Young Adults: At Critical Risk for Alcohol & Drug Use - Essay Sample

Introduction

Youth are considered to be the most vulnerable population regarding Alcohol and drug use in society today. The youth bracket is thought to be at a critical risk period for initiation into alcohol and substance use. According to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) report of 2014, it is evident that the most treatment admission for patients with Alcohol and drug addiction is between 18 to 30 years of age. The research further shows that most of the users were initiated into alcohol use at the age of 17(TEDS 2014). Studies from the United Nations youth report indicate that the gap between 18 and 25 is the most affected group of people in the world today. The young people are at riskier situation than the older ones because of peer influence. People use alcohol and other drugs to fulfil a need or to serve a function. Drugs are known for meeting specific body needs such as pain reliever, conquering fear getting feelings of pleasure among others. However, the motivations for the behavior differ from one person to another. The paper will, therefore, explore the motivation for Alcohol and drug use among the youth, identify social issues surrounding it and apply theories of human motivation and performance.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Motivations for the Behaviour

The youth use Alcohol and drug for different motives. From the studies carried out by United Nations youth forum, it was established that some use Alcohol and drugs to show autonomy and independence. The youth state that it helps them feel like they are responsible for their own lives, and they can do what they desire. Alcohol is one of the things that every parent denies their children and the youth take it to break away from their parent's norms and have a feeling of independence and autonomy.

Secondly, they indulge in satisfying their inner desire of wanting to take risks because they are always being warned of not taking Alcohol because of threats such as addiction, being in involved in violence driving while drunk among others. They are motivated by the urge of wanting to try out and experiment how real the risk can be. Most youths desire to indulge in the things their parents warn them against, and Alcohol is one of them. As they experiment to try out risks, they end up developing the need to build tolerance levels and eventually plunge into addiction.

Additionally, the youth are motivated by the desire to break away from their parent's norms and societal restrictions and expectations. As a result, they indulge in alcohol consumption and drug use with a bid to develop their own culture and way of life. Every society discourages its young people from indulging in Alcohol and also using drugs. The youth always want to build their way of living and breaking away from what they consider old and out of fashion. They want to be part of what is trending and can give them a sense of identity with their peers.

Another motivation for the youth getting into drug use is to seek uniqueness and develop an exciting experience that is brought about by alcohol and drugs. When they are intoxicated, the child feel they have a sense of novelty and cannot be compared with their peers who are not consumers. They get a high level of pleasure and relief from worries such as studies and the task of seeking employment. One thing, however, that they do not understand is that every consumption changes their tolerance level and with time, they become addicts.

Theories of Human Motivation and Performance

Research indicates that several methods motivate human beings into performing certain things and behaving in a given manner. Theories of human motivation and performance can be categorized into biological, cognitive and learned. In looking at the McClelland achievement motivation theory, the scholar explains that every human being has one of the three primary driving motivators and they include the need for achievement, to be affiliated to a given body or group and to have power. The theorist explains that the motivators are not inborn, but they are instead developed throughout a person's life and cultural experiences. In relating the theory with the Youth motivators for alcohol consumption and drug use, it is possible that they fall under the McClelland model where they consume Alcohol to achieve a sense of identity, autonomy and independence. Besides, the youth also indulge in the behavior to be affiliated to a given group and this are their peers who are even drinking. When peer pressure develops, everyone wants to be like their fellow youth, and as a result, they end up taking Alcohol and drugs to be associated with them. The child also indulge in Alcohol and drug use behaviour because they want to feel powerful and not controlled by their parents or societal rules and regulations.

Additionally, in looking at B.F Skinner reinforcement theory, the scholar explains that behaviour is the function of its results and that individual is likely to repeat or engage in acts that bring positive consequences to them. The change in behaviour is achieved through the process of operant condition. In this regard, the youth likely to indulge in alcohol consumption and drug use because of the consequences they get out of it. For instance, the reward is getting a certain level of excitement, being at par with their peers, among other awards.

Social Concerns and Policies

Social issues resulting from alcohol consumption and drug use are disastrous in society and have led to a myriad of problems among the youth. One of the issues is unemployment because the child become addicts and they cannot focus in looking for work. If they get any, they cannot retain because of overindulgence causing gross misconduct at work leading to several of them being fired. Some are consistently absent from work, and they are frequently terminated in every job they get. Besides, violence in society experiences because when the people are under the influence of any substance, they tend to be chaotic and always seeking for trouble among peaceful people. The productivity of youths who indulge in alcohol consumption and drug use also goes down. The child are expected to be extremely productive and are relied upon in building the nation, but when they become drug addicts, their productivity is curtailed.

There are several social policies related to Alcohol and drug use that have been implemented or need to be implemented both at the federal and state level. One of them increases the minimum age requirement for alcohol consumption and this help in closing out the number of youths who are eligible for drinking. Because they will not be drinking, then the rate of drug use will also be likely to reduce. Another social policy associated with the behaviour is to tighten the rules and regulations governing liquor and its consumption and this way, fewer people will be able to drink. Moreover, hefty fines should be affected on drunken driving as well as under the influence of drugs, for instance, revoking driving license and banning the offender from driving for some time.

Tools and Technologies Used

The tools and technologies used in the research of Alcohol and drug use among the youth can be both quantitative and qualitative. In the use of quantitative tools, questionnaires are ideal for the collection of data which is later analyzed to conclude. The scrutiny tools that can be used include ANOVA, which entails the analysis of variance from the set of data collected. When qualitative techniques are used tools such as interviews, observations, review of documents such as diaries are used to manage the data required. It is, however, essential to note that all techniques must be pre-tested to ensure validity and its reliability.

References

United Nations. Org (2017). Reasons For Substance Use And Associated Problems Among Some Youth retrieved on 10th march 2020 from https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch06.pdf

Among Treatment, I. (2014). The TEDS Report. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/WebFiles_TEDS_SR142_AgeatInit_07-10-14/TEDS-SR142-AgeatInit-2014.pdf

Weiner, B. (2013). Human motivation. Psychology Press.