Reflection

This project has been remarkably intriguing, yet I feel that I could have/would like to do more research because what I have been questioning still seems rather open-ended. It would be helpful if an even more in-depth survey could be done. If I could at least get the question "How often do you use drugs?" answered, I would feel that my goal has been reached. Without the answer to that question, my research thus far seems somewhat insignificant. There is still more work to be done. Although I feel that there is still more work to be done, I have learned that teens use alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine more than any other drug. They use them mainly because they enjoy doing it and because they can than any other reason.

Further Research

I would like to explore how often teenagers use drugs. With my data as well as Nagin's, it is difficult to make an informed conclusion without knowing how often the majority of teenage-drug-users use said drugs. An additional survey with further questions such as "How often do you use drugs?", etc. would prove to be very useful. It may also help to seek a source that has already investigated this exact question, although it may be better to discover the answer on my own so it could be used with the other two questions that have been answered.

Conclusions

From the data that I have collected as well as the data that Professor Nagin has gathered, it would seem as though teenagers and drugs have an almost eerie correspondence. Teenagers will almost inevitably do drugs, and there is nothing we can do to stop that. Now, whether doing drugs means abusing them or using them occasionally, it would seem as though using them after the age of 15 is safer than using them beforehand. From what I can tell, though, drugs, if used, should be used with good judgment and knowledge. After all, that saying "what we don't know can't hurt us" has been proven wrong. All we can hope is that teens these days have sound judgment and mind.

Results from a Recent Survey

Participants in this survey were teenagers aged 14-16. 36 of the respondents were male, and 63 were female. This survey was answered by 35 black people, 49 white people, 2 Asian people, 1 Latino person, 7 people of mixed race, and 5 who classified themselves as "other".

Published Source

"People who begin drinking and using marijuana regularly prior to their 15th birthday face a higher risk of early pregnancy, school failure, substance dependence, sexually-transmitted disease and criminal convictions that lasts into their 30s, according to a study co-authored by Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dan Nagin." Source: "Early Exposure to Drugs, Alcohol Creates Lifetime of Health Risk; Carnegie Mellon Professor Co-Authors New Study on Teen Drinking, Drug Abuse. "Ascribe Newswire: Health 16 Oct. 2008: 4. Health Source - Consumer Edition. EBSCO. Web. 23 Mar. 2010.

The study consisted of observing nearly 1,000 New Zealand teenagers from their birth until age 32. Nearly half of said teenagers were troubled, but the other half were average, everyday, normal teens. Yet, they both ended up with similar life and health issues by the time they were age 30. From Nagin's point of view, this meant that early "teenage experimenting"could quickly turn into something much more serious. His data found that "good" kids who didn't have behavioral issues or a bad home life but who began using drugs and alcohol before age 15 wound up being 3.6 more likely to be dependent on said substances, as well as be more likely to end up in trouble with the law as well as contract a sexually transmitted disease. This meant, however, that Nagin was not concerned about teenagers who casually tried drugs and alcohol at parties or only a few times rather than regularly before age 15.

Research Questions

In this blog, I will attempt to answer these questions:

-Why do teenagers use drugs?
-How often do teenagers use drugs?
-What kinds of drugs do teenagers use?

Teens and Drugs

For my research project, I have decided to observe teenage use/abuse of drugs. I often wonder how many teenagers use drugs, what kinds, and why they use them. So, I've decided to attempt to find the answers to these questions. I believe that nearly every teenager has/will try drugs. Whether that means frequent use/abuse, or simply an occasional curiosity is unknown to me. I hope that I will be able to learn why teens use drugs, what kinds they use, and how often they use them.