Substance Abuse In Emerging Adulthood

Taking in toxic and harmful drugs can cause a change in the way an individual sends, receives and processes

Because adolescents are often mandated by the court or by their parents, YES Community Counseling Center uses an intervention called Motivational Engagement Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 5 (MET/CBT 5) to engage their adolescent clients. MET/CBT 5 is an evidence-based practice called. It is a 5-week program in which adolescents are educated about the consequences of drug and alcohol use, skills for resisting drug and alcohol, and skills for talking about their issues. When a client is involved in the MET/CBT 5 program, they are also involved in the Psycho-Educational Group. The Psycho-Educational Group is a minimum of twelve weeks, during which they discuss issues surrounding substance abuse.

It also affects learning, judgment, decision making, stress, memory, and behavior. Biology, Environment, and Development can all increase the risk of addiction. Early exposure to a home can cause children

Abuse of substances has ruined many lives, and many more to come

Addiction is very compelling, and those that suffer from it behave in ways that once sober, can cause enormous feelings of shame and regret. In the moment, when an addict is using, concerns over consequences of the future fade away in the euphoria of being high. As demonstrated by Nic Sheff in his 2007 memoir Tweak, the cycle of addiction is vicious, and there are many factors, biological, environmental, and social, that play a significant role in how an individual experiences addiction. The following quotes from Tweak explore some of those factors in Sheff’s life, as he describes it. This quotation from Tweak demonstrates the biological impacts of addiction because I feel it exemplifies how when an addict is using, especially an intoxicating combination of meth and heroin, nothing

There is a basic model that helps create a prognosis on possible substance abuse disorders. This goes from exposure of the substance use, to substance dependence. The basic premise is that cultural and psychological influences the beginning use of substances. As psychological stressors are associated with the substance, then it leads to substance abuse. The biological and psychological influences will lead to substance dependence.

Another target for this can be the younger generation due to the fact of peer pressure relations. As kids who are still trying to develop the whole notion of fitting in, it is a job that we must educate them first on the consequences if they were to make wrong decisions. To debunk the stereotypes, “Peer counseling program are also present in some schools. In these programs, students talk about mutual problems and receive support and perhaps learn coping skills from peers who have been trained in this intervention activity to not use drugs” (McKenzie 2012). Without maximizing the efforts of our younger kids who are prone to use more substances, commit crimes, develop mental illnesses, we need to start at a base where we are able to talk with them rather than tell them x, y,

Drugs such as alcohol have an effect on all users, regardless of their age; however, alcohol has an especially harmful effect on teens since their bodies are still developing. Studies have shown that alcohol has numerous negative effects on a teen’s body and mental health; for example, a study conducted by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention stated that “alcohol consumption affects the brain’s frontal lobes, which is essential for functions such as emotional regulations, planning, and organization” (“Age”). Teens already have high emotions and difficulties planning and organizing; alcohol will only enhance teens’ struggle. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention also found that alcohol consumption at a young age can potentially cause chronic problems such as memory loss, depression, suicidal thoughts, and poor decision making (“Age”). Teens have a difficult enough time making decisions and organizing their lives, but adding alcohol to the mix will only make matters worse; their bodies are still developing, and they are still learning to be adults.

In today’s society, substance abuse is a serious issue that has many explanations as to why it occurs. Peer pressure, boredom, rebellion, etc., are all common examples of why a person uses drugs and alcohol but there is more depth to it. Individuals will often get blamed or judged on the actions they perform and do not usually think of society itself as a factor. There are relatively stable patterns of social relations that contribute to the values and decisions of humans. Three levels of social structures that surround and permeate us are macrostructures, microstructures, and patriarchy.

Addiction is the reliance on a routine. There are many addictive stages. Addiction, as it comes along, becomes a way of life. The persistent use of the substance causes to the user serious physical or psychological problems and dysfunctions in major areas of his or her life. The drug user continues to use substances and the compulsive behavior despite the harmful consequences, and tries to systematically avoid responsibility and reality, while he or she tends to isolate himself/herself from others because of guilt and pain (Angres, & Bettinardi-Angres, 2008).

Literature Review Substance Use Disorder Defined According to the American Psychological Association, the definitional boundaries of what addiction is has changed multiple times over the years. Addiction was relabeled dependence in 1964 by the World Health Organization, as it thought that the word addiction closely linked to opiate use. A few years ago, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was released and combined the diagnostic categories for substance abuse and substance dependence (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These diagnoses have replaced the term with substance use disorders.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acknowledges that there are 10 million teens in the United States drinking regularly and over 20 percent binge drink. ( Teen Alcoholism). This information illustrates the dependence that teens have developed for alcohol and many of them don 't even know the issue that they are building for themselves. The signs that demonstrate that a teen is becoming or is addicted to alcohol are that he/ she is a heavy drinker, they drink regularly for no reason and becoming upset over the removal of accessibility of alcohol.

Drug abuse is caused by psychological, genetic as well as environmental factors and can have significant damaging effects on health. Psychological factors are associated with the development of drug abuse. Drug abuse often occurs

Drugs can be abused in a variety of different ways by people from every walk of life. Most of us have been affected by substance abuse either directly or indirectly. Substance abusers harm themselves, as well as their families and communities.

According to Timothy Wilens MD, there is “data indicating that 1 in 10 adolescents has a SUD [substance use disorder] . . . Roughly 80% experienced onset before age 25 years” (Wilens). With this large number of teens abusing drugs, the question of what the effects and consequences of drug abuse as a teen are becomes relevant. Specifically, identifying what the effects and consequences of teen drug abuse are through a scientific lense is important because drugs affect the body, brain, and its chemical balances. Drug abuse is a very specific term.