Reflection: Substance Use Among Canadian Youth

Link to article: http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/view/2268/2371

Reflection

I was rather shocked to see the amount of drug use that Canadian youth are being exposed to, which was displayed in several charts and graphs in this national survey. This article mentions many factors that can contribute to the increase in drug use among teens and young adults. One factor in particular is the fact that provinces have their own laws on legal drinking age. The legal drinking age in Ontario is 19, whereas in Quebec it is 18. I remember when I was in Grade 12, during march break that year, a bunch of my classmates arranged to go to Montreal for several days to take advantage of the legal age being 18 in Quebec. I think that provinces should be consistent when it comes to things like this -- why have the legal drinking age be different in another province? The legal age to consume alcohol should either be 18 or 19, but this must be applied to each and every province without any exceptions. I believe that in the event these laws are the same across the country, it will reduce the percentage of youth who are abusing alcohol and drugs. Not to mention, this can also help to reduce drinking and driving accidents in which many youth are involved in. 

When I was in high school, I did have friends who loved to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes and cannabis, and even though they would offer me to "try it out" at times I would always tell them "no" in a kind but firm manner. Thankfully, they respected my boundaries and didn't force anything upon me or pressurize me into smoking or drinking. I'd have to thank my parents for raising me up with a strong set of morals rooted in the Catholic faith, for this helped me to stay true to myself and not to rely on worldly things to bring me pleasure. To be frank, I never even had the desire to smoke or drink alcohol. Another reason as to why I didn't fall into the trap of smoking or abusing drugs is because I chose the right friends. Sure, I mentioned earlier that I had "friends" who would drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes and cannabis, but I didn't spend too much time with them. They weren't friends I could count on, friends I would study with, friends whom I wanted to get to know better. I chose my friends wisely and by the end of high school I kept in touch with only the friends who shared a similar set of morals and values as I did. This not only strengthened our friendships, but also kept us accountable to each other in the event that we would stumble and fall.

To conclude, when it comes to youth and young adults abusing alcohol and/or drugs, I understand that there can be a tremendous amount of peer pressure involved, not to mention legal factors that help influence the minds of these individuals. However, in order to help to keep these numbers from rising, students should be choosing the right friends, and the right company to be in. I also think that it wouldn't be a bad idea for schools to introduce smoking/drug intervention programs and campaigns to help students who are struggling to get out of an addiction to various substances.


References

Hammond, D., Ahmed, R., Yang, W., Brukhalter, R., & Leatherdale, S. (2011). Illicit Substance Use       Among Canadian Youth: Trends between 2002 and 2008. Retrieved from          
     http://journal.cpha.ca/index.php/cjph/article/view/2268/2371

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