Addiction Definition Essay

Teens all across the world are facing addiction; they are becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. It’s happening right under our noses whether they are getting it from their house, grocery stores & pharmacies, even at schools and parties. Teen addiction comes with a lot of consequences anywhere from jail time to even death. It is important to watch for signs such as blood shot eyes, knowing how to prevent it from happening in your teens life, find out all the treatment plans for you teen if it comes down to it. There are a number of resource’s out there to help you with talking to your teen. â€Å"People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Many first try drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or in an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another problem, such as stress, anxiety, or depression.† (Robinson, Lawrence, Smith, Melinda, M.A., Saisan, Joanna, M.S.W., 2013, Drug Abuse & Addiction,). Teens start abusing drugs and/or getting addicted to drugs in stressful situations such as moving to a different city or state, changing schools, parents getting divorced, as well as being abused physically, mentally, sexually, emotionally. As well as hanging out with the wrong crowd can make your teen get into addiction with drugs and alcohol. Situations like this can make teens start to experiment with drugs and alcohol. The most common signs of drug addiction in teens is they always have bloodshot eyes, using eye drops to mask what’s really going on with them. One of the biggest signs is probably missing class; grades are starting to go down, & getting into trouble at school. Money and valuables missing from the house; some other signs can be signs of addiction are not acting like themselves or behaving rather weird. Loss of interest in things they once loved such as hobbies, being with friends and families, school. How can you prevent addiction or drug use in a teen? Speaking with your teen about the addiction to drugs and how it can affect them in the future may prolong the use of it. Sometimes that’s not always enough for some teens! â€Å"That’s why delaying the age of first use of alcohol and a drug is a critical goal of prevention. However, other protective factors, especially proactive parenting and strong family bonds, can help delay adolescents’ experimentation with drugs and alcohol and thus help reduce long-term problems.† (Author Unknown, Preventing adolescent substance abuse). Having a strong family bond with your children, always be in their life as much as possible can prevent them from touching that first drink or smoke that first blunt. Preventing teen addiction should be from different sources just not from parents or family, but schools should have something every year that explains the risks and dangers of addictions. My dad started using drugs when he was a teenager got addicted to coke and then he met my mom stopped using for a while. Then all of a sudden he’d take me and my sister to his drug house to get high off of whatever was there that day, I seen how messed up it made my family and how badly it hurt my mom to find out that my sister and I were being exposed to drugs at this drug house. My dad’s addiction tore my family apart because shortly after this my parents got a divorced and then on November 28 1998 he passed away from a brain aneurysm due to the long term drug use. I had to beat the stereotype that since my dad was a drug addict that I would be one too. I stayed focused on graduating on time, spent time with my family and friends that were good for me, as well as be being aware of what my dad went through and how he passed away too early. â€Å"The most important thing that can be done for teenagers who have an addiction problem is to ensure that they are able to get treatment for their problems, and getting the right treatment that will help them overcome their addiction. Although many of the options that are used for treating addiction among adults can be successful in treating teenagers, there are a number of additional things that will be of great help to teenagers trying to overcome their addictions.† (Author Unknown, Treatment options for Teenage Addicts, 2009-2013,) There are so many treatment centers and â€Å"cures† for any kind of addiction, but what one is the right one for you and your family? Is it to put your teen into rehab to get over their addiction or is it to just let them sit in jail and detox from whatever job they are on that’s just if they get caught. Or would you rather find out that your child is dead because of a drug over dose? Drug treatment programs could help for many reasons they provide general therapy, awareness, and education on getting treated for addiction. Counseling sits the addicted person down and makes them realize what they dealing with as far as drugs. There are also many drugs that doctors say â€Å"help with addiction† but I don’t know how true that is for a teenager that’s dealing with addiction. There are so many different types of treatment for addictions those were just to name a few. If your teen is suffering from addiction get them help fast from any of the above treatments. Teens all across the world are dealing with this deadly thing called addiction whether it’s from drugs or alcohol to even social media addiction to sex. There are ways to see if your teen has signs of addiction by their attitude, to their lack of attendance in school, to their bloodshot eyes. There are so many types of preventions for your teen, having a strong family bond, to being active in your teen’s life (even though it can be hard at times when it comes to teens and their parents). If your teen is suffering from addiction and you’d like to get them help there are drug treatment programs, counseling, medications, self-help groups, rehab, and possibly jail time if caught. Teens shouldn’t have to go through this alone. Reference page Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse (2013) http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/substance_abuse_prevention.page Robinson, Lawrence, Saisan, Joanna, M.S.W., Smith, Melinda, M.A (2013). Drugs Abuse & Addiction, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatments.htm#top Treatment Options for Teenage Addiction, (2009-2013), http://www.troubledteensparenting.com/treatment-options-for-teenage-addicts.php