tasks without doing drugs or alcohol. These substances tend to give them the confidence they need.
- Misinformation: There is a lot of inaccurate information regarding alcohol and drugs on the internet, such as the amount and the type of dosage. Moreover, every teen has that friend who claims to be the expert of these topics and hence a lot of misinformation gets passed on.
Can you recognize a pattern? Well, a majority of these reasons are rooted to the main thesis of menacing teen life. As teens are in their adolescent phase, they are the most vulnerable section in society. Adolescence is considered a vulnerable phase because this is that age in which all the habits, good and bad, develop. Adolescents today face complex and changing environments, in which many things can go right and wrong. The increasing trends that demand the health and mental indulgence of teens are a cause of constant fret among parents and elders. Taking note of the spike in these trends, it is extremely necessary to educate the teens about the same and help create a well aware society. In this manner bad influencers can be identified and detached from the lives of adolescents.
