Expert: Peter L. - 1/10/2012

Question
Greetings! Hello Sir, I am Rachel Ann Rempis taking up Mass Communication at Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines. We are in need of international sources about our investigative study which focuses on teenage issues like drugs, alcohols, late-night hang-outs, and delinquent students. I have read some of your articles about teenage issues and I find it really helpful and interesting. Hope you could help us on our investigative study. Below are some questions that will help in our deep understanding about teenage issues. I hope you could help us on this matter. Thanks

QUESTIONS:

1. What do you think is the primary reason why teenagers nowadays are getting involved in social issues like drugs and alcohol usage and early pregnancy?
2. What pleasure do teenagers get from using drugs and drinking alcohols?
3. What are the effects of drug usage to teenagers particularly on their mental and social behavior?
4. Is drug addiction a self-inflicted disorder?
5. What is the estimated age bracket for teenagers who are using drugs and alcohols?
6. How can teenagers prevent drug addiction?
7. What is the side effect of using marijuana?
8. Why is it that teenagers are having hard time to stop using it after trying it?
9. What is the process of using marijuana? What is the effect of it in our bodies especially in our mental and social behavior?
10. A lot of teenagers are going into bars and late-night hang-outs and indulge themselves in alcohol, why is that so.

Answer
Hi Rachel,

In answer to your questions:  

1) I think there are strong societal influences in the ways kids think. I think being risque is fashionable, and marijuana smoking is all but completely acceptable behavior to teens.  Early pregnancy probably has multiple causes, including lack of education about birth control, impulsiveness, and recklessness due to being under the influence.

2) Teens probably get the most pleasure from using substances for the sheer aspect of going against the grain (parents, teachers, etc.) and fitting into peer environments.  Teens want to be accepted.

3) Substances can negatively affect teens mental health in a number of ways, not the least of which is interfering with normal emotional development, risk of triggering psychosis, and mood/behavior changes.

4) Depends who you talk to.  All addictions progress from experimental use, to social use, to ritualistic, addictive use.  Along the way people can stop, give pause, and understand they are getting to involved with a substance. In practical terms, that doesn't happen as much as we'd like. But then again, we have no data on the people who self-recover from addiction, not attending a treatment program or attending Alcoholics Anonymous, but just doing it on their own.  Other people feel addiction is a disease, and that substance users are limited in their choosing to use or not use substances.  

5) I've heard of alcohol/drug use starting as early as age 9. Most teen use occurs between the ages of 13 and 19.

6) Usually, parents, teachers, or mentors have to influence teens to not indulge in substances of abuse.  Teens usually will not just make the decision to not use.  If their peer group uses, they likely will.

7) Marijuana interferes with normal transmission of electrical impulses in the brain.  It depresses the immune system.  It raises the risk of psychotic episodes in some teens.  It creates amotivation.

8) Well, some teens have a hard time stopping, others do not. Most teen substance abusers are not addicted. That usually comes later, but their continued social use is raising their risk of being adult substance abusers.

9) It is smoked, usually. It affects the lungs, primarily.  See aforementioned responses to  the rest of this question.

10) Drinking is a ritualistic behavior for teens and young people.  They do it all the time.  It's socially motivated.   There are the places young people go for recreation a lot of the time, and to meet people.  Alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes people more gregarious.  It is almost a social lubricant.