Preventing Drug Use Among Children And Adolescents: Fill & Download for Free

Sustainable societies depend upon strong families.Nations that seek to remain economically and politically vital must reproduce themselves; children are most likely to thrive—socially, emotionally, and economically—when they enjoy the shelter and stability of an intact, married family; marriage is most beneficial for children when both parents are positively invested in their lives; and families are most likely to flourish when they can be built upon strong economic foundations. [1][1][1][1]These are ideals not absolutes. As in any distribution, there are always outliers: about 30% of children from abusive environments still grow up to be decent caring people—(most often because they had someone besides the parents who cared enough to try and be a good influence)—and there is always a percentage of kids from caring parents who go off the rails no matter what the parents try to do to save them. Some poor families are stronger family units than some who are economically more prosperous. Everyone doesn’t fit the pattern perfectly, still, it is an accepted maxim that: “Sustainable societies depend upon strong families.”What is a strong family?A strong and stable family is one which provides its members with different types of care and concern as needed and able. This helps develop strong bonds between family members who make the effort to understand and tolerate each others' differences. This can then be brought into society; tolerance of those who are different is a primary requirement for a peaceful society.A strong and stable family is resilient. Societies and individuals will always eventually face tough times. Emotional and spiritual (and on occasion financial) support from a strong family often translates to resilience which is key in helping the afflicted to persevere through and overcome difficulties. With family support, individuals can better deal with the discouragement and stress of such struggles. Society must progress economically in order to be successful and it needs resilient people to accomplish that.A strong and stable family supports the education of its children. Children are the future leaders of any society, and they are better able to become good leaders with education and training. If the parents are educated, they are best placed to educate their own children.Within a stable family, parents teach their children values and help them develop good character and a moral compass. This makes it more likely their children will become morally upright individuals who will not commit crimes since crime is detrimental to society. Moral values and good character among the individuals that compose a society determines if there is social stability and harmony in a society, which in turn, affects the economic and political progress of the society. Corruption is one of the single greatest factors in determining the peacefulness of a society.How does religion impact whether a family is strong?A systematic review of studies on religion and family concluded 81 percent of such studies show an 80 percent or more positive benefit from religious practice, 15 percent of the studies showed neutral effects, and 4 percent showed harm with 10 percent or less harm. [2][2][2][2][3][3][3][3]But the truth is there is more than one kind of religious practice, and one kind tends to promote personal, family and societal health and the other tends to have the opposite effect.According to the psychology of religion and most of sociology, there are two kinds of religious orientation/motivation. [4][4][4][4] [5][5][5][5]Extrinsic religion is a generally unhealthy kind of religion which sees religion as a means to self-serving ends. Religion is just a tool used to achieve other goals that are more important to the individual than religion itself. It is an “immature” faith that revolves around using religion for social support, personal comfort, power, influence, self-esteem and so on. (Tiliopoulos et al., 2007) This produces self-righteousness, judgmentalism, legalism, hypocrisy, prejudices, and can lead to extremisms.Intrinsic religion, on the other hand, is an end in itself. It is a “mature” form of religious feeling which serves as the main motivation for the individual’s way of life. These people are mainly encouraged by personal spiritual development and a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. (Hills et al., 2004; Hunter & Merrill, 2013). This tends to produce moral character and behaviors such as those listed in the beatitudes and the “fruits of the spirit”.The negative effects of extrinsic religion on a societal scale are small, while the positive effects of intrinsic religion are measurably large.Intrinsic religious orientation is a protective factor against mental illness, while extrinsic religious orientation has been classified as a risk factor in regards with mental illness (Hunter & Merrill, 2013).In a study conducted to examine the relationship between religious orientation and mental health symptoms among students, extrinsic orientation emerged as the only significant predictor for hostility, anxiety and depression (Kuyel, Cesur, & Ellison, 2012).Three studies affirm intrinsic religiousness reduces both death-thoughts and helps manage terror when a person is facing death. (Hathaway &Pargament, 1990).General anxiety is a characteristic of extrinsics generally. In a set of findings on anxiety about death, extrinsics fared worst of all: worse than intrinsics and worse than those without religious beliefs.[6]Even acknowledging the difference between the effects of these different approaches to religion, it is still fair to say: The strength of the family unit is intertwined with the practice of religion.Healthy family dynamics and practices are influenced to a powerful degree by the presence or absence of intrinsic religious beliefs and practices.[7][7][7][7]Regular churchgoers are more likely to be married, less likely to be divorced or single, and more likely to manifest high levels of satisfaction in marriage. [8] [9][10]The centrality of stable married family life in avoiding such problems as crime,[11] illegitimacy,[12] and welfare[13] has become indisputable.Church attendance is the single most important predictor of marital stability and happiness.[14] [15] The Sex in America study published in 1995, conducted by sociologists from the University of Chicago and the State University of New York at Stonybrook, showed very high sexual satisfaction among "conservative" religious women. [16] [17] Black Protestants and white Catholics, who share similarly high church attendance rates, have been shown to have similarly low divorce rates.[18]A 1993 national survey of 3,300 men aged 20-39 found that those who switch partners most are those with no religious convictions.[19]The regular practice of religion helps poor persons move out of poverty. Regular church attendance, for example, is particularly instrumental in helping young people to move out of poverty.[20]Religious belief and practice contribute substantially to the formation of personal moral criteria and sound moral judgment.[21] Happiness is greater and psychological stress is lower for those who attend religious services regularly.[22]Intrinsic religion lowers the risk of a host of social problems involving adolescents, including suicide, drug abuse, single mother births, crime, and divorce. Intrinsic religious behavior is associated with reduced crime for adults as well. This has been known in the social science literature for over 20 years.[23][24] [25] [26] [27] [28]A systematic review of 100 studies revealed that religious beliefs and practices are associated with positive emotions, such as a sense of well-being, satisfaction with life, and happiness creating a strong correlation with limited unhealthy behavior, such as moderate alcohol consumption and a lower probability for smoking.(Koenig, McCullough,&Larson, 2001).Another study investigated the relations between spiritual well-being (SWB), intrinsic religiousness (IR), and suicidal behavior in war veterans with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Veterans with high spiritual well-being, emotional well-being, religious well-being, and intrinsic religiousness were less suicidal. Veterans who had attempted suicide at least once in their lifetime, had significantly lower scores. (Mickley, Soeken,& Belcher, 1992).Intrinsic religion has beneficial effects on mental health producing less depression, more self-esteem, and greater happiness.[29] [30] [31]A large epidemiological study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley in 1971 found that the religiously committed had much less psychological distress than the uncommitted.[32] Rodney Stark, now of the University of Washington, found the same in a 1970 study: The higher the level of religious attendance, the less stress suffered when adversity had to be endured.[33] [34]Intrinsically religious individuals show important benefits in stress management (Park, Cohen, & Herb, 1990; Pollard & Bates, 2004).The relationship between uncontrollable stress and depression was positive for low intrinsic individuals, but negative for high intrinsic individuals (Crystal, Lawrence, & Lisa, 1990).In repairing damage caused by alcoholism, drug addiction, and marital breakdown, religious belief and practice are a major source of strength and recovery.[35]Intrinsic religiosity and spiritual well-being are associated with hope and positive mood states in elderly people coping with cancer (Fehring, Miller, & Shaw, 1997).Regular practice of religion is good for personal physical health: It increases longevity, improves one's chances of recovery from illness, and lessens the incidence of many killer diseases.[36] [37]Several studies have demonstrated that intrinsic religious orientation is associated with better physical and mental health (Smith, Richards, & Maglio, 2004; Masters et al., 2005; Salsman & Carlson, 2005).Intrinsic religious oriented people tend to have lower blood pressure reactivity to stress factors. (Powell, Shahabi, &Thoreson, 2003).In public health circles, the level of educational attainment is held to be the key demographic predictor of physical health. For over two decades, however, the level of religious practice has been shown convincingly to be equally important.[38] [39]Over the last decades, there has been systematic research in the relationship between religion and health, mainly among general population (Ironson et al., 2002; Margeti & Margeti, 2005; Peterman et al., 2002) and among special parts of the population, such as patients. (Brady et al., 1999; Fehring, Miller, & Shaw, 1997; Koenig, Pargament, & Nielsen, 1998).Religion can positively affect the promotion of healthy behavior (Hunter & Merrill, 2013; Turner-Musa&Wilsons, 2006) and diet. (Hart et al., 2004).Religious beliefs and practices seem to have a positive impact on illness prevention, better post-surgery recovery and other mental and physical disorders’ treatment. (Matthews et al., 1998).Other studies reveal a positive relation between religiousness and lower blood pressure. (Masters&Knestel,2011).Religiousness is a survival indicator for patients that undergo elective open-heart surgery. In addition,prayer seems to have a positive impact on hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease. (Masters & Knestel,2011; McCullough et al., 2000; Oxman, Freeman,&Manheimer, 1995).The comprehensive answer to the question Is religion good or bad for society? is yes—it is both—however the good is so much greater and the bad is so much less in weight, impact and overall amount, that the answer most reflective of a total reality must be that religion is an overall good.The practice of religion is good for individuals, families, states, and the nation. It improves health, learning, economic well-being, self-control, self-esteem, and empathy. It reduces the incidence of social pathologies, such as out-of-wedlock births, crime, delinquency, drug and alcohol addiction, health problems, anxieties, and prejudices.[40][40][40][40]Religion—on balance—is good for society.Footnotes[1] Strong Families, Sustainable Societies[1] Strong Families, Sustainable Societies[1] Strong Families, Sustainable Societies[1] Strong Families, Sustainable Societies[2] http://Jeff S. Levin and Harold Y. Vanderpool, "Is Frequent Religious Attendance Really Conducive to Better Health?: Towards an Epidemiology of religion," Social Science Medicine, Vol. 24 (1987), pp. 589-600; David B. Larson, Kim A. Sherrill, John S. Lyons, Fred C. Craigie, S. B. Thielman, M. A. Greenwold, and Susan S. Larson, "Dimensions and Valences of Measures of Religious Commitment Found in the American Journal of Psychiatry and the Archives of General Psychiatry: 1978 through 1989," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 149 (1978), pp. 557-559; Fred C. Craigie, Jr., David B. Larson, and Ingrid Y. Liu, "References to religion in The Journal of family Practice: Dimensions and Valence of Spirituality," The Journal of family Practice, Vol. 30 (1990), pp. 477-480.[2] http://Jeff S. Levin and Harold Y. Vanderpool, "Is Frequent Religious Attendance Really Conducive to Better Health?: Towards an Epidemiology of religion," Social Science Medicine, Vol. 24 (1987), pp. 589-600; David B. Larson, Kim A. Sherrill, John S. Lyons, Fred C. Craigie, S. B. Thielman, M. A. Greenwold, and Susan S. Larson, "Dimensions and Valences of Measures of Religious Commitment Found in the American Journal of Psychiatry and the Archives of General Psychiatry: 1978 through 1989," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 149 (1978), pp. 557-559; Fred C. Craigie, Jr., David B. Larson, and Ingrid Y. Liu, "References to religion in The Journal of family Practice: Dimensions and Valence of Spirituality," The Journal of family Practice, Vol. 30 (1990), pp. 477-480.[2] http://Jeff S. Levin and Harold Y. Vanderpool, "Is Frequent Religious Attendance Really Conducive to Better Health?: Towards an Epidemiology of religion," Social Science Medicine, Vol. 24 (1987), pp. 589-600; David B. Larson, Kim A. Sherrill, John S. Lyons, Fred C. Craigie, S. B. Thielman, M. A. Greenwold, and Susan S. Larson, "Dimensions and Valences of Measures of Religious Commitment Found in the American Journal of Psychiatry and the Archives of General Psychiatry: 1978 through 1989," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 149 (1978), pp. 557-559; Fred C. Craigie, Jr., David B. Larson, and Ingrid Y. Liu, "References to religion in The Journal of family Practice: Dimensions and Valence of Spirituality," The Journal of family Practice, Vol. 30 (1990), pp. 477-480.[2] http://Jeff S. Levin and Harold Y. Vanderpool, "Is Frequent Religious Attendance Really Conducive to Better Health?: Towards an Epidemiology of religion," Social Science Medicine, Vol. 24 (1987), pp. 589-600; David B. Larson, Kim A. Sherrill, John S. Lyons, Fred C. Craigie, S. B. Thielman, M. A. Greenwold, and Susan S. Larson, "Dimensions and Valences of Measures of Religious Commitment Found in the American Journal of Psychiatry and the Archives of General Psychiatry: 1978 through 1989," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 149 (1978), pp. 557-559; Fred C. Craigie, Jr., David B. Larson, and Ingrid Y. Liu, "References to religion in The Journal of family Practice: Dimensions and Valence of Spirituality," The Journal of family Practice, Vol. 30 (1990), pp. 477-480.[3] Religion and mental health[3] Religion and mental health[3] Religion and mental health[3] Religion and mental health[4] http://Dean R. Hoge, "A Validated Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale," Journal for Scientific Study of religion, Vol. 11 (1972), pp. 369-376.[4] http://Dean R. Hoge, "A Validated Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale," Journal for Scientific Study of religion, Vol. 11 (1972), pp. 369-376.[4] http://Dean R. Hoge, "A Validated Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale," Journal for Scientific Study of religion, Vol. 11 (1972), pp. 369-376.[4] http://Dean R. Hoge, "A Validated Intrinsic Religious Motivation Scale," Journal for Scientific Study of religion, Vol. 11 (1972), pp. 369-376.[5] The New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised (NIROR): A Study among Canadian Adolescents Attending a Baptist Youth Mission and Service Event[5] The New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised (NIROR): A Study among Canadian Adolescents Attending a Baptist Youth Mission and Service Event[5] The New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised (NIROR): A Study among Canadian Adolescents Attending a Baptist Youth Mission and Service Event[5] The New Indices of Religious Orientation Revised (NIROR): A Study among Canadian Adolescents Attending a Baptist Youth Mission and Service Event[6] http://Bergin, Masters, and Richards, "Religiousness and Mental Health Reconsidered: A Study of an Intrinsically Religious Sample."; Ann M. Downey, "Relationships of Religiosity to Death Anxiety of Middle-Aged Males," Psychological Reports, Vol. 54 (1984), pp. 811-822.[7] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[7] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[7] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[7] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[8] http://Larson, Larson, and Gartner, "Families, Relationships and Health."[9] http://Wesley Shrum, "religion and Marital Instability: Change in the 1970s?" Review of Religious Research, Vol. 21 (1980), pp. 135-147.[10] http://David B. Larson: "Religious Involvement," in family Building, ed. G. E. Rekers (Ventura, Cal.: Regal, 1985), pp. 121-147.[11] http://Patrick F. Fagan, "The Real Root Causes of crime: The Breakdown of marriage, family, and Community," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1026, March 17, 1995.[12] http://Patrick F. Fagan, "Rising Illegitimacy: America's Social Catastrophe," Heritage Foundation F.Y.I. No. 19, June 1994. Robert Rector, "Combating family Disintegration, crime, and Dependence: welfare Reform and Beyond," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 983, April 1994.[13] http://Robert Rector, "Combatting family Disintegration, crime, and Dependence: welfare Reform and Beyond," Heritage Foundation Backgrounder No. 1026, March 17, 1995.[14] http://See, for example, G. Burchinal, "Marital Satisfaction and Religious Behavior," American Sociological Review, Vol. 22 (January 1957), pp. 306-310.[15] http://Robert T. Michael, John H. Gagnon, Edward O. Laumann, and Gina Kolata, Sex in America: A Definitive Survey (Boston: Little Brown 1995), Chapter 6.[16] http://Robert T. Michael, John H. Gagnon, Edward O. Laumann, and Gina Kolata, Sex in America: A Definitive Survey (Boston: Little Brown 1995), Chapter 6.[17] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01926180600814684?src=recsys&journalCode=uaft20[18] http://Wesley Shrum, "religion and Marital Instability: Change in the 1970s?" Review of Religious Research, Vol. 21 (1980), pp. 135-147.[19] http://J. O. Billy, K. Tanfer, W. R. Grady, and D. H. Klepinger, "The Sexual Behavior of Men in the United States," family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 25 (1993), pp. 52-60.[20] http://Richard B. Freeman, "Who Escapes? The Relation of Church-Going and Other Background Factors to the Socio-Economic Performance of Black Male Youths from Inner-City poverty Tracts," Working Paper Series No. 1656, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1985.[21] http://Allen E. Bergin, "Values and Religious issues in Psychotherapy and Mental Health," The American Psychologist, Vol. 46 (1991), pp. 394-403, esp. p. 401.[22] http://Larson and Larson, "The Forgotten Factor in Physical and Mental Health," p. 76.[23] http://Naida M. Parson and James K. Mikawa, "Incarceration and Nonincarceration of African-American Men Raised in Black Christian Churches," The Journal of Psychology, Vol. 125 (1990), pp. 163-173.[24] http://Achaempong Yaw Amoateng and Stephen J. Bahr, "religion, family, and Adolescent Drug Use," Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 29 (1986), pp. 53-73, and John K. Cochran, Leonard Beghley, and E. Wilbur Block, "Religiosity and Alcohol Behavior: An Exploration of Reference Group Therapy," Sociological Forum, Vol. 3 (1988), pp. 256-276.[25] http://Gartner, Larson, and Allen, "Religious Commitment and Mental Health: A Review of the Empirical Literature"; Steven R. Burkett and Mervin White, "Hellfire and Delinquency: Another Look," Journal for the Scientific Study of religion, Vol. 13 (1974), pp. 455-462; Deborah Hasin, Jean Endicott, and Collins Lewis, "Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Patients with Affective Syndromes," Comprehensive Psychiatry, Vol. 26 (1985), pp. 283-295.[26] http://Orville S. Walters, "The Religious Background of Fifty Alcoholics," Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Vol. 18 (1957), pp. 405-413.[27] http://Ron D. Hays, Alan W. Stacy, Keith F. Widaman, M. Robin DiMatteo, and Ralph Downey, "Multistage Path Models of Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use: A Reanalysis," Journal of Drug issues, Vol. 16 (1986), pp. 357-369; Hasin, Endicott, and Lewis, "Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Patients with Affective Syndromes"; Steven R. Burkett, "religion, Parental Influence and Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Use," Journal of Drug issues, Vol. 7 (1977), pp. 263-273; Lorch and Hughes, "religion and Youth Substance Use"; and Edward M. Adalf and Reginald G. Smart, "Drug Use and Religious Affiliation, Feelings and Behavior," British Journal of Addiction, Vol. 80 (1985), pp. 163-171.[28] http://Lester, "Religiosity and Personal Violence: A Regional Analysis of Suicide and Homicide Rates."[29] http://Steven Stack, "The Effect of the Decline in Institutionalized religion on Suicide, 1954-1978," Journal for the Scientific Study of religion, Vol. 22 (1983), pp. 239-252.[30] http://Loyd S. Wright, Christopher J. Frost, and Stephen J. Wisecarver, "Church Attendance, Meaningfulness of religion on, and Depressive Symptomology Among Adolescents," Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 22, No. 5 (1993), pp. 559-568.[31] http://David O. Moberg, "The Development of Social Indicators of Spiritual Well-Being for Quality of Life Research," in Spiritual Well-Being: Sociological Perspectives, ed. David O. Moberg (Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, 1979).[32] http://Rodney Stark: "Psychopathology and Religious Commitment," Review of Religious Research, Vol. 12 (1971), pp. 165-176.[33] http:// R. W. Williams, D. B. Larson, R. E. Buckler, R. C. Heckman, and C. M. Pyle, "religion and Psychological Distress in a Community Sample," Social Science Medicine, Vol. 32 (1991), pp. 1257-1262.[34] http://R. W. Williams, D. B. Larson, R. E. Buckler, R. C. Heckman, and C. M. Pyle, "religion and Psychological Distress in a Community Sample," Social Science Medicine, Vol. 32 (1991), pp. 1257-1262.[35] http://Harsha N. Mookherjee, "Effects of Religiosity and Selected Variables on the Perception of Well-Being," The Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 134, No. 3 (June 1994), pp. 403-405, reporting on a national sample General Social Survey of 1,481 adults aged 18-89.[36] http://David B. Larson and Susan S. Larson, "Does Religious Commitment Make a Clinical Difference in Health?" Second Opinion, Vol. 17 (July 1991), pp. 26-40.[37] http://David B. Larson, H. G. Koenig, B. H. Kaplan, R. S. Greenberg, E. Logue, and H. A. Tyroler, "The Impact of religion on Men's Blood Pressure," Journal of religion and Health, Vol. 28 (1989), pp. 265-278.[38] http://George W. Comstock and Kay B. Partridge, "Church Attendance and Health," Journal of Chronic Disease, Vol. 25 (1972), pp. 665-672; D. M. Zuckerman, S.V. Kasl, and A. M. Osterfield, "Psychosocial Predictors of Mortality Among the Elderly Poor," American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 119 (1984), pp. 410-423; J. S. House, C. Robins, and H. L. Metzner, "The Association of Social Relationships and Activities with Mortality: Prospective Evidence from the Tecumseh Community Health Study," American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 114 (1984), p. 129.[39] http://J. S. Levin and P. L. Schiller, "Is There a Religious Factor in Health?" Journal of religion and Health, Vol. 26 (1987), pp. 9-35.[40] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[40] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[40] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability[40] Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability

The ideas presented below are not my own, but the results of research by SAMSHA, a drug & alcohol research division of the National Institutes of Mental Health.After working with addicts for nearly 30 decades, I agree with their principles. These are pretty basic rules of parenting. It’s not always easy to get your kids to go along with your ideas, especially as they reach puberty, but most of these are traits that are instilled from a child’s earliest years.I was lucky enough to be a nurse educator at a Yale affiliated state hospital. I got to go to Grand Rounds every week, and hear the results of latest research, new from influential people in the psych field, etc.As the opiate epidemic grew and grew and grew, the National Institutes of Health really focused their funding on stopping drug addiction before it started. As of 2012, when one of the directors of funding for research spoke, he made it abundantly clear they wanted to fund research aimed at children and adolescents. and what made them at highest risk for addiction.Impulsivity and need for immediate gratification was one factor which was soon identified. Children who either were innately more patient, or who had been raised to wait a longer time to receive a reward, were at much lower risk.Cigarette smoking, not marijuana is not the gateway drug to using opiates and harder drugs and alcohol. Stress how important it is to kids not to smoke, and make it as graphic as possible for their maturity.Below is the full list, but I’ll highlight some factors for those who can’t read the small type:Appropriate behavior at schoolMaking friends among peersHealthy developmentIntellectual developmentDevelopment of a strong sense of self-esteem and identity—which does not mean telling a child everything great when it’s not—this has to be something they feel themselves.Self-sufficiencyHere’s a list of factors which National Institutes of Health/SAMSHA has developed as promoting best emotional health, and least likelihood of drug abuse:If you want to read more, here’s the link for the whole report:https://www.nap.edu/resource/12480/Preventing-Mental-Emotional-and-Behavioral-Disorders-2009--Report-Brief-for-Researchers.pdfHere’s another report, this one particularly aimed at parents. The one above was for researchers.https://www.nap.edu/resource/12480/Prevention-Parent-Brochure.pdf

Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain—they change its structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long-lasting, and can lead to the harmful behaviors seen in people who abuse drugs.Early use of drugs increases a person’s chances of developing addiction. Remember, drugs change brains—and this can lead to addiction and other serious problems. So, preventing early use of drugs or alcohol may go a long way in reducing these risks. If we can prevent young people from experimenting with drugs, we can prevent drug addiction.Making up one-fifth of the population, 15-24 year-olds carry with them India’s future. The youth of our nation will eventually determine the country’s moral, political, and social persuasions. Bearing the burden of a densely populated country like India is no small task. And drug abuse does nothing to lighten the load.Risk of drug abuse increases greatly during times of transition. For an adult, a divorce or loss of a job may lead to drug abuse; for a teenager, risky times include moving or changing schools. In early adolescence, when children advance from elementary through middle school, they face new and challenging social and academic situations. Often during this period, children are exposed to abusable substances such as cigarettes and alcohol for the first time. When they enter high school, teens may encounter greater availability of drugs, drug use by older teens, and social activities where drugs are used.At the same time, many behaviors that are a normal aspect of their development, such as the desire to try new things or take greater risks, may increase teen tendencies to experiment with drugs. Some teens may give in to the urging of drug-using friends to share the experience with them. Others may think that taking drugs (such as steroids) will improve their appearance or their athletic performance or that abusing substances such as alcohol or MDMA (ecstasy or “Molly”) will ease their anxiety in social situations. A growing number of teens are abusing prescription ADHD stimulants such as Adderall® to help them study or lose weight. Teens’ still-developing judgment and decision-making skills may limit their ability to accurately assess the risks of all of these forms of drug use.Using abusable substances at this age can disrupt brain function in areas critical to motivation, memory, learning, judgment, and behavior control. So, it is not surprising that teens who use alcohol and other drugs often have family and social problems, poor academic performance, health-related problems (including mental health), and involvement with the juvenile justice system.Half the problem is resolved when one shows the desire to give up addiction. One must speak up about his/her problem to someone who would understand and try to get him/her out of the problem. One may try to put restrictions on oneself to stop the drug abuse, rely on self-help programs, but without support, it would be really difficult to put an end to it. Support might come from Family Member, Friends, Doctors or counselors or People who had the same problem but recovered.Support from family members is a must as they are the closest source to the individual. Family should support their child to understand what he/she is going through and what compelled them to take such a risky step. Parents should try to motivate their children and understand what they really want in life. Every child is different from the other and parents should really try to understand their children’s expectation to avoid any cases related to alcohol or drug abuse.Parents should always be there for their young children, especially since today’s teens are highly susceptible to drug abuse and other social ills.