Research Paper on Drug Use Essay

Drug use in today’s society is something that has become too common. We have a large percentage of our population using drugs for numerous reasons. The stresses of our fast paced lives can be the reason we need drugs to keep up. We sometime take these drugs with out thinking of the future consequences and risk that might be attached to them. We have to teach society of the dangers of drugs and the treatment available to quit using. We have too many people using drugs in our society today. â€Å"In 1996, 50. % of high school seniors had used some illegal drug at some time during their life, 40. 2% during the previous year, and 24. 6% during the previous month. † This shows that at least half of the senior class in high schools use or have use drugs. These numbers are from 1996 from then to now the number has grown drastically. If these people are using drugs as seniors it most evident that they will use drugs after high school. â€Å"A 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that among all youths aged 12 to 17, 6% had tried prescription drugs for recreational use in the last month. Kids as young as 12 years old are using prescription drugs to get high this tell me that their parent are to busy to supervising them or just don’t care enough to prevent them from doing so. If teenagers can use the drugs they have at home to get high how are we supposed to prevent them from using them? People don’t use drugs simply for the fact to get high, but also to cope with problems in their lives. When someone uses drugs to deal with the stresses of the everyday life it is easier to develop an addiction to the drug. A study based on a sample of 20,291 individuals drawn from the community at large found that more than half of those who met the medical criteria for diagnosis as drug abusers also suffered from one or more mental disorders at some point during their lifetime. This included 28% with anxiety disorders, 26% with mood disorders (depression), 18% with antisocial personality disorder, and 7% with schizophrenia. Some had multiple disorders. The prevalence of mental disorders varied with the drug being abused, ranging from 50% of marijuana abusers to 76% of those who abused cocaine. Almost half of the drug abusers also suffered from alcohol abuse at some point during their lifetime. † People don’t only use drugs get high or deal with the stresses of life, but also to deal with the problems with in them. People use drugs to cope with their anxieties, depression and schizophrenia. With the drugs the people feel that the disorder they have does not exist. They believe that they are everyone else and there is nothing wrong with them. â€Å"Initial low-level involvement with drugs may result from peer pressure, drug availability or other risk factors in an individual’s social or family environment. Many individuals use drugs to fit in with friends or to be excepted by a crowd of higher popularity than them. This happens a lot in high school with younger students being pressured by upper classmen. People sometime do things without thinking about the repercussions of their actions. â€Å"Some people think that prescription drugs are safer and less addictive than street drugs†¦. But prescription drugs are only safe for the individuals who actually have prescriptions for them. That’s because a doctor has examined these people and prescribed the right dose of medication for a specific medical condition. The doctor has also told them exactly how they should take the medicine, including things to avoid while taking the drug — such as drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking other medications. They also are aware of potentially dangerous side effects and can monitor patients closely for these. † Someone might take someone else’s prescription drug with alcohol not knowing that there could serious risk in doing so. For a childish mistake like mix the wrong prescriptions together a person can dead. â€Å"Whether they’re using street drugs or medications, drug abusers often have trouble at school, at home, with friends, or with the law. The likelihood that someone will commit a crime, be a victim of a crime, or have an accident is higher when that person is abusing drugs — no matter whether those drugs are medications or street drugs. † There more consequences to using drugs then just the health risk. You can be arrested for using another persons prescriptions just you can for using street drugs. Some prescription drugs such as opioids can make you hallucinate. This becomes dangerous because the person under the influence of the drug can be driving a vehicle and cause an accident putting their life and others around them in danger. 17,000 people die from all illicit drug use, Direct and Indirect a year. 7,600 people die from Non- Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Such As Aspirin a year. † People don’t realize how many people actually die from drug abuse until they see the numbers. People need to think before taking drugs an realize that every action has its consequences. If your using drugs do it for the right reason not to get high to forget your problem. You might get rid of your troubles for a short amount of time but they be back when your sober. Drugs can either help you or hurt you, but you have to decide.