Influence of the Influence

In 2014, 11.7 percent of American eighth graders reportedly used illicit marijuana, according to a University of Michigan study. According to the same study, that number rose to 35.1 percent by twelfth grade. Drug abuse is a serious issue. In 2010, drug abuse unintentionally killed 30,006 people. That’s over 30,000 husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, boyfriends, girlfriends - all ripped away from their families in an instant.

But why do people - teens- choose to go down such a dark road? According to school psychologist Crystal Elliott, it’s more complicated than that. “A lot of these chemicals are very close to or are exactly the same as chemicals found in our body, like oxytocin - that’s known as the “love hormone.”

But according to the Partnership for Drug Free Kids, the first reason is peer pressure. Some teens see others doing drugs and want to try them out; others are pressured into it by friends. Others want to feel like part of a group or part of something bigger.

The second reason, says the Partnership, is popular media. Marijuana communities are popping up everywhere: reddit, Facebook, Google+. Some parents argue that shows like MTV’s Skins and AMC’s Breaking Bad glorify drugs and alcohol and encourage their use. Blake Ewing, an assistant District Attorney near Austin, Texas, says in a September 20, 2013 TIME column that though Breaking Bad won’t cause responsible adults to start cooking meth, those on the “margins of society will be drawn into that world”.

The third reason, says the Partnership, is escape and self-medication. Some teens cannot find someone to confide their troubles in, and some do not have ways to vent their anger. For these teens, drugs are a way to escape and forget about their problems, even if just for a moment or two. Substances can make people feel elation or just general happiness, a feeling that, in their melancholy stupor, they may not be able to get.

The fourth reason is boredom. Some teens get bored in the tedium of everyday life and view drugs as a way to break this tedium - such as reading or video games in others.

The fifth reason is rebellion. Some teens view their parents as oppressors who seek to actively deprive them of fun or some other privilege they believe they’re entitled to. They view drugs as a way to defame or defy their parents and as a way to vent their negative feelings toward them.

The sixth reason is that drugs and alcohol work quickly, their effects sometimes being felt within seconds. These teens see drugs as an avenue to happiness.

The seventh reason is lack of confidence. Some teens lack the self-confidence to do something that they would do otherwise - like go out with friends, dance at a party, or ask someone out on a date. In addition, it alleviates social anxiety - and if someone does something stupid, that doesn’t reflect on them as a person - but rather is attributed to the influence of drugs or alcohol.

If someone does turn to drugs, there’s a cycle, according to Mrs. Elliott. Once the teen has done the drugs or alcohol, Mrs. Elliott says, they “feel bad; feelings of guilt or shame. There’s a difference: guilt is ‘I did something bad’, and shame is ‘I am bad’.” These feelings, she says, lead the person to look for an escape - which often causes more drugs or alcohol. “There’s a sort of stigma behind addiction that feeds into the guilt and shame.”

Instead of directly trying to treat the addiction, she says, she looks at “the root of the feeling [that leads to addiction]. Why do they feel that way?” From there, she says, she (or a counselor) refers them to the school’s Student Support Advocate, Ms. Rosa Rosario, or an external specialist based on the student’s needs.

As for alleviating the stress that can cause the need for these substances, there are several methods that Mrs. Elliott recommends. “You can try changing your body chemistry… Extreme hot and extreme cold ‘reset’ your body’s chemistry.” Exercise can also help, including something as seemingly minute as “ten jumping jacks,” she says. Furthermore, there’s also “progressive muscle relaxation”, where you slowly tense up your muscles, starting in your extremities (such as your fingers) and move your way into your body (such as up your arms and into your abdominals) and slowly release them.

If you’re feeling bad, if it’s for any reason, remember that your school counselors are there to help.

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