Adolescent Drug Use and How We Can Stop It
Early drug use has been a prevalent issue for decades, and with the rise in mental health problems, it is worsening. However, because teens are vulnerable targets for substance abuse, we are also simultaneously the best demographic for tackling this complex issue.
Problems with substance use among adolescents are associated with early childhood trauma and negative interactions with parental figures. According to Roy Otten, professor of Clinical Psychology at Radboud University, “Early life stress may disrupt child inhibitory control, which can cascade into behavioral and peer problem behavior in childhood and, in turn, heighten the risk for early adolescent substance use.” Many teens struggle with stressful home-lives, so it is unsurprising that a good number turn to substances to cope. In fact, in Arizona, 29% of teens abuse prescription drugs. This alarming statistic must be addressed.
Historically, anti-drug campaigns created by adults have not been effective whatsoever. In fact, a “2006 study by the Government Accountability Office found that $1.4 billion that the federal government had allocated to an anti-drug media campaign aimed at young people had had no perceptible impact” ( Kolbert, “The Terrible Teens”). Clearly, new and better strategies need to be created to tackle the rising rate of substance use among teens.
Fortunately, anti-substance use messaging created by teenagers is becoming increasingly popular and may be more effective than what adults have offered. Stephanie Peña Alves, Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University, argues that successful anti-drug campaigns can be credited to teenagers themselves, who create presentations depicting the negative effects of substance use. Messaging from the same age demographic is more likely to influence teens’ opinions on drug use, as teens can relate to each other more than they can to adults or faceless organizations.
Another way to address early substance use is to educate adolescents on media literacy. Lloyd Johnson from University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future, an etiological research project, states that teaching teens critical thinking through media literacy results in better understanding of the marketing strategies of pro-substance companies. If teens can understand the methods of advertising for drug use, they can know when companies are using them and how to counteract those messages. Furthermore, when teens learn a set of skills to counter-strike drug companies targeting adolescents, they too can advocate for their cause.
Although older, established “solutions” have failed to address the issue of early substance use, there is hope for a more effective way. Teens who are recovered users should be engaged to participate in these campaigns, as they can relate to their peers. I want to encourage my peers on a grand scale to participate in anti-drug campaigning and to educate each other on both the harmful effects of substances, and the marketing tactics of drug companies. I advocate for education created by and aimed at teenagers.
