Substance Abuse in High School
In all the talk we’ve done concerning drug addiction and substance abuse in Los Angeles, I thought it would be interesting to focus in on drug addiction and substance abuse at Poly. While it is not uncommon for teenagers to inevitably be curious about drugs and alcohol, binge drinking, drug abuse and drug addiction have grown very common among high schoolers today. In the US, according to several studies done in 2016, 68% of 12th graders have tried alcohol, 37.4% of 12th graders drank/got drunk recently, 21% binge drank in that month, 22% rode in someone’s car who’d been drinking, and 10% drove after drinking (all in the month of the study). In addition, 35.1% of 12th graders had smoked weed in the past year, 21.3% of 12th graders had smoked weed recently (then, in the previous 30 days), and 6% of 12th graders said they used marijuana every day. What's more, 2.5% of Seniors were using cocaine. I can only imagine how much these numbers have gone up in the past three years with marijuana being legalized in certain states and the increased accessibility to just about everything.
I’m wondering, do you think that drinking alcohol and or doing drugs in high school is wrong? In your experience, do you think Poly specifically has a problem with substance abuse? If you know of anyone in high school with substance abuse problems or addictions, have you talked to those people about it, or referred them to addiction help (if you don’t feel comfortable answering that third question, please skip it!)? Should Poly be taking action concerning drug abuse among students at this school (aka should there be counselors at Poly trained to talk to students about substance addiction)? Or should it only be up to the students’ parents/family? How does the stress of academics and from parents play into the substance use at Poly? Feel free to talk about anything else on this subject!
I wouldn’t say that drinking/doing drugs in high school is wrong, but I think everything should be done in moderation. I think going beyond alcohol/marijuana consumption is definitely pushing it though. While I do think that Poly students, in general, are pretty safe about the way they consume alcohol and drugs, I still do know people that have minor problems. It’s not technically considered a drug, but I would say one of the biggest issues is with the Juul - I have many friends who have been telling me they would quit for the last 2 years, and they’re still struggling to do so.
ReplyDeleteI think that Poly tries to do a pretty good job about teaching students about drugs/substance abuse with outside speakers and things like human development, but I also think that many teachers just try to act like we’re all perfect students and couldn’t fathom that any sort of consumption is taking place, which is also problematic. In terms of the competitive nature of academics at Poly - I definitely think it can play a role. I think that students are often really overworked and will use alcohol/other drugs to relieve any sort of stress, and I’ve also heard about some students using prescription drugs like Adderall to score better on exams and such - which is really disturbing to me.
In my experience, I don’t think Poly specifically has a huge problem with substance abuse in comparison to the larger US data set shown above. I think this is because of human development classes and assemblies throughout the year that educate us about substance abuse and who to contact etc. I do know someone in high school with an addition and I have talked to them and their close friends about it. It seems like their friends have been doing a pretty good job helping the person moderate their addiction and being there for them when they need it. I think students should be able to talk to someone in a safe space without having to contact the student’s parents if the student does not feel comfortable sharing the information with their family yet. Substances definitely play the role of an outlet to stress. Stress from academics is very prevalent at Poly, and I can see why students may be inclined to destress by using various substances.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Poly's numbers of substance abuse issues are that different from the national average, but, that being said I think there is a lot of unhealthy binge drinking/drug use among Poly kids and honestly a lot of addiction is tied into that. I don't think drinking or doing drugs in high school is wrong, I think that, as we've talked about everything in moderation is good and it's important to be exposed to things so you can learn your limits and what you like/don't like. Like I mentioned, I think there is an issue with binge drinking/smoking at Poly and that unfortunately a lot of kids are chemically dependent on weed/alchohol/Juul etc. But, I think that we have a lot of good education surrounding substance use, although it can always be better. Basically what Lux said - I think that teachers need to mindful not to teach one-sidedly and understand that obviously there will always be experimentation in high school and it's better to prepare students than leave a blank when it comes to talking about substance use. Lastly, I think the academic environment at Poly totally encourages substance abuse/binging, and I think it works hand in hand with the mental health stigma we have on this campus. People, often times would rather get extremely drunk when they are stressed out/anxious/depressed than seek out help for it. I think Poly makes this decision easier.
ReplyDeleteLike Rachel said, I think that binge drinking at Poly is a huge issue, especially when it is tied into academic stress. I hate this phrase, but I think there's definitely a "work hard, play hard" culture at Poly, and this is really dangerous from an addiction standpoint, because people learn that drinking is an acceptable way of managing stress. (For instance, there are generally parties after stressful academic events eg finals/APs; I've even seen an Facebook event title that was "Drink away Q1 grades.") In this way, people learn to cope with stress by drinking, and making it even worse is that in doing so people drink in large amounts. I would love to see the results of the drug/alcohol survey that we took, and I would also be curious to see how drinking culture changes based on which socioeconomic level a school is in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with other people that drinking/doing drugs in high school isn't bad, as it allows us to find our limits and determine what we do/do not like. However, I also think that a lot of high schoolers are addicted to nicotine especially. Although most people do it because they "enjoy it," I think that there are some people who are actually addicted to nicotine, no matter who they try to convince themselves they are not. I have a friend who has been meaning to stop smoking weed for a little bit, but has had trouble even taking 1-2 day breaks.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that drinking or drug use in high school are inherently wrong at all. In some ways, I think it’s important that high schoolers have the opportunity to start to understand their limits while they’re still living with their parents so that the temptation of going completely wild in college (when you don’t necessarily have people looking out for your wellbeing in the same way) is lessened.
ReplyDeleteAgain, like Lux said, I think the biggest issues in terms of potential addiction have to do with Juuls and similar devices. We’ve grown up hearing about the dangers of cigarette and alcohol addictions (in addition to harder drugs), but because these products are new and thus unprecedented, I think we have an easier time convincing ourselves that they aren’t that bad or that they’re somehow different. I’ve definitely had conversations about this with people, but they never seem quite serious enough to serve any real effect. And beyond that, I’m not sure that Poly has a particularly bad problem with substance addiction, but I’m also not confident that the school would be able to handle such a problem if it did become necessary to take action.
Regarding the last question, I definitely think there’s an aspect of Poly’s party culture that stems from the “work hard, play hard” mentality. From my experiences, it seems like the more pressure we’re under, the more we (as students) crave those times when we can let loose and have fun. And I also think some part of it has to do with the access that money can get you to alcohol and drugs etc. (because Poly students generally have more resources on average than other local students).
Like what people have said, I don’t think there is anything wrong with drinking and using weed in high school. Many people use drugs and alcohol in fun social settings; however, I think it becomes harmful when it turns into a sort of coping mechanism. I have seen people use drinking as a way to deal with emotions, and it never turns out positive. I also agree with Emma about the harmful affects of the “work hard, play hard” mentality.
ReplyDeleteI think at Poly we do a good job of taking care of one another and making sure everyone goes home safely. I have seen people from different grades that don't even really talk to each other look out for one another at parties. It's also normal for people to tell each other to "text/call me when you get home."
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ReplyDeleteDeleted this to add the last part: I agree that binge drinking is a problem at Poly and an accepted part of the social atmosphere, which, as Emma points out, operates under a “work hard, play hard” mindset that’s definitely unhealthy and unsustainable. Interestingly, I do think that there’s widespread awareness of particular risks of this behavior- most immediately, the risk of alcohol poisoning, which I think has been effectively illustrated throughout a human development programming and which most people seriously consider and generally watch for in their friends and classmates if they’re drinking. I don’t know if Poly has a worse problem with drug or alcohol usage than the national statistics mentioned above, but I see that acts like drunk driving are widely condemned and most students are adamantly against driving under the influence, which is an important shift from past generations and probably reinforced by the availability of Ubers and other ride-sharing apps. I also think that, because of social media and the likelihood that parties or irresponsible actions might be recorded online, there’s been a shift towards avoiding any documentation of alcohol or substance use, where certain people are very conscious of their online footprint- I’m not sure if this actually affects their behavior, though. However, on the other hand, there are sub-groups of people that post constantly about parties and their plans for going out in the future, and their social lives are extensively documented on social media. I wonder if and how social media has affected Poly’s social culture and the way people make decisions.
DeleteFrom what I have experienced/seen at Poly specifically, I think that, yes, some people do abuse alcohol, but the main things that people are addicted to these days are weed and nicotine. People are literally bringing their juuls to school and going to the bathroom in the middle of the day to use them. Also, in terms of driving intoxicated, because of Uber people rarely/never drive drunk, but the amount of people that drive high is alarming. For many people at Poly who regularly drive high, usually they say it's because it's not as dangerous as driving drunk (and some say driving high makes them drive better lol). I wonder if this is because all of the commercials and ads about driving intoxicated are about drunk driving and never high driving. Obviously both are dangers and illegal, so I'm curious how we can make young people more aware of that risk/danger. I think most of our education on drugs has been centered around alcohol and weed, but in the coming years I think it needs to change to fit our current generation's issues.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else has already said, I do think that some Poly students do have an issue with substance abuse, but I feel like less so than other schools? Although I’m not completely positive, it seems like Poly students party a lot less than other people our age in the LA area. That being said, I feel like when there are parties, people do like to go hard. People say that everything is fine in moderation, which I 100% agree with, but I’m curious to explore whether or not it’s more unhealthy to “go hard” every couple of weekend or have a ~classy~ glass of rose every weekend. Additionally, going back to binge drinking, the stress of academics definitely plays a huge role in how much Poly students drink in one night. Like Emma mentioned, a lot of parties happen after stressful events, so drinking is a way to forget the stress.
ReplyDeleteI personally think there's nothing wrong with drinking or smoking in high school, but obviously in moderation. Since most people will eventually drink in their lives, I think it's beneficial to try drinking alcohol before going to college as you'll generally be in a more controlled environment where there is less risk. This isn't to say that this environment is always safer, but I do think it's better to establish limits early on with guidance before going off to college.
ReplyDeleteIn the context of Poly, I don't believe substance abuse is a large issue plaguing each grade. Yes, people occasionally drink too much, but I don't think that's anything new. From what I have observed, it happens at every high school, so I really don't think Poly is unique in that manner. However, although a Juuling isn't deemed as substance abuse (it might be. I honestly don't know), I believe this is the real issue. I'd say around half my friends outside of Poly Juul compared to 2 years ago when almost no one did. I truly quite sad how fast this happened, and I really don't know how long it will continue.
Like many have said above, I don't think drinking in high school is bad; however, I think there is a problem when it becomes a coping mechanism for problems surrounding ones life. I think it is hard to confront someone about someone's substance abuse at any age, but I think it is an especially hard thing to do in high school. Overall, I think Poly does a pretty good job of being responsible when drinking; however, I think as a school we need to do a little better job being aware of binge drinking. Like Coco said above, I agree that a lot of the substance abuse surrounding Poly revolves around weed and nicotine.
ReplyDeleteLike many have already said, I don't think drinking in high school is necessarily bad, but I do think there are problems with overuse and people don't know how to limit themselves. From personal experiences, confronting someone about their substance abuse problems is extremely hard especially in high school but it is something that needs to be done if the person is putting themselves in danger. I think Poly does a good job of acknowledging our responsibilities when drinking but I believe we don't talk about the binge drinking problem enough.
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