Diagreements on Teen Drug and Alcohol Abuse?

Question by : diagreements on teen drug and alcohol abuse?
i wrote an essay for Social Studies….
For many years the topic of teenage drug and alcohol abuse has many different opinions which concern location, wealth, gender, age, and the actual number of kids that do it. Some parents with middle school teenagers think that drug and alcohol abuse begins in high school and there is no need to worry about that yet. Teens through the ages 12-14 were surveyed, the age most said they first started drugs was 14. Many kids start at 12, but the average age they start hard drugs is only 14.( www.crossroadsforwomen.org/blog/) Then with drinking 2.4% at age 12 to 4.5% at age 13, 8.9% at age 14, 16.9% at age 15, 22.4% at age 16, 30.1% at age 17, 42.4% at age 18, 51.2%.( http://www.centurycouncil.org/) There is then the assumption that only boys do drugs and drink. This assumption is false. Actually 12.2% of girls do drugs, and 9.4% of boys. From the ages 12-17, 1.5 million girls started drinking, but 1.28 million boys did (http://www.centerforyouth.org) , which means that that guess is totally false. “My kids don’t have any way to get drugs or alcohol.” Both of these things are actually very easy to get. Alcohol is now found in an everyday home, and most of the time not in a locked cabinet, making it very easy for teens to have access to the alcohol. Drugs are also relatively easy to get. People can pass them to each other during school, after school, at parties, or when they are just hanging out. My kids are smarter than that, it won’t happen to us. The truth is that it can happen to anyone. Kids take drugs for many reasons like to relieve stress, to fit in, to feel good, prevent boredom, escape, relax, feel grown up, experiment, be like their role model, and to rebel. Parent think that many of these problems have stopped because of D.A.R.E. This is also untrue. D.A.R.E. and many other drug and alcohol abuse awareness programs have been cuts, either because of the nationwide budget cuts or the community just found them unnecessary. Lastly people in Westfield and other wealthy towns may think that drugs only occur in less wealthy towns. This too is false. Many kids in Westfield do drugs because we have more money to buy drugs. Many people have many different opinions on this topic but in reality drugs and alcohol are there, if you like it or not.
I got i back because it was a group project and my teacher said that i didn’t answer the question right? i didn’t know what to do, she also said that it was a bit all over.. here is the question..

what disagreements, if any, exist in your community about this problem. the problem we chose as a class is teen drug and alcohol abuse. Any ideas on how i can fix it or make it better fit the question?

Best answer:

Answer by Anonymous
Well, your thesis appears to be on the idea that there are different opinions on teen drug and alcohol abuse, but you don’t list any opinions attributed to any sources. You have stats (which need an opinion first so that the stats have a use) and then an unattributed opinion that sounds like its explaining one persons ideas on why kids do drugs.

Perhaps include more opinions from both sides? Maybe reference a group that is completely anti-drug and then a group that is pro-drug use but anti-drug-abuse (abuse and use are two different things although many groups will assume any use is abuse).

Look into international drug law, that can provide some interesting opinions. I know in China they follow UN drug laws and only cocaine, heroin, ketamine, meth, MDMA, and marijuana are illegal BUT all of those (besides opium based drugs) are allowed to be served as long as the business serving them has established guangxi (a type of legitimate bribe).

Meanwhile Costa Rica ignores UN drug laws and pretty much allows individuals to do what they want as long as they dont harm another.

And the UAE has extremely harsh drug laws, finding even microscopic amounts can be enough to send someone to jail.

EDIT: Find out your teachers opinion on the issue and judge whether your teacher is open-minded or close-minded. If they are close-minded you might want to just write a paper supporting their opinion so that you will get a high grade. Unfortunately, education in America is about being the best as doing what you are told, not about learning different viewpoints.

Dealing With Teenage Drug And Alcohol Problems — There are several programs on the Central Coast set up to help with teen substance abuse.