Amy Stegall Caruso English 1103 11/12/12

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Pop Culture: Substance Abuse, Teenagers, and Society Theres no question that drugs have a serious impact on society in this day and age, especially among the teenage population. Illicit drug use is greatly looked down upon and often considered rebellious behavior, which may be part of why it draws in young, vulnerable crowds and turns away responsible, mature ones. However, drugs have not always been viewed, or even used, in such a negative manner. Over the past century, societys perception of drug use has undergone many changes, mostly resulting in corruption. Many things that are socially acceptable today were not tolerated years ago. The creation of the Internet, television, and social networking has made sheltering children from corruption an impossible task. As a result, new and upcoming generations have a much different impression of drugs than those raised in previous generations. Over the years, societys knowledge, use, and opinion of drugs has undergone many changes. Cocaine, for example, is a substance that the world has had knowledge of for hundreds of years. Extracted from the coca plant, the pure chemical cocaine hydrochloride has extensive stimulative properties that were first recognized in the mid 1800s, during which the drug was used for medicinal purposes (NeuroSoup). Once the 1900s came around, cocaines medicinal value increased, and the chemical could be found in many patented medicines right here in the U.S. Cocaines popularity would be short lived, though; in 1914 the Harrison Narcotic Act was passed to end extensive use of cocaine, which became know to lead to serious and even fatal

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health problems (Erowid). The drug became extremely difficult to obtain after its illegalization. As a result of the high cost and low availability, cocaine was used by only a small percent of the population allowing it to keep a low profile for many years. During the early 80s, cocaine smuggling became a popular form of business investment. Within the next few years the production of coca in South America expanded into a multi-billion dollar industry. By the mid 80s, the estimated amount of cocaine being moved into the United States began doubling and even tripling year after year (NeuroSoup), and an estimated 8 million Americans were using cocaine regularly (Creglar and Mark 1986). But once again, its popularity declined as the 90s crept up, with the exception of one age group. From 1992 to 1999, the percent of high school seniors using cocaine doubled from 3.1 percent to 6.2(stopaddiction). Other illegal drugs experienced an increase of young users throughout the late 90s as well. As a result of cocaines decrease in recognition, other more modern drugs spiked in popularity. Throughout the next few years and into the 21st century, the use of illegal drugs among teenagers continued to increase at a steady rate. Americas present day society can still be found in the midst of this condition. The question on everyones mind is the same; why is drug use more prominent among teens in todays society? The answer is a natural result of social and environmental factors in the life of a young adult that may increase his or her risk of abusing substances. Social factors, often onset early in ones childhood, refer to the influential behaviors of parent and/or friend figures. The root of every individuals personal beliefs, values, and even habits can be traced back to the way he or she was raised. As a child, an individual learns everything they know from listening to and watching their parents; resulting in values, beliefs, routines, and habits that often reflect those of the parents. The implementation of healthy habits and moral values as a parent encourages wise decision making throughout a childs life, as well as the other way around.

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Therefore, certain factors pertaining to an individuals childhood may increase or decrease his or her risk for potential substance abuse. In an article from The Journal of Primary Prevention, Dr. Stephen Bahr explains the relation between parent-child interaction and substance abuse: If adolescents see their parents or other significant adults using drugs or if the attitudes of the adults are tolerant of drug use, adolescents may be inclined to experiment with drugs, acquire accepting attitudes toward drug use, and choose friends who use drugs. (Bahr 534) Another important factor is the parent-child relationship and frequency of communication. For example, teens whose parents talk to them regularly about drug abuse are 42 percent less likely to use drugs than teens who dont have those talks with their parents (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Though family is a main social influence over drug use, it generally presents an indirect rather than direct influence. The more direct social influence comes from friends and peers, those who adolescents surround themselves with first and foremost. Everyone who has ever been to high school has heard the term peer pressure more times than they can count. Peer pressure is a term used to describe the influence students have over each other when it comes to making decisions. This concept is important when observing teen drug use patterns for a few different reasons. First of all, maturing adolescents feel the need to become less dependent on their parents, and as a result they rely significantly more on friends. Friends also tend to become a main focus in an adolescents life, meaning that he or she is more likely to abandon his or her own values (mainly those put in place by the parents) in order to please and be accepted by a friend or group of friends. According to Drug and Alcohol Rehab Asia (DARA), Research confirms that most adolescent drug users are introduced to this behavior by friends. In addition, a majority of the teen years are spent in high school, which

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exposes young teens to a much larger new crowd in which age, race, and way of life vary greatly among individuals and cliques. In other words, high school students have a very high likelihood of coming in contact with drugs and drug users on a daily basis. By carefully choosing who to surround ones self with, one may somewhat have control over social risk factors. Environmental factors, on the other hand, are completely out of an individuals reach. All parents have the power to choose the type of home environment in which their children are raised. They do not, however, choose the type of society their children will be exposed to once they grow older. Theres no question that times have changed since the previous generation was in their teens, and not for the better. Each year, CBS conducts a back to school survey where students are asked about the prevalence of drug use at their high schools. According to journalist Ryan Jaslow, The [2012] survey revealed for the sixth straight year that 60 percent of high school students said they attend a drug-infected school, where drugs are used or sold on school grounds (Jaslow). The survey also included other alarming statistics, such as 52 percent of high school students claim to know at least one friend or classmate who uses hard drugs such as acid, ecstasy, meth, cocaine, or heroin. Statistically, there is a positive correlation between the advancement of society and increasing teen drugs use rates. The reason for this is technology and the way society uses it to influence corruptive behaviors. First of all, many modern television shows, movies, and songs advertise drug use. The 2010 film The Runaways portrays the teenage years of rock legends Joan Jett and Cherie Curry, who both were heavily influenced by drugs at a young age. The film features an excessive amount of teen drug use, which many people were very critical of. When asked about the topic in an MTV interview, Dakota Fanning defended her role as a drug addict when stating This is about real people, this is their real experience. It is arguable, however, that these so-called real experiences do not depict

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the reality of drug use. Throughout the movie drugs are portrayed in an almost glamorous fashion to the audience. The scenes show these young girls using hard drugs and having a good time without experiencing realistic consequences such as overdose, health issues, or legal troubles. In addition to expanding the popularity of drugs, technological advances have also allowed for drugs to be produced more widely and efficiently. As a result, access to larger amounts and varieties of drugs becomes easily obtainable for anyone. As previously mentioned, environmental factors are primarily responsible for the increased use of drugs in this day and age. One drug, for example, that has seen a great increase in production, distribution, and popularity is the synthetic psychoactive amphetamine MDMA. MDMA is more commonly addressed by its street name, ecstasy. The drug was first synthesized in the early 1900s, but did not become available on the streets for recreational use until 1977 (Erowid). At first, ecstasy was exclusive to the underground, all-night party, or rave scene. It wasnt until the late 90s that society saw the popularity of MDMA begin to soar, largely among high school students. In a mental health article from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, study director Lloyd Johnston stated, Since 1998, ecstasy use has roughly doubled among American teens. Statistics presented in the article also revealed that between 1999 and 2001, the percent of 12th graders who reportedly had easy access to ecstasy jumped 22 percent from 40 to 62 (Johnston). As ecstasy rose in popularity, mentions of the drug began to show up more in the media, especially in television and music. For example, an episode of the popular show Family Guy features a scene in which Stewie is under the influence of ecstasy. The scene shows Stewie in at a concert where he is trying to sell his tie-dye shirt in the crowd and has extremely enlarged pupils. The mention of ecstasy is even more prominent in the music industry, where hundreds of rap artist glorify the drug. Popular artist Eminem raps about the drug

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in his song Drug Ballad: As ecstasy got me standing next to you, getting sentimental as f*** spillin guts to you, and Let the X destroy your spinal chordsix hits wont even get me high no more, so bye for now, Im going to try to find some more. The media portrays ecstasy as a fun and exciting experience among partiers, which is part of why teenagers find it so appealing. In addition, the harmful effects are not as widely known as other drugs, resulting in a common misconception that ecstasy is a somewhat safe drug. In reality, ecstasy has both long and shortterm effects that can be life threatening. When on the drug, the user is unable to control body temperature putting him or her at risk of overheating, dehydration, and in extreme cases organ failure. As for long-term effects, permanent brain damage is often evident after just one use. When used frequently, the user is at high risk for severe brain damage, kidney failure, cardiovascular complications, and psychosis (Foundation for a Drug Free World). In addition to its dangerous effects, ecstasy also has a high risk of addiction, both of which generally generate a fatal outcome. Not only does technology allow for an increase in the production of drugs, it also allows for the creation of new drugs. Over the past few years, synthetic drugs have been causing an increasing amount of problems for teens and parents everywhere. Synthetic imitations of popular drugs have become a trend among teens in recent years. Until recently, synthetic drugs such as K-2 and bath salts were legally sold in the United States. Authorities worry that the illegalization of these substances have encouraged the production of more potent versions of chemical synthetics. A new drug that goes by the street name of smiles, also known by its chemical name 2C-I, has prevailed in the northwestern United States. Smiles, from the 2C chemical family of hyper-potent psychedelic synthetics, has been described as having effects similar to those of MDMA and LSD combined, only far more potent. Since smiles surfaced in the U.S. last year, it has been linked to multiple fatal overdoses in North Dakota,

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Minnesota, and Indiana, including that of 17-year-old Elijah Stai. According to witnesses, Stai was at a McDonalds in Grand Forks, North Dakota with a friend when he began shaking, growling, and foaming at the mouth, and then proceeded to smash his head against the ground (Weiss). Two hours later, Stai became the second teen to die from a smiles overdose within two days in the Grand Forks area. Barbara Carreno, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), believes the source of the drugs manifestation is the internet. Drugs used to take longer to get around but now with the internet they can spread by word of mouth online, she stated (Carreno qtd by Weiss). Also, with the ingredients available online for purchase and the reduced chemical make-up available on forums for everyone to see, the drug is easily obtainable. Officials have taken serious measures to prevent the trend from spreading, however. Stais friend, who allegedly provided the drug, has been charged with third degree murder. In July, the DEA announced Operation Log Jam, a program coordinated with the U.S. Law Enforcement specifically targeting designer synthetic drugs, and the first of its kind. Also that month, smiles was classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance with severe legal consequences for anyone caught with even a small amount. These actions may restrict synthetic drug distribution for a short time, but officials are no match for technology. As more laws and regulations are put into place, newer, more potent versions of synthetic drugs will arise in attempts to circumvent the law. Throughout this paper, the vulnerability of the teenage age group is an important theme. The teen years are a time when an individual transitions from a nave child to an adult. During these years, teens often become wrapped up with fitting into society, and are therefore more prone to giving in to outside pressure, and influences. Teen substance abuse represents popular culture in its most negative form. In the case of drugs, the trend of popular culture poses a huge

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threat to humanity. The current generation of teens and young adults are the future leaders of the American society, yet the threats posed to them by drugs are often overlooked. This is a serious problem because adolescent years are the most dangerous time to become involved with drugs, as well as the easiest. Many teens that use drugs are unaware of the harmful effects, and once hooked, they more likely to have an ignorant attitude towards the dangers of using drugs. As a result, the frequency of use and the amount of drugs used increases, also increasing the risk of addiction, overdose, irreversible brain damage, permanent health problems, and death. So how does one prevent his or her child from becoming a drug statistic? The best way is through education and communication. Parents cant change the natural progression of society, but they can change the progression of drug use. In addition to maintaining a healthy relationship and sense of communication, if all parents educated their children properly on the true dangers of drug use, the problem could be somewhat controlled. Though the issue of teen drug abuse will never fully be eliminated, precautions can be taken that may save the life of a drug-addicted teen, and eventually point the popular culture drug trend in a different direction.

Works Cited

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1. Bahr, Stephen, John Hoffmann, and Xiaoyan Yang. "Parental and Peer Influences on the Risk of Adolescent Drug Use." Journal of Primary Prevention. 26.6 (2005): 529-551. Web. 26 Sep 2012. 2. Boyd, Lucy. "Factors that Influence Teenagers to Substance Abuse." livestrong.com. Livestrong, 03 May 2011. Web. 28 Oct 2012. 3. Carroll, Larry. "Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning defend drug use in 'The Runaways'." MTV news. MTV, 28 Jan 2010. Web. 7 Nov 2012. 4. Erowid.com Web. 28 Oct 2012 5. Felts, Josie. "National Study Confirms Teen Drug Use Trending in Wrong Direction." drugfree.org. the partnership at drugfree.org, 06 April 2011. Web. 28 Oct 2012. 6. "History of Cocaine use in the United States." ww.neurosoup.com. NeuroSoup. Web. 18 Sep, 2012. 7. Jaslow, Ryan. "Survey: "Digital Peer Pressure"." cbsnews.com. CBS News, 22 Aug 2012. Web. 28 Oct 2012. 8. Johnston, O'Malley, and Bachman. "Rise in Ecstasy Use Among American Teens slow." University of Michigan, Web. 19 Sep 2012. 9. "Peer Pressure and Substance Abuse." alcoholrehab.com. DARA. Web. 28 Oct 2012. 10. "Teenage Drug Use Statistics." stopaddiction.com. StopAddiction. Web. 28 Oct 2012. 11. Weiss, Piper. "2C-I or 'Smiles': The New Killer Drug Every Parent Should Know About." yahoo.com, 9 September 2012. 30 Sep 2012. Web.

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