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Go Ask Alice Research Paper

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Go Ask Alice Research Paper
Effects on Alcohol and Drug Use among Teenagers

Heroin. Marijuana. Cocaine. Methamphetamine. Those are just a few of the illegal drug substances teenagers’ use. Over the past decade, drug use among teenagers has been increasing dramatically. In the book, Go Ask Alice by Anonymous, readers are introduced into the life of Alice as she goes through her rollercoaster life, faced with abuse, drugs, and alcohol and how much those substances affected her life. The story opens with Alice dealing with somewhat relevant issues as some of us do today. Alice is considered herself as a "typical" teenager. For example, she worries about boys, acceptance from her peers, her weight, and her family. At her school, she worries about what her crush thinks of her and she explains her discomforts there. She gets excited, though, when
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“Teenagers get peer pressured into trying drugs, teenagers rebel, they want to do what they’re told not to do,” (Mass 59). Teenagers today believe that the first use of drugs is safe. However, although there is no instant addiction with the first try. Teenagers tend to experiment further (Teen Drug Abuse 3). Therefore, availability, curiosity, and experimentation could result in drug addiction among teenagers (Teen Drug Abuse 6). Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as “unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy,” (Jauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives

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