Teen Drug Use

7 Pages 1678 Words

ck of cohesiveness, a transient population, and insufficient social organizations. (Siegel, Welsh, Senna p. 538) Drug use by young minority-group members has been tied to factors such as racial prejudice, low self-esteem, poor socioeconomic status, and the stress of living in a harsh urban environment. The association between drug use, race, and poverty has been linked to the high level of mistrust and defiance found in lower seriocomic areas.
To also explain as to why youth begin using drugs is the idea of to fit in and belong, or peer pressure. Children want others to like them. Sometimes youth use alcohol, tobacco, and/or drugs to feel like they fit in, to overcome anxiety, to alter their personality, and to give themselves the courage to do things that they would not normally do sober. (www.helpthemknow.com) Research shows that adolescent drug abuse is highly correlated with the behavior of best friends, especially when parental supervision is weak. Youths in inner-city areas where feelings of alienation run high often come in contact with drug users who teach them that rugs provide an answer to their feelings of inadequacy and stress....