Why do teens take drugs and how can we prevent this Sebastian Kahlstatt, Florian Martin, Nadja Schmitt

Outline Top three reasons why they take drugs Drugs & school Is it easy to get drugs? I could never get high enough – story How to prevent drug use and how to help friends to stay away from them Drug use compared Europ & America

Top three reasons why teenagers take drugs P e e r P r e s s u r e m o r e f r e e d o m B e i n g a c c e p t e d Peer Pressure More Freedom Being accepted

Peer Pressure Teenagers don’t know where they fit One feels better when he/she is attached to a group TV shows, stars and parents

Freedom Teenagers have a lot more freedom than ever before More oppertunities to take drugs Influence of parents

Being Accepted Teenagers test the limits Rebelling and provoke

Drugs & school Teens take drugs to escape from the pressure in school. But then the grades will go down. And the students are in big danger to faill in everything in school.

Is it easy to get drugs? Source: University of Michigan, The Monitoring the Future

“I could never get high enough“ a true story from Mindy She wanted to be a rocker and life a hard- core life Mindy with 15 → Tent where she and her son lived →

A happy end Mindy today with her son Isaiah et_High_Enough

How to prevent the use of drugs and what can help you or a friend to stay away from them, and how you can help a friend

The most important thing is to be informed about drugs and how they work in your brain -The brain repeats life-sustaining activities by associating them with pleasure or reward and it notes them as something important that needs to be remembered, and teaches us to do it again and again -Drugs are stimulating this feeling of pleasure which makes the brain wanting to do it again -Those stimulations (dopamine) are too much for the brain so it tries to adjust to it, by producing less of the dopamine itself -That’s what makes drug users feel flat, lifeless, and depressed because the brain has stopped to produce much dopamine -Now the drug user needs to take drugs just to bring their dopamine function back up to normal, and they also need a larger amount to get the dopamine high which known as tolerance

Some of the disadvantages if you take drugs: -Depression, anxiety, nausea, confusion, lack of control, paranoia, guilt, embarrassment, hangovers, loneliness, and cravings for more drugs -Drug users may never learn how to solve problems or things that can make them happy which will maybe make them returning to drugs -Some abused substances can cause immediate -Social consequences such as lying to friends and losing the trust of friends and family; performing poorly in school; quitting academic, athletic, or social activities; losing self control, making bad decisions like drugged or drunk driving; getting pregnant; becoming violent or placing yourself at risk to be a victim of violence; and abandoning old friendships -No one knows how fast you can become addicted but if could happen the first time you use a drug -Once addicted you will always be addicted even though the addiction is treatable, you will still stay an addict -And once you are addicted its hard to get away from the drug

Advices how you can prevent the use of drugs: -Learn to deal with pressure and stress ->Some people may think drugs will help them with their stress; drugs can actually worsen the situation and lead to even more stress ->If you’re having a time where you feel hopeless, talk with someone about it and confront the problems and work through them because there’s always a solution Deal with yourself and accept the way you are >Many people just try drugs because they want to fit in, but in reality former users often say that drugs isolate even more >Try to find your own style Accept yourself the way you are >If you want to change something just go for it, but don’t do something that would be unhealthy for you >Love what you’ve goy Media >With all the hype about drugs you may forget that it is not normal to use drugs and that they’re bad for you > Build your own opinion You want to change your life >Drugs can’t help you solving your problems >Find ways how to solve problems Learn to find ways that are making you happy without taking drugs

What if your friend does have problems with drugs? Signs: If he/she: Gets drunk or high on a regular basis. Drinks or uses drugs when he/she is alone. Shows up at school drunk or high or has skipped class to use. Needs drugs or alcohol to have a good time or cope with everyday life. Plans for drug use in advance. Starts hanging out with new friends who will do drugs with him/her or can score for him/her. Lies about drug use. Pressures others to use drugs. Has broken plans with you, or showed up late, because he/she was getting drunk or high. Shows little interest in or quits sports or activities he/she once enjoyed. Has driven a car while drunk or high. Borrows or steals money to buy drugs or alcohol.

Things to consider if you talk with your friend about it: -Your tone -Be discreet -Consider what you want to say -Give some examples of what you’re talking about -Ask what they think about it and listen well -Find a qualified counselor -It’s not enough to talk with your friend only once ->Friends aren’t disposable!

Drug use compared from Europe to America The drug use is much more controlled in the USA than in Europe More students said they have taken marijuana in the US than in Europe (US=41%/ Europe=28%) other illicit drugs was 23% for the US and only 6% for Europe But when they asked about the past month about use of alcohol and Cigarettes, a lot more students from Europe said they did than form the US, Europe had 37% for Cigarettes and 61% for Alcohol where the US only26% for Cigarettes and 40% for alcohol had The numbers for the US are lower than from Europe at some points but however not really low themselves The drug commitee form Europe stated that the drug abuse is coming to a steady point, but the deaths of drug abuse keep rising, Another thing they said was that every hour a jung person of about 21 and under is dying because of drug abuse in Europe

Work cited