People in all modern societies use drugs, but today's youth are experimenting with both legal and illegal drugs, and at an increasingly early age. Some sociologists claim that parents and other members of society often set a bad example. Discuss the causes and some effects of widespread drug use by young people in modern day society. Make any recommendations you feel are necessary to help fight youth drug abuse.

Today’s generation of youngsters is known to experiment with legal and illegal drugs at an alarming rate in their early life. Certain sociologists widely believe that it is due to the influence of parents and society.

Although

this

may be true, the issue can largely be blamed on internet exposure and the influence of friends. The internet has become an essential part of our daily life and its wide exposure is one of the factors of substance misuse by young adults.

Furthermore

, they even tend to get influenced by friends, which is often the reason for them to fall victim to addiction. There is an array of information online about various kinds of drugs and their effects.

Besides

, young minds tend to be very curious as they are at a stage where they are learning and experimenting with all sorts of things. Curiosity coupled with easy access to information peaks interest in the minds of youngsters, and more often than not, it causes the youth to experiment with drugs.

For example

, an experiment conducted by Oxford University suggested that youngsters who abstained from wide online exposure were 76% likely to abstain from drug misuse. Adolescents often develop a relatively close bond with their friends since they are of the same age group and tend to engage in similar activities. It could sometimes lead a youngster to succumb to peer pressure and begin toying with substance abuse.

For instance

, my friend Gary had had a similar experience during his school days where he gave in to substance usage to seemingly feel liked and accepted by his friends. Substance abuse can easily become an addiction.

Subsequently

, most people lose their families, careers and even themselves.

In addition

to

this

, increased intake of illegal substances can lead to drug overdose, which in turn can cost a person their life. One way to tackle the issue is to spread awareness in the younger generation through programs conducted by educational institutions, as

this

is where they spend most of their time. In conclusion, while it is believed by sociologists that parents and society cause young adults to indulge in abuse of substances, it is in fact friends and the internet that impact them more.