Leading Factors Behind Youth Drug Abuse

The number of youth drug abuse cases are increasing over the years. Our group explores the motivations behind why youths resort to drugs.

By Liza Fong, Nur Farahiyah Bte Fazli, Siti Noor Aisha Bte Jumari and Wong Jun Yang.

Drug addict purchasing drugs from a drug dealer. Photo by Wong Jun Yang.

Youth drug abuse is a rising phenomenon in Singapore. Despite efforts from various campaigns to push for a drug-free nation, Singapore has seen an increase, especially in youths.

According to the Central Narcotics Bureau, the proportion of new drug abusers is high, forming 42% of the total number arrested in 2019.

Additionally, 3 in 5 of new abusers arrested are aged 30 and below. Youth drug offenders are between the ages of 15 and 24 who have committed a drug offence.

A drug offence refers to the possession, use, sale of drugs or intoxicating substances that is prohibited by the law.

Based on the survey we conducted, 43 respondents (41% of total respondents) believe the main reason behind youth drug use is peer pressure.

A bar chart showing the results.

Peer pressure or peer influence is a human instinct to “fit in” with people around us, specifically those we consider as “friends”. People usually replicate their friends’ actions to feel socially accepted.

“We are also talking about emotional voids within individuals and even social. If there’s a lack of belonging or things like that, the pain could cause people to try to self-medicate through substance abuse.” According to Donavan Teo, student counsellor from Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

According to experts, peers contribute significantly to the social and emotional development of teens. Insistence and persuasion from peers can coerce someone to try drugs just to gain approval. Teenagers rely on their peer’s approval to feel a sense of belonging.

Nowadays, the media plays a substantial role in the motivations of drug abuse among teenagers. Media is becoming increasingly liberal in its depictions of drug use in shows, music videos and more.

For example, the television show Breaking Bad features a Chemistry teacher making methamphetamine to pay for his cancer treatment so as to not burden his family, which views drug producers sympathetically.

Teenager watching a video featuring drugs and alcohol. Photo by Wong Jun Yang.

On social media, celebrities show off their luxurious lives and glamorise drugs in music. Rappers like Snoop Dogg show his affinity for marijuana through his Instagram posts. Most teenagers are avid consumers of media. When they see celebrities on social media glamorising drug use, they might correlate "wealth" and “being cool” with drugs, possibly enticing them to try drugs.

Escapism is seeking ways to distract one’s self from reality. It can be healthy or destructive. As youths enter adulthood, they encounter new stressors and existing stressors intensify. Youths face pressure from academics, family and financial troubles, etcetera; leading to heightened stress, hence resorting to drugs to escape.

According to the National Centre of Biotechnology Information, “with increasing levels of emotional and physiological stress or negative affect, there is a decrease in behavioural control and increases in impulsivity, and with increasing levels of distress, and chronicity of stress, greater the risk of maladaptive behaviours.”

A teenager abusing drugs as a method of coping with stress. Photo by Wong Jun Yang.

Teenagers’ prefrontal cortex area in the brain, which is associated with inhibition of risky behaviour, does not fully develop until age 25, according to the National Institutes of Health. This explains the tendency towards thrill-seeking behaviour.

An ex-drug offender during his teenage years, John Lum noted, “I think it’s curiosity, peer-pressure lor. I think when you are young, you are also very dangerous. Very fast and very furious and you want to explore a lot of things. Actually when I was 12 I started to pick up smoking already, that led to many bad influence.”

Drugs have lifelong adverse effects. According to a study by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, drugs like cocaine target dopamine receptor neurons in the brain. If damaged, this may impact impulse control and the ability to experience rewards permanently.

Lastly, teens who come from dysfunctional families are more likely to do drugs. “When the home is a dysfunctional unit, it breeds ills that society has to pick up the tab for. So, parents and friends need to educate one another to meet each other’s needs in healthy ways, then that would leave lesser room for all these vices.” said Donavan.

In most Singaporean households both parents work, leading to possible parental neglect as parents spend little time with their children. Teens might take drugs due to lack of guidance or to cope with the loneliness. Therefore, healthy family relations are crucial for teenagers’ wellbeing.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with drug abuse, call the National Addictions Management Service’s All Addictions Helpline (6732 6837), 8am to 11pm year-round. Or call Teen Challenge’s Teenage Crisis Centre at 6346 9332 on weekdays, 9am to 6pm.