Low, Middle and High-Risk Behaviors to Drug and Substance Abuse Research

Theme one: Experimentation

(Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas 2003) Researched on 29 inner-city middle schools in Singapore and, among those interviewed, 21% were identified to be abusing drugs. According to (Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas 2003), early experimentation leads to heavy use of drug substance later in life. Alcohol and cigarettes are the primary drugs used by these teenagers. The same views are shared by (Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas 2003) who argues that those teens who tried cigarettes during their early teenagehood are three times likely to start using a pack a day when they reach the high school seniors. From the "coming clean collateral" (Appendix 1) and "it was once" (Appendix 6, and Appendix 9) the theme of experimentation is evident when the respondent tried the inhalation of methane once and became long-term behavior. People with high intelligence are more likely to experiment with drugs unlike those people with low knowledge. Intelligent people are always curious to try out new adventures and can easily influence the rest of the team. (Griffin, Botvin & Nicholas (2003) also argue that once teenagers have been introduced to drugs when they are young, there are high chances that they might experience additional adverse outcomes when these people reach a later young age or in early adulthood (Schwartz, Waddel, & Pauls, 2010).

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Intervention and Prevention

Vulnerability and resiliency concepts can be utilized to identify individual susceptivity to risk. According to (Athur, Hawkins, Polaard, & Catalano, 2012) protection should enhance resilience to the risk these people are exposed to including extreme poverty cases, poor education, poor economic background. Once resistance has been reinforced, it is hard to challenge their values and particular strength imparted. In case of delay and the person turns out to be an addict, the teenager should visit a physician for help. The physician is required to submit a report to the authorities (central narcotics bureau). The authorities are then able to apply restrictions on the patient who is then taken to a rehabilitation center. Once the medication period is over, the patient is subjected to random blood and urine testing which is carried out at any given time. The Singapore government has also designed the Misuse of Drugs Act which provides the police with the permission to search any suspect dealing with drugs or trafficking drugs even when they do not have a warrant. A suspect can be asked to do a compulsory urinalysis, and if they fail to comply, they are assumed to be guilty. When a suspect is confirmed to be in possession of over 500grams of cannabis, or 30 grams of cocaine or 15 grams of heroin, one faces a death penalty when prosecuted in court (Durpe & Lamlein, 2010).

Drug addiction treatment should also be encouraged in Singapore where these people can receive outpatient drug and alcohol addiction treatment. Offering early intervention programs are also supported where the risk of teenagers indulging in drug and substance abuse are evaluated, educates about addiction and be taught how to cope with challenges without dependence.

Theme Two: Peer Pressure and Influence

From the collateral "Looks can be deceiving" (Appendix 2) and (Appendix 12) "high hopes and bad trips" one can identify the theme peer pressure and influence. Peers may lead someone to drug abuse with myths and misconceptions. (Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas 2003) Argues that various factors are highly associated with high risk of these teenagers not only starting but continuing to use hard drugs. Some of these factors include peer social influences which were marked as a significant factor which escalated the use of drugs and substance among teenagers. Peer influence takes a variety of forms which may include making these drugs and material available to their friends, teenagers experiencing peer pressure from the rest, constant encouragement, and finally, these peers may increase the normative expectation of prevalence of drug and substance use (Athur, Hawkins, Polaard, & Catalano, 2012)

Prevention and Intervention

(Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas, 2003) argue that the best strategy to use in preventing high-risk behavior in drug and substance abuse prevention is peer education. Peer education can be defined as teaching and share health information, promoting decent values and ethics in teenagers who share the same characteristics. Peers of the same age come together in informal or formal settings to share. From such gatherings, peers have a higher opportunity of being understood, and it is easier for them to learn from each other. The educators also have a chance to act as role models who should reinforce positive behavior reflecting what they teach others. These programs are used in various youth assemblies to address high-risk behaviors like early sex, HIV prevention, and mental wellbeing. Gerald, RealMuto, Winters, & Hektner, (2001), argue that early intervention is essential. For instance, the introduction of a school-based universal drug prevention program which can address poor performance in school can be a first intervention program (Marvin Eisen, 2000). When such programs are implemented, they can help teenagers cut the use of alcohol, inhalants, cigarettes, and tobacco. These programs encourage positive behavior from the affected teenagers and thus prevention of smoking, taking alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs. This strategy does not only work well with the youth who are already abusing drugs, but also on those who are at risk of being initiated into the practice (Mary, Ellickson, & Richard, 2015).

Theme three: Identity

The third theme identified from the collateral "What will you be famous for" (Appendix 52) is identity. It is because some people have qualities that distinguish them. Some were wealthy, talented while others decided to abuse drugs and waste their lives, hoping they will be remembered. Also, a low degree of commitment especially at a school that results in reduced performance has also been linked to the teenage use of drugs and substance. According to (Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas, 2003) and (Nikmanesh, Baluchi, Akbar, & Motlagh 2017) teenagers who have poor performance at school are more likely to start engaging in drug and substance abuse. These teenagers can abuse tobacco and alcohol because they want to establish an identity so that they can enrich the perception of how other peers view them. (Athur, Hawkins, Polaard, & Catalano, 2012) Also agree with these views by noting that academic failure, especially among teenagers, motivates drug abuse. However, they add that early anti-social behavior also predicts early drug abuse. Also, when a child fails in late elementary school, it may activate antisocial behavior which later leads to drug use. (Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas, 2003) argue that according to problem behavior theory, adolescents can engage in harmful activities because they want to achieve developmental goals which they believe cannot be made in more adaptive ways. These people might start being physically violent, have delinquent behavior, have poor health and also experience mental problems. Some may decide to start abusing drugs to show that they are worth.

Prevention and Intervention

According to Griffin, Botvin, & Nicholas, (2003), some risk factors for drug abuse are resistant and can be hard to change or control. Protective factors typically call for one to mitigate the effects of exposure to risks that bring about drug and substance abuse behavior. These protective factors need to be enhanced through identifying the concepts of vulnerability and resiliency to understand the extent of susceptibility to risk factors. When protecting children against drug and substance abuse, one must first address the stress they are exposed to especially if it comes from their families. For instance, one must consider the teenager's positive temperament, supportive family milieu and the surrounding support systems which can help the child understand and cope up, and also infuse positive values and resilience. Once resilient, these children can display impressive skills of solving their problems and believe in their self-efficacy. Availability of public amenities should be freely provided by the government to ensure that teenagers are kept busy with productive activities. For instance, offer parks which could be used as space for exercise, games and productive community meetings. Access to the consultation should be made available where family advocates should visit identified and affected homes to offer consultation, support and give interventions to assist families in solving their daily problems. Once these advocates are allowed into homes, they are at a higher potential of identifying the problem and immediately implementing a plan to help families help their children prevent drug and substance abuse.

Theme four: Violent Environment

The subject of the violent environment has been identified from the collateral "mummy? What are they sniffing" (Appendix 45) and (Appendix 55) "the best anti-drug advertisement: YOU." (Hasselt, Null, Ammerman, Bukstein, McGillivray, & Hunter, (1993) argue that according to the research they carried out on inner-city youth on 45 respondents, 90% of them are at high risk of drug abuse and substance because they are exposed to a violent environment. Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, (2001) argues that there are various factors which promote low, middle and high-risk behavior in drug abuse. Some of these factors which he discussed include availability, extreme economic deprivation, family, and drug behavior attitudes and legal restrictions to purchase of these drugs and substances (Gilbert & Griffin, Life skills training, 2014).

Individual and Interpersonal Factors

According to Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, (2001), specific characteristics and the environments people live in are highly connected with the higher risk of adolescent drug and substance abuse. These characteristics according to Lu, Pinchas, & Landson, (2016), including physiological, where an individual is involved in seeking and low harm avoidance which can be equated to early onset of alcoholism. Low-income family management is attributed to lack of consistent parenting, lack of time to impart discipline in the children and irresponsible parenting. Family conflict is also another factor where most affected children come from broken homes. Broken homes and domestic violence is a higher risk of delinquency which brings these children to start abusin...