Factors That Influence Teenagers to Substance Abuse

There are several factors that influence teenagers toward abusing alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Substance abuse is especially a risk for teenagers because they already have so many other issues in their life, such as school, parent's expectations, and hormones. As young people, they are often uninformed about the dangers and can become much more susceptible to the factors that can lead an individual to drug use.

  1. Peer Pressue

    • The biggest factor that influences teenagers to substance abuse is peer pressure. Teenagers feel extreme pressure to fit in with their peers, and often if one "cool" kid begins using drugs or drinking, others will follow in order to gain status or save face. Additionally, there is the pragmatic element. Teenagers are in high school around the age of 14 in the United States, where they will be exposed to more children, and thus have a high likelihood of meeting individuals who are already abusing drugs.

    Media

    • The media is a major factor in influencing teenagers to substance abuse. Much like the desire to emulate their "cool" peers, teenagers may see images of "cool" individuals in the media, who are smoking or drinking and believe that this behavior is appropriate. While social and governmental groups have attempted to limit teenager's exposure to images of alcohol and smoking in the media, by disallowing television commercials for cigarettes and liquor, teenagers may still be influenced by movies and television shows that depict actors and actresses enjoying drinking, smoking and drug use.

    Home Life

    • An unstable home life is a contributing factor to teenagers going down the path of substance abuse. This is because parents can be a strong influence in keeping children away from drugs, by being positive role models and showing their children the negative aspects of substance abuse. Thus, a lack of guidance by parents at home can lead to substance abuse. Tied into this is the issue of poverty--if parents have to work long days to make ends meet, they have less influence on their child's development and also, pragmatically, can not be home often enough to know what activities their kids are engaging in, thus making it easier for the teens to get away with substance abuse.

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