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Medina Ali
Mr. Marshall
American Gov; B
Civic Literacy Paper
March 9, 2015
One Bad Choice
Does teen drug and alcohol abuse really affect the lifestyle of teens in the world? More
and more teens are starting to abuse drugs and alcohol by doing things that are harmful for
themselves and the people around them. This problem has been around for years, but more teens
are going under the influence which is causing more problems with their personal and social
lives. This problem is a global issue that goes under the radar because it is such a hard issue to
tackle.
When a teen begins to get addicted to drugs and alcohol they lose their friends, develop
mental and physical health problems, start failing in social activities like school and sports, they
lose motivation, and alienate their family and friends. According to teen-drug-abuse.org more
teens will drop out of school, and face difficulties later on in their professional life. Its important
for a parent to look for signs in their children. A parent who wants to keep their child from doing
drugs should stay clean and live a healthy lifestyle. A reason why teens turn to drugs and alcohol
is because of peer pressure and because they feel isolated and alone at home. Teens should have
an idea on how they should live their life so they can set positive goals for their near future.
According to teens.drugabuse.gov, an estimated 25% of youth under the age of 18 are exposed to
family drug abuse or dependence. For example, if a kid is living in a household with a parent

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that is addicted to drugs, the child will most likely model their parents actions which will lead to
lifelong problems.
In the city I live in, I haven't seen or personally experienced anything related to this issue
but I have heard of people that are intertwined alcohol and drug abuse. The reason why I think
high school students try drugs and alcohol is because of peer pressure and because they are lost.
According to nihm.nih.gov, about 11 percent of adolescents have some type of depressive
disorder and end up using drugs and alcohol because of it.

This chart posted on drugabuse.gov monitors the drug use and attitude among
American 8th, 10th, and 12th graders that abuse these things. A few things that the chart states is
a decrease rate of synthetic drugs and inhalants and no increase use of marijuana. However, this

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survey showed the increase rate of e-cigarettes and the softening attitudes around some type of
drug use. When it comes to alcohol use, this survey shows that it has decreased. Reportedly,
about 9% of eight graders, 23% of 10th graders, and 37% of reported to have intake alcohol the
past month. This was compared to statistics in 2009 which were much higher.
One of the main questions that is posed when people try to fix this problem is why do
teens abuse these substances? People argue that its because they want to try new things and take
risks, or its personal family issues, or they want to feel grown up. I think all these reasons cause
this problem. A way I plan to help decrease this issue is to start performing a socially conscious
play that will be based on actual teens who had abused drugs and alcohol, losing their lives in the
process. The main goal of this play will be to educate, and frighten individuals off from using
medication, and to pay our respects to those no longer with us. This play could be performed in
any type of location like high schools and middle schools. Basically anywhere that would get the
message across. This play will be so truthful that it might seem to vulgar and risky because it
will show people the truth about life. The truth about what people are doing behind their parents
or friends back. The truth about how young adults feel about themselves, how they thought the
only way out was to abuse themselves. I really feel like performing a play like this will make
people aware of their surroundings and realize what is important in their life.

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Works Cited
Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse-Topic Overview." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 07 Mar. 2015.
"TEENDRUGABUSE." Www. Teen-drug-abuse.org. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
DrugFacts: High School and Youth Trends." DrugFacts: High School and Youth Trends. Web. 11
Feb. 2015.
Drug Facts." NIDA for Teens. Web. 01 Mar. 2015
Sussman, Steven Yale., and Susan L. Ames. "Definitions of Drug Abuse and Drug Abuse
Consequences." The Social Psychology of Drug Abuse. Buckingham: Open UP, 2001. Print
Ammerman, Robert T., Peggy J. Ott, and Ralph E. Tarter. Prevention and Societal Impact of
Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1999. Print.