In today's American society, forty to fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce. While going through a divorce, parents sometimes fail to acknowledge the effects it has on their children. Studies show that divorce can have a negative impact on the children that are involved. The children of separated parents often believe they were the cause of the divorce. Depressed and angered, they are more likely to have a clouded judgement on whats right and whats wrong. Teenagers already go through numerous daily problems, such as peer pressure, or bullying. The added stress of having parents go through a divorce can influence teenagers to turn to drugs and alcohol. Although drugs and alcohol prevent certain health risks, it will always have a negative effect because it lowers IQ, results in bad decisions and weakens the immune system.
According to sources, teenagers from ages 15-19 with divorced parents are 39% more likely to do drugs. Teenagers believe drugs and alcohol will solve all their problems but in the long run, it will only destroy their health. Alcohol will weaken the body's immune system, making the body more susceptible to disease and illnesses. Drinking too much alcohol reduces the amount of white blood cells, which stops the body from being able to kill germs. That means that those who drink, are more likely to catch a cold or some type of disease. Abusing alcohol also results in nutritional deficiency. Many teenagers often drink after their parents' separation to forget all of their problems. Abusing alcohol is just as harmful to the body as doing drugs.It has also been found that smoking marijuana can cause severe respiratory damage. "The inhaled smoke from marijuana is often combined with tobacco which is known to cause significant damage to lungs, including the leading cause of lung cancer and emphysema".(OJJDP) Drugs and alcohol destroy not only a person's physical health, but their mental health as well.
Drinking too much and doing drugs can also affect a persons education and brain. The brain of a human develops until the age of 25. By smoking or abusing drugs, it damages the brains wiring. Teenagers who abuse drugs have lower grades and a higher rate of absences which results to them to drop out of school. 1/3 of school dropouts indicate substances were one of the main reasons they made the decision to leave school. With no education, addicts will fail to get successful careers that can support them. It has been found that drugs such as marijuana can reduce your IQ up to 8 points. Drinking too much alcohol if pregnant will not only drop your IQ, but your babies as well. When abusing a substance, it can affect your education, and your behavior too.
Aside from the health effects of drugs and alcohol, these substances can cause behavioral problems in teenagers as well. Many teenagers who get in trouble with authorities have admitted to being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. "The is an undeniable link between substance abuse and delinquency."(recovery.org) In a recent study, it was found that 39% of youth under the age of 18 were on a certain substance at the time of their offense. Drugs and alcohol cause teens to make bad decisions that can destroy their life. Stress and depression, added to a broken home will sometimes push teens over the top. A study found that of 113 delinquent youth, 82% admitted to being heavy drug and alcohol abusers. Abusing substances, will cause teenagers to not make the right decisions, and get them in trouble with authorities. Affecting physical health, mental health and decision making, it is clear that drugs and alcohol are never good for you.
With the number of divorce filings increasing each year, parents must remember to acknowledge the impact it will have on their children's lives. Divorce not only affects the couple, it affects the rest of their family's lives as well. Divorce is one of the main factors that causes teens to abuse drugs and alcohol. Parent separation has become a normal thing in today's society. Real life is no fairytale, and sometimes there is no happily ever after between couples. However, before splitting, parents need to be aware of and acknowledge the effects this will cause on their entire family.
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