Preparation Task 5.

3: Drug abuse and poor cognitive performance

1. What are the threats of drug abuse on adolescent well-being, especially in
physical and cognitive development?
First of all, there are a lot of physical effects of drug addiction. For
example, it weakens the immune system, which leads to a higher chance of
contracting HIV, hepatitis and other illnesses. They will experience irregular
hear rate and heart attacks from time to time, and respiratory problems like
lung cancer, emphysema may occur as well. Other serious damages
include seizure, stroke, kidney and liver failure, abdominal pain as well as
vomiting.
Secondly, cognitive development is severely affected as well.
Neuropsychological studies have shown that adolescent substance use is
linked to poorer spatial awareness and self control. Their learning and
memory are both hindered as well. Other than that, heavy drug abuse leads
to a hindered development of important brain tissues like the hippocampus,
a material constructed of white matter, thus resulting in slower
neurotransmission.
2. How will you response, if you suspect a student in your class take drugs
regularly?
First of all, I will have a talk with that student, with the focus on
discussing the side effects of drug abuse. Federal government’s Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) states that
adolescents find it more persuasive when you show them statistics or real
evidence of drug abuse damage. For instance, teachers should tell them
that teens have an IQ drop of up to 8 points if they have a drug abuse
problem even if they quit in adulthood. This is more deterring than just
focusing on morality.
Secondly, I will try to prevent the rest of the class from being influenced
by the student. Educating students about the effects of drug abuse is very
important, because nowadays the drug landscape is so much bigger and
drugs are stronger as well as more easily accessible. It is essential to
educate students about long- term cognitive and physical damage and
prevent them from being a drug abuse.  
Thirdly, It is crucial to report such cases to other staffs or even the
headmaster, as it is so much better if we can deal with these serious
problems in a whole school approach. Getting into touch with this students'
parents is essential as well, as the student may have connections from
outside school  to get the drug, and teachers are not able to deal with this
kind of problem by themselves.
3. What can you do, as a class teacher, to help your students stay away from
drugs?
As stated before, educating students about the damage of drug abuse
is very important, and it is never too early to start the prevention. By age
nine, kids are already building cognition towards drugs and alcohol, and
 hence intervening at an early stage and preventing it from happening is
much better than solving the problem afterwards.
Secondly, this kind of education should penetrate throughout their
educational journey. It is never enough to just have an annual assembly. A
one-off approach is not going to work.
Thirdly, beware of the mental and physical state of your class. There is
going to be obvious symptoms of students having drug abuse. They will
show dizziness, depression, and poor self control in class. There are other
symptoms including unexpected weight loss or gain, chronic pain or sudden
leave. Teachers should immediately pay attention and intervene when it is
suspicious.

Reference:
L.M. Squeglia, J. Jacobus, S.F. Tapert, PhD, “The Influence of Substance
Use on Adolescent Brain Development”, Clinical EEG and Neuroscience,
Vol.40 No.1 (January 1, 2009), pp.31-38.