I want to examine the increase in teen drug use. I also want to investigate the reasons why so many teens in America are using drugs. Drugs have negatively impacted the lives of nearly 40 percent of all teenagers in this country. Health problems, DWI's, accidents, arrests, and impaired school as well as job performance are a few of the factors caused by drug use. Most teenagers that are involved in drug abuse usually come from either broken families, parents that are drug abusers, an unstable environment where they are constantly on the move, or from parents which are poor and are never around due to constant work. Nevertheless, even the most common teenager can have a drug problem depending on their friends and relationship with their family. .
Many teenagers turn to drugs when there is nowhere else to turn. Their family members either are never around, or hardly ever around at best. While some teens may have their parents around, they too are involved with drug abuse, resulting in giving little or no attention to their children. Some teens may have even dropped out of school, or are failing to meet the standards set for them, giving them a lacking sense of self-worth. What do teens do when they have to face these problems without a solution? They turn to drugs, hoping that it will take all of their problems away. Then, they are likely to discover new friends with the same view on drugs as they have. Now, they have a place to turn to. They now have a place where they will not be rejected or put down, nothing matters, and that everyday is a fine. Unfortunately, this only lasts until they finally just fall apart. .
One way to explain why most teens get involved in drugs is because of a low inner and outer restraint. Inner containment is what people believe is right and wrong, such as your beliefs and morals. These ideas are taught to you at a young age by your parents as well as other people in your life important to you.