Teens on Drugs: The Debate

Argumentative Essay
“Young people turn to drugs because they have no-one to turn to and nothing to live for.”

I completely disagree that young people turn to drugs because they have no-one to turn to and nothing to live for. For the purposes of this essay, I have defined “young people” as people within the age bracket of 13-25 years, and “drugs” as any mood-altering substance, including alcohol and prescription medication.

Many young people begin using milder drugs due to peer pressure. Alcohol, and to a certain extent marijuana, are considered “acceptable” drugs. Drinks such as Chivas Regal and Bacardi are represented in the media as necessary to have fun and relax. Although cigarettes are no longer advertised, due to being harmful, the alcohol industry is free to promote its products at huge public events.

Going from drinking alcohol to smoking marijuana is not a big step; they are both cheap and readily available. Although marijuana is illegal, it is often portrayed as commonplace or even desirable in the teenage lifestyle. It enjoys almost cult status as the drug of choice for young people who are laid-back and “cool”. Marijuana has become an emblem of the “stoner” set, and is as common at parties as alcohol.

Addiction to prescription medication is also a growing problem amongst the youth. Parents set a bad example for their children by using antidepressants and sleeping tablets to shut out life’s complications instead of effectively dealing with their problems, as they advise their children to do. It’s a “do as I say, don’t do as I do” scenario.

In our culture, young people are pressured to solve our difficulties by popping a pill. Disruptive children are given Ritalin, unhappy children are given Prozac. All this leads the child to believe that he can’t function normally without the aid of the drug, and so an addiction develops.

As for harder drugs – a person does not leap immediately into cocaine or heroin. There’s a process which starts a downward spiral into addiction. Once the body develops a tolerance for alcohol, one has to seek out higher doses and stronger substances to achieve the same high. People with certain addictive personality types are more likely to become dependent on drugs – even something as simple as a chemical imbalance in the brain can turn someone into an addict.

Finally, studies have shown that children of overindulgent parents are much more likely to experiment with drugs. They are given too much freedom and consequently engage in reckless behaviour. They don’t turn to drugs because they are unloved, it is quite the opposite – their parents pamper them, unable to say “no”.

In short, young people do not turn to drugs because they have no-one to turn to and nothing to live for: it’s far more complicated than that. Drug addiction rises from a number of problems – a permissive society, peer pressure, scientific advances, personality problems and negligent parenting.