Reflection (post 7)

Overall i enjoyed this project. I am glad I learned how to make a blog and how to research a topic of my choosing. Creating the actual blog was pretty easy thanks to the help of Ms. Bergman, Ms. Boswell, Molly, and Blogger, but sometimes thinking of what to write and how to word sentences was pretty hard. If I could change my blog I might have been a bit more detailed but I think I did pretty well.

After conducting this research topic I learned that more kids smoke and drink than I thought. I also learned that it does not pertain to one group of people, all sorts of people have some things in common.

Recommendations (post 6)

If I were to further study this research this topic I would suggest surveying a more diverse group of people, more age differences, and also focusing on one specific group of people at a time to see exactly what those type of people think. I would want to know what tempts teens into wanting to use drugs and when they use drugs more often.

From the research o collected I would advise the schools to stop teaching kids how to not get into peer pressure and start teaching them how to make wiser decisions. The schools should be more cautious about drug users. If the school knows that certain people use drugs then they should try their best to help the students instead of throwing them out. Schools are made for students not adults, the main priority should be obvious. Teach children about every aspect of life.

Conclusion (post 5)

The survey data presented in the chart below shows that out of the students who have used alcohol and/or illegal substances do not use them because of peer pressure or because they have easy access. I believe I can come to a conclusion stating that using drugs or drinking alcohol is a solo-decision. Kids drink and smoke because it is something that they want to do. Choices like these put them at higher risks for getting addicted to more dangerous drugs and other dangerous problems.

Survey Data (post 4)

When 63 females and 36 males were asked, "Why do you use drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes?" 25% said "Because I like doing it," 6% said "Because my friends want me to," 22 said "Because I can," 22 said "I don't know," and 55% said "I don't use any substances."

This survey was asked to 49 white people, 35 blacks, 7 mixed, 5 other, 2 asians, and 1 latino.

Source Summary (post 3)

My source is a study about the effects of drugs and alcohol on kids with good backgrounds before they started using, and kids with bad backgrounds before they started using.
Half of the kids were "bad kids" and the other half were the kids considered to be "good kids" before they started using. Both of these groups ended up having health problems in their thirties.
From the results it was clear that drugs and alcohol would make a good kid go down the wrong path. The "good kids" who use end up looking like the nonusers who are bad kids. By age thirty-two these kids were 3.6% more likely to become dependent on drugs and alcohol.
A third of the girls from the "good" group got pregnant before the age of twenty-one, which is the same number as the bad kids who were nonusers. Two thirds of the "bad girls" who were users got pregnant before the age of twenty-one.
This study shows that no matter what background or group you fit into, drugs and alcohol will always have an effect on your life and you may not be able to change it before it is too late.


"Drugs Take Toll on Good and Bad Kids Alike." USA Today Feb. 2010: 6. Print.

Research Question (post 2)

-Why do teens use drugs/alcohol?

-What drugs/alcohol do teens abuse most often?

-What aspects of a teen's life encourage them to abuse drugs/alcohol?

Introduction (post 1)

This blog will explore why teens explore drugs and alcohol. More and more kids start using drugs and alcohol at the beginning of their teen years. I want to know why. Why do kids smoke? Why do kids try to get drunk? I'm going to answer these questions and more through out my blog. I hope you enjoy and learn a bit.