drugs

            The man walked out of the convenience store, disappointed that he had been turned down for a job again. He slowly made his way to the next business, thinking back to that one day in the eighth grade when he made a decision that altered his entire life. He had chosen to experiment with drugs out of genuine curiosity. He had no idea at the time that that one choice would lead to a lifetime of addiction. His entire life had been ruined because of that one uninformed decision he had made. He had been expelled from school for being caught with drugs on several occasions and it was impossible for him to find a decent paying job because of his background. Now, after reflecting on and regretting his past, he wished he could have made a different choice that afternoon. While there are several reasons why people use drugs, three significant reasons are: social pressure, depression, and pure curiosity/experimentation. .
             Social pressure is a main reason why people, especially teenagers, start using drugs. According to Drug Abuse and Recognition Training, in America today, 13 million people are using illegal drugs. The highest percentage group that use illicit drugs is between the ages of 18 and 21 (Drug Use, internet n/p). Teenagers are pressured into doing something because everyone is doing it or because it is the "cool" thing to do. According to WebMD Health, 40 percent of all teenagers will experiment with drugs at least once (Teenager, internet n/p). It is not just their peers, though, who pressure teens to try something, in this case to try drugs. Teenagers are influenced by everyone around them to make practically any and every decision. Their parents may be telling them to "just say no," while their friends and people in the media may be saying that it is cool to do drugs. Teens look up to others besides their parents and sometimes it is the other people who can have a greater impact upon them.