Substance Abuse

In today's society drug and alcohol use seems to be apart of everyday life. It is common to hear a brand of liquor or a type of drug in most of today's music. The presence of drugs and alcohol is also present in many of today's most popular movies. The youth in our communities have to deal with a lot these days. By utilizing protective factors, we can help steer our youth in the right direction and eliminate risk factors.

There are five different types of risk factors. The first type is school risk factors. An example for a school risk factor can be early academic failure. Through tests we can find out that children who struggle in school early, have a higher chance to experience drugs or alcohol. Another type of risk factor is individual risk factors. Individual risk factors can be something like aggressive behavior. It can be said that children who cannot control their emotions will be more likely to use drugs or alcohol. A peer risk factor is substance abuse. People who hang with people who do drugs will naturally be more likely to try drugs. The fourth type of risk factor is family risk factor. For example, kids who families have a lot of arguments or are not as close will be more likely to use drugs. The final risk factor is the community. It is safe to say that the lower class has the most drug abusers because drugs and alcohol is used as depressants and poorer people tend to suffer from depression more.

With risk factors there is always an opposite. The opposite of risk factors are called protective factors. Using school as an example, the risk was academic failure. The protective factor for school could be school organizations such as Science Olympiad. With the individual risk factor of aggressive behavior, the protective factor could be self control. Students who show self-control are more likely to say no to drugs. An example of a peer protective factor is athletics. Athletes seem to be more into health than the average student so this will keep them from drug use. The protective factor dealing with family is parental monitoring. Parents, who talk to their kids about where they are going, and have knowledge of their friends, tend to stay away from drugs. The final protective factor is for the community. Communities with activity centers and athletic programs have less drug users and it also gives people a good place to go for fun.

By applying our knowledge of risk and protective