Professional Documents
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Research Analysis
Research Analysis
Research Analysis
Tiffany Meza
Mr. Powers
English 1302
10 March 2023
introduction
In times like today there is a common misconception behind the usage of alcohol and drug
abuse in teens: most adolescents have the urge to pick up the habit of drinking and partying at a
young age compared to any other time in their life. This is a huge problem today where more
media and influencers are portrayed to lead younger audiences. There are multiple evaluations
that imply how social media, friendships, and surroundings can be reachable resources to
adolescents. The research conducted in this essay provides proof and evidence on how late teens
have been greatly affected by the common peer pressure and environmental endangerment
towards substance and alcohol abuse. Research is focused on the importance in raising awareness
on this overly populated problem. It’s important to keep in mind throughout this research that
almost 80% of high school students have tried alcohol (Dowshen). This information provides us
with insight on what is being introduced into this research and gives a number to think of as this
is being read.
According to researchers in various articles, the media is linked with multiple accounts to
vulnerable illustrations involving adolescents and alcohol. Social media sites freely forecast and
share various advertisements and commercials encouraging this behavior of mischief (which is
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where most teens get drawn at first). This is not intentional to businesses and allowed, but
adolescents always find a way to acquire these substances. It is a common misdemeanor and
situation where underage adolescents are caught and charged for carrying or consuming drugs
and alcohol. The numbers of cases in adolescents carrying substances go up year by year. Crime
rates tend to skyrocket at popular events or holidays where teens get together and keep a low
profile, but when things get out of hand the consequences are unbearable and cause horrific news
articles.
“In addition, teenagers do not necessarily comprehend the potential consequences of their
actions on social media, and this creates considerable implications for curriculum.” (38).
When curriculum enters the conversation, its purpose it to foretell as to how it greatly affects the
construction of social and educational knowledge. School and friends go well together
considering the correlation that friends are made in school, this is known, but when school
friends begin to add peer pressured environments to the vulnerable it then creates an unsafe
opening to new addictions. A way that schools try to incorporate education with real life
problems is by preaching about them. One researcher wrote “schools’ curricula should include
preventive cognitive behavioral interventions that teach drug resistance skills and anti-drug
norms.” (2). This educational addition is more anticipated towards schools that may have a
higher percentage in positive drug tests and behavioral detention. This issue can only be stopped
common problem to these issues all leads back to the kinds of friends these adolescents surround
themselves with. This is not meant to assume that most high school friendships lead to peer
pressure, but rather point out the fact that these two factors can jeopardize schoolwork and focus.
Drug problems tend to begin when one is at a dark stage or curious, therefore most percentages
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of high schoolers participate at such a young age, hence the statement curiosity killed the cat. It
is always fun to try new things and live a little, but not fun when the consequences lead to a
wrong turn of events and leave you with an addiction unfightable. Adolescents these days need
to understand their time will come when it does, there is no need to rush maturity into oneself
and grow up faster than they already are. It’s important to always stay alert and not force
The perspective of adolescents can be taken in part from different ages. In an article called,
“Problematic social networking site usage and substance use by young adolescents.”, author
Buja, Alessandra et al stated, “Young adolescents, aged from 11- 13 in the northeast, participated
in a survey that measured the performance and time spent on social platforms that may involve
disorderly addictions.”, this gave an example on how methods were taken in different accounts
of researchers. This is only one third of research conducted. In the article “Neurophysiological
Chwedorowicz, Henryk Skarżyński, Weronika Pucek, and Tadeusz Studziński state their
relevance and experimental study on the vulnerability in late teens against drug and substance
As early as from the first years of adolescence an increased sensitivity and vulnerability
to the effect of the peer social environment is observed, when there arises the need for
This creates a disorder that separates one’s social life from their family. This unhealthy idea of
dividing a family into an aspect that makes them invisible is demoralizing. When greatly
involved into this addiction you begin to forget the important things, therefore its highly
addictive, to forget. In order to control these craving of more, it is best to consider a rehab that
deals with the same problems. As suggested, by writer Kornreich Petit it is stated that,
“Adolescence is a period associated with the highest risk for developing alcohol abuse
disorders.” (1). This is highly true knowing that adolescents are commonly found partying and
drinking for most of their high school and college years, this association leads one to assume that
a form of alcohol abuse might form and create something unhealthy. The need to feel invited and
included to a society that thinks drinking is “Cool” is unnecessary, it will lead you to a false
reality of you partaking in future events where you are not all there mentally and sometimes even
physically. Help is always provided by professionals that will always try their best to make a
The various kinds of drugs mentioned in this research all lead to the same problem being that
adolescents tend to get away with acquiring these substances. The different effects of each drug
forms a different norm for these adolescents and composes and unhealthy balance between their
real world and the one they create mentally. One researcher states,
He proposes to “convince” young people of the hazards of nicotine abuse but says little
about convincing legislators that they should enact stricter, enforceable regulations
This statement can be agreed upon a lot of local and knowledgeable people that tend to see this
common occurrence involving adolescent misdemeanors. More people do in fact need to start
waking up and realizing this is a major problem expanding worldwide amongst many teens. This
makes them feel socially accepted and part of an issue. Another major contribution added into
this disastrous of an equation is the introduction to marijuana. There are thousands maybe even
millions of accounts associated with the usage on marijuana and the ongoing algorithm of social
media can likely come across an adolescent as an advertisement. To add onto this statement
another author stated that, “Based on these findings, we recommend that all states with legalized
recreational marijuana should implement specific policies related to social media to restrict youth
access and youth-friendly content.” (7). The correlation between Nicotine and Marijuana is that
they are both simply easy to research on and curiosity will end up winning. Most adolescents
would surely accept the chance of even trying it for the first time. It is important to be aware of
this problem and stop this influence on media pressure to try to fit in.
resources
As mentioned before, advertisements and commercials are known for encouraging this
behavior, even if it’s not intentional. Adolescents always find a way to acquire the things they
want, and they do this with the resources around them. When the visual of parental use is seen in
young kids, these adolescents feel the need to be like them. Parents are the role models to these
young kids and what they see is what they think is right. Most parents don’t realize that the
things they do and show their kids will stick with them causing an influential aspect in the
problem.it is true that every parent has their own method and way on teaching their kids, but
most don’t grasp the truth behind the styles they teach. These styles influence adolescents into
conclusive substance use and so on. Even if different parental styles are considered, it all leads to
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the main issue being the wrongfulness of how alcohol and drug usage is still wrong in multiple
ways.
The parental attitude toward illicit substance use has been positively correlated with
adolescent substance use. Once the adolescent starts using illicit drugs, the influence of
the overall idea of alcohol and substance use was ultimately modeled by the parent and a
marginalized environment was created within those family and close members. As the years go
by more generations are hit with this new wave of intervaluable observations of drinking and
peer views of what it means to be addicted. Anyone can partake unknowing about the
consequential decisions after. Researcher Devin M. Mccauley suggests that adolescents tend to
have a semi controversial experience with substance usage and this period of malnourishment
may have a deeper risk of disrupting the overall growth within the adolescent struggling with this
issue. Throughout the article the writer points out that this threat is “linked with heightened
internalizing problems and diminished self-efficacy, self-esteem, and peer relationships quality.”
These contributions affect the mentality of the adolescent portraying these effects. The
Works cited
Buja, A., Gallimberti, L., Chindamo, S., Lion, C., Terraneo, A., Rivera, M., Marini, E., Gomez-
Perez, L., Scafato, E., & Baldo, V. (2018). “Problematic social networking site usage and
Pediatrics, 18https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-018-1316-3
Chwedorowicz, R., Skarżyński, H., Pucek, W., & Studziński, T. (2017). Neurophysiological
doi:https://doi.org/10.5604/12321966.1234002
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/alcohol.html
Halebsky, Mark A. "Adolescent Alcohol and Substance Abuse: Parent and Peer
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/tamiu.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-
journals/adolescent-alcohol-substance-abuse-parent-peer/docview/1295935622/se-2.
Hormenu, Thomas, Hagan Jnr ⨯ John Elvis, and Thomas Schack ⨯. "Predictors of Alcohol
Johnson, Nneka A. "Implications of a Social Media Course for Adolescent Social Media Usage."
Mar. 2023.
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Identifying Sensitive Periods of Risk for Psychological Maladjustment, Substance use, and
Diminished School Adjustment." Order No. 29050109 The Pennsylvania State University,
Moreno, M. A., Gower, A. D., Jenkins, M. C., Kerr, B., & Gritton, J. (2018). Marijuana
Petit, G., Kornreich, C., Verbanck, P., Cimochowska, A., & Campanella, S. (2013). “Why is
adolescence a key period of alcohol initiation and who is prone to develop long-term