Photo by Abby Bellow
A recent study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services showed usage of drugs and alcohol in teens has declined steadily from 2002 to 2013.
The study, which showcased over 70,000 American teens ages 12 to 17, states that alcohol use amongst teens over the same period saw a downshift from 17.6 percent to 11.6 percent. The numbers are provided from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which was administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
However, the statistics have students at Oklahoma Christian University asking more questions.
“From what I have seen it seems really surprising to me that drugs and alcohol usage among teens is decreasing,” senior Sarah Philbin said. “My mom is a high school teacher and, from what I have heard from her, I would have thought it would be increasing.”
According to Ryan Newell, professor of Psychology, the use of drugs and alcohol amongst teens may be on the downward trend right now, but it might go back up in a number of years.
“Those statistics go up and down as I understand and I am not an expert in that, but we have seen cigarette-smoking rates go up then they decline because it is trend, its societal,” Newell said. “Right now it may be that the overall use of drugs have declined, and it is obviously a good thing, but history tells us that it is going to go back up again.”
One of the reasons why Newell believes it is inevitable drug and alcohol usage will again increase is because teens have more ways to access drugs today than perhaps 20 years ago.
“Internet access where people can learn how to make drugs pretty easily and find recipes for making drugs is causing more increase in the usage of teen alcohol and drugs,” Newell said. “We have a huge prescription drug problem in the state of Oklahoma.”
Senior Jamal George also believes drugs and alcohol will most likely increase with teens because teens will always struggle with the desire to fit in with their peers.
“Drugs and alcohol have a strong possibility of increasing in the near future because the big thing with teens in the current age is curiosity and that is a strong feeling when those around you are using drugs and pressuring you into by raving of the benefits not knowing its slowly killing them,” George said.
To Newell, the best way to solve the problem of teen drugs and alcohol usage is through preventive measures.
“Some of the mistakes that we have made with teens, drugs and alcohol, is we have been a little too reactive to the problem and not enough proactive,” Newell said. “We develop programs to treat people after the problem of misuse has already started. We have not done a whole lot to alleviate the social ills that may lead to drugs and alcohol misuse.”
Although the issue of drugs and alcohol is more prevalent among teens, college students are in the same battle too.
“I would say our use of drugs at Oklahoma Christian is fairly typical of other universities’ statistics, but lets face it, people lie when you ask them if they are using drugs since we have a culture that has various penalties and punishments for using drugs and consuming alcohol,” Newell said.
Even with Oklahoma Christian’s policies against drinking or using drugs on or off campus, George believes that the issues of drugs and alcohol ought to be looked at again.
“Drugs and alcohol should be addressed because, this being a Christian institution, we should take it as a duty to help those who struggle with these problems,” George said. “I think we should create campus activities that spark their attention because I find that most students do these things out of boredom.”
According to Newell, one of the reasons why teens and college students will always abuse drugs and alcohol is because we have not found the best way to solve the problem.
“I would like to say we have figured out why people use drugs,” Newell said. “I would like to say we have found a way to treat them all effectively, and I would like to say we have found ways to prevent people from using them in the first place, but we simply have not done that.”
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