During the adolescent stage, an individual tends to get involved in activities that could be risky. These risky behaviors are influenced by how one makes their decisions or due to peer pressure. At the adolescence stage, the individual’s neural circuit is in the process of maturation. As Gravetter and Forzano (2018) elucidate, anything that is taken into their body at this age is likely to affect their body and mind for the rest of their lives. Studies have shown that adolescents who engage in drug use have long-term effects on their health and mental development (Gravetter & Forzano, 2018). Prolonged use of drugs may lead to addiction where these groups of people are likely to use the drugs for the rest of their lives such that they are unable to stop. There is a need to research this topic to come up with solutions on how to mitigate the use of drugs among adolescents, as they constitute our future generation.
Conducting further research on the effects of drug abuse among adolescents is essential in several aspects. First, one builds knowledge on how extensive the situation is in society. According to Zarah (2021), knowledge acquired in research helps in improving the lives of those who the research involves. Also, the facts acquired during the study can be compared with other sources of knowledge to establish their accuracy. Understanding the issue of the use of drugs is crucial as it can help create public awareness. The fact that the research involves adolescents may help understand individuals at this stage and even devise better approaches to solve their personal or social problems. Conducting research acts as a way of distinguishing facts from lies (Zarah, 2021). A lot of information about adolescents has been published over the years. However, researching the same could go a long way in establishing whether the available information about drug use among this age group is true.
Knowing the truth about drug use in adolescents provides an opportunity to let other individuals know that the problem exists and action needs to be taken. Stakeholders can get this information to come up with strategies that may help the affected adolescents to change their ways. Conducting further research opens room for critical thinking and improves the mental health of the researcher. It breaks the monotony of what is read in the books and gets more tangible information from the field. During this process, the researcher is tasked to think critically hence developing a healthy mind. After conducting research, the information documented is released to the public. This helps other researchers to use the same information to conduct their research and give views on the issue that is under scrutiny (Zarah, 2021). These aspects show the importance of carrying out further research which in this case will help understand the issues surrounding drug use and its long-term effects on adolescents.
There is no doubt that drug abuse is rampant in society. However, drug use among adolescents is a serious situation especially that the age group will make up the future generation. It is essential to conduct a further study on the topic to know what contributes to them using drugs and how society can help individuals who engage in drug abuse. Educating them on the dangers of prolonged use of drugs may help them build a better future for themselves and future generations.
