By: Zoe R.
Drug abuse has become more common in the 20th century. Especially common in teenagers. So who is to blame for these drug addictions in teens? The seller? The friends? Or is it just themself? According to The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, 12.78% of all 12- to 17-year-olds report using marijuana in the last year and 788,000 teenagers aged 12- to 17-years-old met the criteria for Illicit Drug Use Disorder (IDUD).
Teenagers doing drugs has become more common to this day. TV shows such as "Euphoria" has been a great way to represent what happens to teenagers in high school when they do drugs. Approximately, According to HBO, “Euphoria” Season 2 episodes are now averaging 16.3 million viewers. Euphoria is a show that starts Zendaya who is portrayed as a 17-Year-Old drug addict. She has gone through so much and the teen audience could definitely see the effects of drug abuse in a way that will be entertainment to them.
Peer Pressure: What do students benefit by pressuring their friends? Absolutely nothing. Peer pressure is a form of bullying. Knowing that what you're telling your friend to do is wrong and still telling them to do it, is just wrong. What is peer pressure? According to Teens Health, "Sometimes, though, the stresses in your life can actually come from your peers. They may pressure you into doing something you're uncomfortable with, such as shoplifting, doing drugs or drinking, taking dangerous risks when driving a car, or having sex before you feel ready". Teens already go through so much. They are figuring out what they like, they're growing and their attitudes are developing and changing.
Not only are teens doing illegal drugs and developing addictions to them. Teens also have addictions towards prescription drugs. According to Teens Health, " The likelihood that someone will commit a crime, be a victim of a crime, or have an accident is higher when that person is abusing drugs — no matter whether those drugs are medicines or street drugs".
Teens go through so much, wether its family life, personal life and/or school life. They may turn to drugs as a coping mechanism. This does not mean all coping ,mechanisms are healthy. Teens deserve the freedom of being able to communicate to people about what they are going through, this can help them not turn to drugs.