Teenager Substance Abuse Essay Example for Free

Teenager Substance Abuse Essay For youth leaders, this is a study of a teenager who has a substance abuse problem and was released from a detention center. It involves a seventeen old male who abuses marijuana, alcohol, and ecstasy; and is also the son of two ministers. This story should help readers understand the dynamics involved with a teenage drug user and will also help youth leaders develop effective skills for reaching out to a troubled teen in need of support, especially after incarceration. A seventeen-year-old male, Jimmy, lived in a middle-class suburb. Jimmy was referred to me by his sister, ecause she felt my knowledge and past experiences might be helpful in reaching him. Later on I decided to meet and conduct an interview at his house, with his sister present in an adjacent room. During the conversation, several facts emerged. Jimmy had been in trouble with the legal system, mostly for drug possession and motor vehicle infractions. He said he had been kicked out of high school because of his drug use. He had been using alcohol and marijuana since he was about 13. He had more recently been taking ecstasy. When asked why he used drugs, he claimed it educed his boredom and provided a way to escape and have fun. Additionally, it was discerned that his father worked long hours (in the mental health field), and was basically absent from the family. Later, I learned that his father denied his sons habits. The family, which also includes a younger 16-year-old brother, had gone to see a therapist but Jimmy was an unwilling participant. Jimmy noted that he does have a problem with authority figures, like the police, because he believes they are corrupt. Jimmy did admit that police have a Job to do, in terms of protecting people rom harmful practices. Jimmy also realized that there are consequences of drug use and that he was headed for a state prison sentence if he did not improve his actions. He learned that his mother could be arrested under law if he had drugs in her house; this bothered Jimmy. I researched about what state prison was like and told him all about it. Throughout the intervention, then I listened and affirmed the young man without condoning his bad behavior. In the end, I gained his trust and told him that his personal feelings would be kept confidential. I recommended that Jimmy be areful when he with his peers, and I encouraged him to select a friend who would help hold him accountable. I shared my phone number with him. Jimmys behavior improved. The relationship between teens and drugs has been around for decades; however, this is not what you would call positive. Substance abusing (which is using drugs or alcohol in ways than can cause physical harm) is often associated with crime. But why do youths take drugs? Youth take drugs for the following reasons: social disorganization, peer pressure, family factors, emotional, or rational choice. Social isorganization deals with drug abuse to poverty and disorganized urban environment. Drug use by youth minority group members has been tied to factors such as racial prejudice, low-esteem, social status, and stress produced from environment. The National Youth Survey found that drug use tends to be higher among urban youths. problem was bad and the police officer and teachers that worked at my high school had no idea whatsoever what was going on right under their noses seriously, I remember people at football games found this place behind a shed where no one went and they used to smoke and do drugs, it was bad. But of course no one could say anything about anything they saw otherwise that person will get death threats and get their tires slashed in the parking lot and have to go to homecoming fearing for their life. Like one time I remember this girl said something and everyone in the school hated her and she was instantly unpopular. So yes there is a huge drug problem and getting students to rat each other out is so not going to happen. In a perfect world maybe, but in the real world, not a chance. Jimmy is a classic case of a lonely teenager who is never with his parents and is basically always hanging out ith his friends which are a very bad influence. The pattern that I recognize from Jimmy is that he has been wanting to get his parents attention and the only way he gets it, is by consuming excessive alcohol or illegal drugs. Teens feel alone at home and family. They look for something attractive that pleases them. They dont get enough attention from parents. They were not used to get enough attention when they were kids. But when they were kids there were a lot of childish things that could make them busy and temporarily happy. But when they reach 14, those things can ot attract them anymore. They still suffer from lacking of attention and the things that could be a relief for them, have lost their attraction. So they look for new things. Definitely these new things cannot be found in family. They are already disappointed about family. Parents should be trained and educated about these things. They should know that all of these problems come because of lack of attention from one or both parents. One hour attention to children and teens saves hundreds of hours of therapy in future. It prevents a lot of problems that addiction is only one of them. By interviewing Jimmy I found that teenagers see taking / using drugs are Just a way of teenage-hood, most youth will try some sort of drug, maybe Just to try it out or maybe for a reason. This teen said he has taken drugs because it was something to do, and everyone else around him was doing it and it was seen cool to take drugs and that it was a way to escape from the real world. Interviewing Jimmy was very interesting because I could sort of relate what he is going through from when I was in high school. Luckily Jimmy is acting on time before he goes to the wrong path and becomes a failure in life.

Indian Community Concerns About Teenage Drinking :: essays papers

Indian Community Concerns About Teenage Drinking Homelessness, condition of people who lack regular legal access to housing. Homelessness has been recognized as a significant social problem in the United States since the early 1980s, when an increase in the number of homeless people was caused by a weak economy and cuts in federal aid for housing and income assistance. Other periods of increased homelessness also have occurred many times in history, including during the colonial era. Most other industrialized societies also have experienced increases in homeless populations in recent decades. The number of homeless people in the United States has been an arguable issue for a while. Advocates for the homeless claim that there are several million homeless people; however, recent studies suggest that the homeless number from 600,000 to 700,000. Exact numbers are impossible to collect because researchers define homelessness in different ways and because the homeless are transitory. The number of people predicted to become homeless in any given year is estimated to be three to five times the number of people who are homeless at any given moment. The US Census Bureau attempted to count homeless people in the 1990 census. However, most people consider this attempt as a failure. The homeless population is largely made up of adult men, but the number of women, children, and youth has steadily increased. This group now comprises more than 40 percent of the total homeless population. Most homeless people are also extremely poor and separated from their families and other social networks. About one-third of the adult homeless are chronically mentally ill, and about half are alcoholic or abuse drugs. During the 1950s, most homeless people were older, white, alcoholic men associated with the rundown sections of cities known as skid rows. Today's homeless, however, are mostly non-white; relatively young, with an average age in the middle 30s; and include a large number of women and children. About one-third of homeless men are veterans. In addition to the homeless population, even larger numbers are considered â€Å"marginally housed†; they are in danger of becoming homeless because of poverty or unavailable housing. About half the nation's poor households spend 70 percent or more of their monthly income on housing, which puts them at risk of becoming homeless if faced with an economic problem. Because the number of people living in poverty numbers some 37 million, the marginally housed would amount to nearly 20 million people, creating the potential for a vast increase in the size of the homeless population. Those who are housed only because they have been able to stay with

Farmhand by James Baxter Essay

This poem was written by James Baxter who was born and lived in New Zealand. He was brought up in a farm in a quiet and bleak south east corner of New Zealand. The poem is about a farmhand who is portrayed to be a very ambivalent character. He is unhappy and rather diffident in certain situations and extremely confident and gloriously happy in others. Some â€Å"old wounds† a past experience or probably â€Å"the secret night† which has witnessed some deep dark personal experiences relate to his emotions and melancholy. However all his sadness is vanquished once on the farm where he feels like a king. In the first two stanzas the poet describes the Farmhand as he stands outside the dancing floor. The first stanza tries to give the impression from his gestures that he is a careless person not interested in what is going around him the way he is smoking and joking with his friends. But as the poet helps us observe him closer and find him † Looking out into the secret night† and † always his eyes turning to the dance floor and the girls† we realize that the farmhand is not as he appears to be. It is obvious that he desires and longs to be inside but something is holding him back. Describing girls as â€Å"drifting like flowers† shows how he is able to appreciate their beauty and grace inspite of his work and natural settings being devoid of them. Music is personified to show effect. Baxter says the music is so emotive that the â€Å"music tears slowly in his mind an old wound open† reveals that he has had an unpleasant sad emotional experience and the deep wound has not yet healed. Painful memories may be still fresh and surface upon watching the girls dance on the floors or listening to the music or even gazing at the dark night, which shares his secret and sorrow. The reader feels very sympathetic towards the farmhand in the second stanza when the poet writes, â€Å"His red sunburnt face and hairy hands were not made for dancing or love -making†. The description of his bodily features convey he is unappealing to the girls of upper social class and not fit to indulge in â€Å"dancing and socializing or love making† which is privilege of the elite and handsome. The farmhand is engaged in an occupation, which benefits and is a necessity to all mankind. Yet his sacrifice and selfless attitude to his work is not appreciated and he feels inhibited and diffident to mix with girls because of his external appearance and social standing. He is categorized as only fit for: earth wave breaking and for using the plough† The crops are described as â€Å"slow-growing as his mind†. This simile maybe interpreted as slow to reveal his emotions and express his thoughts and feelings and may possibly be the reason he is yet to have a girlfriend or wife. The fourth stanza talks of the farmhand’s loneliness and vacuum he experiences in life. He longs for someone to love and someone who loves and cares for him. Like other people of his age and he yearns to have someone to walk with, to laugh and share life with. He has his hopes and dreams but he feels because of his â€Å"hairy hands† and â€Å"sunburnt face† he may only be able to weave or yarn dreams but they may never become a reality. Here again the reader is moved, as life has been so harsh to the farmhand because of the nature of his job that he is now even diffident and embarrassed to dream and hope. In the last stanza the poet tells us that the Farmhand is in his domain The Farm and once in his natural element he is confident and comfortable. His looks don’t affect him and his low self-esteem is vanquished. The sound of the tractor engine is music to his ears one which energizes him, not which makes him nostalgic and sad. His hairy hands, which seemed clumsy around delicate girls on the dance floor, are perfect for his job he carries out effortlessly. The poet uses the exclamation†Ah† as an exclamation of admiration towards the farmer and how perfectly he fits his role and job! It is touching to note that the persona has not been given a name and is referred throughout as â€Å"Farmhand† gives the impression that he has no personal identity and is known and recognized by his job around which his life revolves. He lives for his job.

The Problem Of Reducing Water Quality - 1361 Words

Only about 1% of all of the water that is on Earth is considered to be surface water such as lakes and rivers, however, the usable freshwater to us humans is only about .003% which we generally use for drinking, bathing, agriculture, or industry purposes. Unfortunately, pollution is reducing our few water resources even further on a global scale albeit mostly in developed countries. The United Nations have assessed the situation well in that, â€Å"Declining water quality has become a global issue of concern as human populations grow, industrial and agricultural activities expand, and climate change threatens to cause major alterations to the hydrological cycle†(Decade). This threat to our planet is mainly anthropological and has been growing†¦show more content†¦Water pollution can be distributed from either a point or a non-point source. A point source is typically pollution that comes from one single location and is easier to identify, such as from a pipe, municipa l WWTP discharge, a factory, or a ditch. A non-point source is categorized as pollution that has come from multiple sites over very large areas and are quite difficult to trace back and identify accurately. Some examples would be oil from the many streets of a city, different pesticides and fertilizer runoff from certain farms, some forest runoff, etc. There are three varied types of surface water pollution. One type is biological pollution which comes from disease causing organisms like bacteria. Another is chemical pollution which is either natural like nutrient pollution or artificial such as from fertilizers, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals. There is also physical pollution that can be from sources like solid waste, thermal, sediments, etc. Biological pollution consists of infections stemming from two sources. The first is a direct source such as from the microbes in the water like typhoid, cholera, etc. that when drunken directly are known to cause symptoms like hepatitis and dysentery. The other is from an indirect source like water breeding carriers, like the infamous mosquito, that spread diseases such as yellow fever, the West Nile virus, malaria, etc. Chemical water