Teenage Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Interventions

Introduction

Over the past many years there has been a massive growth of curiosity in the role of the current media in eliminating drugs addiction through persuasive media approaches. Within media research, this specialty is today called war against drugs. Different media channels, newspapers and magazines have contributed in highlighting problems of teenage drug and alcohol abuse. (Wallack, 17-27) But I think print media could be a best option to stop teenagers from using drugs and alcohol.

Emotional Arguments

Drugs and alcohol are supposed to be the two dangers of same threat. Because Drugs and alcohol are extremely danger and emotional subjects. Teenage drug or alcohol abuse is core assumptions people make before taking decisions. Current media, unlike traditional mass media, challenge users to make decisions, resolve problems, and practice new behaviors. These actions, in turn, increase feelings of self-efficacy and confidence, and reduce uncertainty about behavior change (Kalichman, Hunter, & Kelly, 725-732). Print media approaches are designed to reverse the tide of drug abuse in the adolescent population. There is good evidence that by doing so, we will have a positive effect on the entire life cycle of drug abuse. By delaying the onset of drug use, we may be able to persuade some potential users never to begin abusing drugs, and others to progress much more slowly, if at all through increasingly dangerous stages of drug abuse (Hawkins et al., 8-28). The media campaign is meant to play an ameliorative role in this process by educating youth and providing them with the knowledge to reject drugs; by preventing them from initiating use of drugs, especially inhalants and marijuana, the so-called gateway drugs; and, by convincing the occasional user to stop using drugs altogether (Brawley, 13-19).

In collaboration with the Partnership for a Drug-Free Society, the ongoing debate of media is multidimensional. It makes use of newspapers, television, radio, magazines, in-theatre video ads, school-based materials, billboards, an Internet Web site, brochures for parents, and other, less conventional media (e.g., basketball backboards, book covers) to spread the anti-drug message. Media approach particularly newspapers is unique in that it does not rely solely on the goodwill of the media to disseminate the anti-drug message.

The majority of emotional arguments and interventions use brochures, television and radio spots, billboards, and magazine ads to promote better, healthier lifestyles. Moreover, many of the emotional arguments of health messages are usually unidirectional, one-to-many presentations. Message recipients cannot interact with or ask questions as the information is being presented. Consequently, health care researchers have started using interactive technologies such as the Internet, computerized compact disc programs (CD-ROMs), and video games to distribute interactive health prevention messages. Drugs free and disease prevention messages delivered via interactive multimedia often fall into one or a blend of four 'mediated presentational categories: problem solving, informational, networking, and personalized messages.

Drug prevention efforts designed by social scientists do not work. Despite billions of dollars invested in prevention, America's drug problem is alive and well. Face it, we have lost the war ...