Abstract

The children of today are the future of who will run this country. It is also a testament on how juveniles are being brought up. There is an importance at the core of every American that has been raised from the past. This to keep our children away from drugs to the best of our ability and make sure they have a bright future. Keeping to this core would diminish the numbers of juveniles that go through the criminal justice system and keep them away from drugs. Juveniles need to be guide down the right path, and it is up to the adults and young adults to do this. Children need to be shown the moral way to live their lives, so they can be successful and prosperous. Adults need to also remember to guide the juveniles that are having trouble and let them know that they can have and do anything they want if they put their mind to it and work hard.

Introduction

Children today can be easily persuaded by the things going on around them in the world of today, especially children younger then 18. This means that the people that they come into contact with can play a vital role on how they grow up. This can be seen if a juvenile’s parents use drugs, this can entice them to use them also. If a juvenile has friends that also use drugs, they may want to use them also by means of peer pressure. Children in today’s society getting weaker but at the same time are also getting wiser. By looking at how their emotions are, the mental and physical wellbeing they have, they are getting weaker. However, children are getting wiser with technology as it continues to advance. Children need to have a solid family, that is mentally and spiritually sound. Ideas and values that they can mirror as they are growing up. Children get older and when they do, they will be more independent and less reliant on the older people in their families. The children of today’s society are suffering. They are suffering mentally emotionally and physically, even though people they choose not to believe it, it is happening. This is why the adults need to step up take charge, shape and mold the children of today to be stronger adults of tomorrow.

Juveniles Effect of Drug Use

How a juvenile’s family strength is can contribute to whether or not they chose to start using drugs. This can also be the same with the friends that the juvenile choses to hang out with. Children are with their friend most of the time and “peer pressure” can be a very dangerous thing. Juveniles that live in dysfunctional families, whether from separation or death, can make a child want to be with their friends more, which can lead to illegal activities depending on the lifestyles that their friends chose to live. “The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.” (Proverbs 12:7, NIV) It has been said by Howard Liddle that there several routes and pathways that juveniles can use to start have problems with drugs. Some of the things that might put a juvenile at risk for starting a drug habit may be, but not limited to:

Lack of monitory and parental supervision

Little or no child and parent communication or interaction

Lack of rules and communications when it comes to drugs

Lack of discipline or excessive use of discipline

Conflicts within the family

Parental drug and alcohol use and contributing to the child

(Teen Drug Abuse, para 3, 2017)

A child’s mind is constantly developing, and all of these things can contribute to the mind set of the child if they do not have a solid upbringing in their teenage years. One of the bigger problems is with the communication and interactions between a child and theirs parents. With the way things are today both parents have to work, and this leads to little time to talk and spend time with their children. It is the job of every parent to talk with their children, to see how they are doing and if everything is ok with them. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4, NIV) Another thing parent’s need to make sure is that their children know that they can come to the parents and talk about anything they might need. Another major problem with juveniles is the lack of monitoring by the parents. In todays society juveniles are walking all of their parents as if they are the ones in charge. “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” (Isaiah 54:13, NIV) There are a lot of family that allow their children to act this way. When the child ends up in the criminal justice system or starts using drugs it is the parent who wonder how that started to go bad. The ways that adults and children can acquire drugs these days are growing into a major problem. With things like the internet on computers and phones, and even though social media, juvenile have the technology to get access to just about anything they may want. A question to leave with, how can these things be stopped?

Juveniles Family Effect of Drug Use

If a child had parents that do not approve of drug use, but they decide to use them anyways this can leave the parents feeling very distraught. They parents may start to have feels of disappointment and hurt over what their child is doing and start to ponder on what is was that they did wrong. This can also be the same if it is the parents are doing drugs, which in turn may lead to the child doing them as well. Parents need to give their children a strong foundation to grow up to. This foundation needs to be solid mentally, emotional, and also physically. In today’s society there are to many households where drugs are being introduce to juveniles by people within their families, whether it’s from a sibling or the parents. This leave the juvenile in an awkward position on how to deal with type of thing going on in the house. In this type of instance, you now may have parents doing drugs in front of them, which now leaves them to wonder how they are going to make it financially since they parent can’t do it for them. How are they going to survive? One of the ways that juveniles are making it, is through joining gangs. With a high gang active through out the United States, juveniles are making money in gang through illegal activities to help support their families. This all leads to a poor family structure that will inevitably destroy any future that the child may have, along with them not being able to grow into a successful adult. This can go the other way however. A juvenile may be trouble and the parents do show the love and attention, but they reject it, due to the inconsistency of the parents. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:1-4, NIV) The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment says that:

Children are confused because they cannot figure out the boundaries of right and wrong. As a result, they may behave badly in the hope of getting their parents to set clearly defined boundaries. Without known limits, children cannot predict parental responses and adjust their behavior accordingly. These inconsistencies tend to be present regardless of whether the person abusing substances is a parent or child and they create a sense of confusion—a key factor—in the children. (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, para 9, 2004)

Juvenile Drug Use Rehabilitation

The are many things that can be done to rehabilitate a juvenile. One of the things that can be done is by the parents. This is done by forcing the child into a rehabilitation center before they have chance to get into a heavier drug use and start using more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine. Another thing that can be done is by the juvenile themselves. The child can get themselves in a substance abuse program to get the information about drugs and their effects before they even start to use drugs. Juveniles may feel that quitting drugs is a hard thing to do but there are no limits on when or how long a person can be in rehabilitation. This then means that the parents of the juvenile need to support them through the rehabilitation with any help they need. This will help lead the juvenile on a better path to make something of their lives. Juveniles have several options when looking for ways to get rehabilitation. One would be a substance abuse program to help them quit use drugs. This type of program helps juveniles by educating them about drug use, how it can affect them and the people around them. This type of program also allows juvenile to talk to each other in groups, were stories are shared and juvenile can realize that they are not alone. They can also get counseling and therapy treatments in this type of program. Parents can even decide to join the therapy sessions if the juvenile wants them to. Another way of rehabilitation is through an intervention given by the family. This allows the family to get a counselor and confront the juvenile to help them realize that they have a problem and they need to get help, whether it is from the family or counselor. There are many other ways for rehabilitation, just remember that substance abuse is powerful, and it need to be stop before it can take over the mind and body. Parents just need to be vigilant on who they let the children be around and keep up with what they do.

Conclusion

For many juveniles and even some adults, drugs are a way to get rid of all of the troubles that are going on in their live, even though it actually isn’t. Using drugs may start small but can led to the use of more dangerous drugs, which can turn deadly. The sad part is juvenile to think about who they are affecting or who they are hurting when using drugs. Peer pressure can be very dangerous thing that can affect the live of the juvenile and they may not even realize it. Moreover, it is the job of the parents, sibling, and loved ones of the juveniles to give them the help that they need and the help they deserve. “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6, NIV)

References

AddictionCenter. (2018, Nov 19). Teenage Drug Abuse and Addiction. Retrieved from addictioncenter.com: https://www.addictioncenter.com/teenage-drug-abuse/

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Substance Abuse Treatment and Family Therapy. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US). (2004). Chapter 2 Impact of Substance Abuse on Families. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 39. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64258/

Jonathan Horey, M. (2017, June 3). Bath Salts, Smiles and Spice: The Dangers of Synthetic Drugs. Retrieved from huffpost.com: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bath-salts-smiles-and-spi_b_10260468#comments

Liddie, H. (2018, Nov 20). Adolescent Substance Abuse. Retrieved from teen-drug-abuse.org: http://www.teen-drug-abuse.org/adolescent-substance-abuse.htm

Obrian, C. (2006). Drug Addiction Drug Abuse (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Park, A. (2011, June 29). Teens and Drugs: Rite of Passage or Recipe for Addiction? Retrieved from healthland.time.com: http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/29/teens-and-drugs-rite-of-passage-or-recipe-for-addiction/

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, M. (2015, March 30). Teen Drug Abuse Facts. Retrieved from medicinenet.com: https://www.medicinenet.com/teen_drug_abuse/article.htm#teen_drug_abuse_facts

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