The book ‘A Hero Ain’t Nothing but a Sandwich’ is a story of a 13 year boy who is on his way being addicted to Cocaine. His name is Benjie Johnson. He lives in a flat with his Mother (Mrs. Rose Johnson), Step father (Butler Craig) and Grand Mother. His real father had left his mother years ago and he thinks his family doesn’t care about him. One of his old friends ‘Jimmy Lee – Powell’ gave him his first joint. Once, Benji goes to one of his friends place and some boys said to him that he was too soft for heroin and then he shoots heroin in his veins for the first time. He then starts using the drugs more and more with the time. He was then sent to hospital to get detox and his mother and grandmother tells him that they actually want to take …show more content…
Because teenage is an age where a child is mentally, emotionally and physically still under development. They need to be guided. As we see in the text that Benji feels that his family does not care for him, he feels that he is alone, and as the drugs got easily available he chooses it as an cure for his problem, which is obviously not safe for a 13 year old teenager. And not only the family problems or depression but peer pressure and esteem is can also be a reason to substance use. As we see in the text Benji’s friend gave him his first joint, he was Benji’s friend so he couldn’t avoid and also at his friend’s place when some boys teased him by saying that he was too soft to take the heroin, he took his first shot of heroin in order to protect his esteem in order to show that he’s not soft. Now days there are a variety of drugs that have easy access and with the problems of youth like stress, peer- pressure, self- esteem, stress of studies and career they find drug abuse as a solution of their problem. Many of them do not get addicted to it but trying drugs is not an good option