Drug and substance abuse among the youth has been high, especially with the current youth generation. Youths engage in drugs due to peer influence, family history of drug abuse, history of traumatic events, experimentation, and stress, among others. In Joe’s case, however, it can be understood that he might have resorted to drug use due to feelings of rejection from his stepfather as they did not get along. Drug and substance abuse among teenagers is likely to cause a decreased performance at school, resistance, low self-esteem, and engagement in criminal behaviors. Methods that can advocate drug abuse among the youth would be rehabilitation and organizing support groups.
Rehabilitation involves an individual being admitted to a recovery center to keep them away from drugs. Rehabilitation will help individuals keep away from drugs as they get counsel in the rehabilitation centers. A support group will also help the individuals keep away from drugs as recovering addicts share their experiences to help each other overcome the addiction. A support group is important as individuals know that they are not alone.
Rehabilitation is a good way to deal with substance addiction. While in a rehabilitation center, individuals get to have therapies that help them deal with their addiction problems. The most effective rehabilitation program would be an inpatient rehabilitation program. While in inpatient rehabilitation, individuals are under 24-hour supervision, able to get quick medical attention, and can get time to reflect on their lives (Zalar, 2022). A rehabilitation center will help Joe abstain from using drugs. Joe will also be able to reflect on his life and make plans about his future through the support available in the rehabilitation center.
Support groups are also effective in advocating drug addiction and an important in helping individuals overcome addiction. Recovering from drugs addiction is not easy; therefore, individuals will need help from society to overcome the addiction. According to Tracy & Wallace (2016), support groups help individuals achieve long-term recovery from drug addiction from individuals suffering from the same problem. Tracy & Wallace (2016) further state that attending and participating in support groups is a major step towards recovery. When individuals attend the support groups, they can get mentors who will see them through the recovery process to help them overcome challenges that may cause a relapse. A support group will be helpful in Joe’s recovery as he will feel that he has the support he needs from the community. Moreover, Joe will also be able to get a mentor who he can talk to when he is tempted to use drugs again due to his problems.
Overcoming addiction is not easy, and for people to overcome addiction, they need help from the people around them, so the recovering individuals do not relapse and find themselves in worse situations. It is wrong when individuals engage in drugs to escape their problems. People should be taught that engaging in drugs to escape stress can be more stressful as the drug has a detrimental effect on the brain. Despite the advocacy methods used in battling drugs, the availability of drugs should be very limited, especially among teenagers as they are in an adolescence period where they make regrettable decisions. With the increasing number of youth involvement in drugs, society should cooperate to address the issue. By addressing the issue of drug and substance availability to the younger generation, the country’s potential and future depending on the younger population is protected.
References
Tracy, K., & Wallace, S. (2016). Benefits of peer support groups in the treatment of addiction. Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, Volume 7(7), 143–154. https://doi.org/10.2147/sar.s81535
Zalar, C. (2022, January 4). Inpatient rehab: Drug & alcohol treatment (S. Thomas, Ed.). DrugAbuse.com. https://drugabuse.com/treatment/inpatient/
write