Adolescent And Substance Abuse Essay

446 Words2 Pages

Adolescents and Substance Abuse Thomasina Shaw South University Abstract This paper will discuss the research that was conducted on adolescents and substance abuse. Substance abuse is a major problem in the United States as well as the community in which I serve. The target population being adolescents, of any race and gender, aging from 12-18. The community that will be discussed is Texas County, which is the largest county in Missouri, but it very rural for the size. Most of the community that live in this area are below or at the poverty line, most are two income households, and the older kids take care of the smaller ones. Healthy People 2020, local schools, in-patient treatment facilities, hospital treatments (inpatient and outpatient), and other possible resources will be used to discuss the information regarding this. The targeted population of adolescents are of major concern not only for the parents but …show more content…

Substance abuse is the consumption of body, behavior, and mind altering that have negative outcomes on the health and behavior. Substance abuse includes: Caffeine, tobacco, cannabis, Alcohol, Hallucinogens, sedatives, inhalants, opioids, hypnotics, stimulants, and anxiolytics. The goal according to Healthy People 2020 is to reduce the use of substances to protect the safety, health, and quality of life (n.d.). The average age for adolescents for first time use of any substance is 13 years old. Substance abuse affects are wide and life altering not only for the individual but for the family and community. There are many things that go along with substance abuse not just for adolescents but for all who suffer from this problem, such as: HIV, health issues (cardiac, liver, lung, etc.), abuse (child and domestic), teen pregnancies, and deaths (suicide and