Drug Abuse
Do drug education programs really reduce teen drug abuse?
What is Drug Abuse?
There are negative reactions such as:
Issues at work, school, or at home
Problems with the law
Risks -physically, mentally, and in the person's health- that come with using drugs in any situation, dangerous or otherwise
Background information
In this case, there's really only pros and cons of drug education programs.
Drugs are used all over the world, and we are worried about them corrupting our youth. Do the drug education programs really work? Do the teens actually listen to the program?
Here are some pros and cons of drug education programs.
Pros
I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
Some pros of drug education programs are:
- It shows teens what could happen if you do drugs
- Most programs explain what drug abuse is (i.e D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), Narconon, etc)
- Some educators take the time to help people if they might want to go to drugs
Cons
“I was more addicted to self-destruction then to the drugs themselves ... something very romantic about it”
― Gerard Way
Some cons of drug education programs are:
- Some teens generally don't care about anything adults are talking about so they won't listen when the educators are trying to help
- Sometimes scaring the teen into not doing drugs (example if you do drugs you'll die, etc.) and/or being told "if someone offers you drugs just say no" don't work because they'll do the opposite of what they say
- Also sometimes they tune out or aren't there at all and miss the lesson
- Finally, some kids are depressed and the only way they feel better are by doing drugs, so when teachers tell not to do it, it makes them feel guilty.
Teen Heroin use from 2002-2012
Final Thoughts
“Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self esteem.”
― Kurt Cobain
I think that drug education programs do reduce teen drug use 98% percent of the time. I do think that the other 2% of teens don't care, or aren't captivated. Because of that they turn to drugs unknowingly.
I think the way to fix that is make the seminars less like lectures and more captivating, but not childish.
Even though I do think that these programs help, there is no way to prove it unless we were to follow the teens around all day every day, but that is an invasion of privacy and breaks many of our rights.
So, I do believe that they help people and the number of teens doing drugs are lower than they were before educators started going to schools, but they can still be improved so they appeal to everyone.
Bibliography
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