Thoughts on addiction

Teachers a strong stance on drug and alcohol use, however even with all of their efforts, addiction and school issues still seem to arise. The abuse of illicit substances has a major impact on school performance in children and teens. Grades will often suffer due to lack of energy and focus, poor concentration, and loss of drive. Students using alcohol or drugs also often lose interest in extra curricular activities and other healthy social interactions. Ultimately drug and alcohol abuse can lead to not only truancy, but to the addicted student dropping out of school all together. Different types of drugs tend to have different adverse affects on school performance. For instance, marijuana use can lead to short term memory loss, and issues with logical thinking; leading to decreased academic performance. Drugs such as anabolic steroids, which are sometimes taken by athletes, might temporarily boost a student’s athletic performance. Ultimately, the temporary boost will give way to a host of anger issues and emotional problems in addition to a host of negative side effects that are physical. One of the most commonly abused substances that negatively affects school performance is alcohol. Alcohol abuse has been tied to many different issues in school including lower grades, truancy, and an increase in the rate of drop outs. High school students who abuse alcohol are much more likely to drop out of school than their counterparts who abstain from alcohol. A previous survey has shown that as alcohol use by students increases, their grade point average decreases. Students who abused alcohol also scored lower on state tests, and were far more likely to skip class or behave disobediently at school.In order to prevent long term addiction and school issues with drug and alcohol abuse among children and teens, education is necessary. Early intervention and treatment is also important for anyone already suffering from a problem. Parents should have open dialogue with their children and teens regarding the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. While education often starts at home, many schools also offer drug education programs to teach kids about the dangers drugs and alcohol. Many schools also have a zero tolerance policy on drugs, and enforce a drug free school zone in the area surrounding the school. In addition to these measures, some schools have taken steps to implement drug testing procedures for school athletes, and those involved in other extra curricular activities. There is however some debate regarding these policies. Research has shown that addiction and school issues is actually on the decline. With continued education and policy enforcement, schools and parents can keep kids drug and alcohol free. Is internet addiction a real problem? Or is it a label we give to a behaviour we find confusing and problematic for our relationships with young people? How to support young people whose internet use is problematic. young people spend more time online due to the use of the internet as a source of support, and a way to develop their identity. Working with young people I constantly hear parents complaining about the amount of time that their young people spend online. Comments like "they can't live without Facebook", "I can't get them off the computer", and "they're addicted to being online" are common.  When considering if someone is addicted or dependent on something, we look at whether their use of the thing interferes with their ability to work, their relationships, and how they cope when they can't access that thing. Does not being able to access it make them feel agitated? Do they spend a lot of time and energy thinking about it? Are they spending more time online than intended? And is the use of the internet continuing despite causing more problems than benefit? Whilst these are common features of all addictions, there is no formal recognition of online addiction yet. Some research has indicated that people who heavily use the internet and develop addiction-like behaviour are more likely to develop depression, and experience negative effects on their work, social and psychological functioning. Others argue that high levels of internet use may be symptomatic of underlying mental health conditions.What is agreed is that there is increasingly problematic internet use. In South Korea there has been a spate of deaths relating to unwillingness to stop playing an online game, which has resulted in internet addiction being considered a significant mental health issue. In China this has led the government to pass laws restricting time spent on online games. Despite this, there is not clear evidence that internet addiction does exist. What is known is that young people are at increased risk of developing problematic behaviours related to internet use as young people spend more time online due to the use of the internet as a source of support and a way to develop their identity. However, this doesn't mean that spending time online is going to lead to developing dysfunction; in many ways it can be beneficial, with research showing that time online can build social networks and support, and does not generally take the place of offline activities. Therefore, young people's online behaviour may positively influence life offline - which is the opposite to an addiction.  Strategies for managing problematic internet use If you are worried about a young person's internet use, there are several practical strategies you can recommend to young people and parents: Talk to the young person about the issues they see about their use. Acknowledge the benefits of time online, and discuss ways to address the negatives. Work with the young person to limit internet access to a reasonable level. Remove internet devices from bedrooms and into public spaces. Explore ways to build offline social connections - hobby groups, sport, interest based activities. Find out what the young person is getting from online and find another way for them to get this. It's often a joke among parents, who recite the hours their children spend online, texting, or playing computer games. But then you detect the hint of worry in their voice, and realy experts say they have reason to be concerned. If have a technology dependency that "can be as destructive as alcoholism." Considered to be pathological Internet users whose excessive use of the Internet was causing academic, social, and interpersonal problems. Whether Internet addiction should be included in future versions of the DSM is often debated in the mental health community, but there is no question that some children and teens play far too much and that this can cause significant difficulties in other areas of functioning - most notably with family relationships and academic performance.  It is very easy to see how school performance, family relationships, and physical health would be negatively affected by this level of play. The parents often described "lost potential" of students who spend too much time in front of a screen. Parents and teachers start to feel that they are losing this child to the virtual world, that they are being influenced too much by their gaming or online friends (many of whom they have never met in person), and that their child is missing out on real world activities.

Consequences:

•     Significant drop in grades
•     Increased family conflict
•     Poor eating habits (extended online sessions tend to lead to unhealthy snacking)
•     Poor physical health (excessive gamers may give up physical activities to spend more time online)
•     Poor sleep habits (this is especially true when the computer or console is in the child's room)
•     Fewer social connections with real world friends
•     Increased irritability - especially when he/she is unable to go online
•     Decreased interest in taking advantage of other opportunities (e.g., joining teams or clubs at school, extracurricular activities, going on vacations or outings with family)

His advice for student groups:

"I think parents and educators must accept it that this technology is absolutely here to stay. We now have the ability to be connected to the online world 24 hours a day regardless of where we happen to be. Adolescents have especially embraced this technology and it is not uncommon to see a group of teens standing together, yet all looking down at their phones, not each other. For a student organization to bring attention to this issue, I think it is critical that the focus is on the importance of maintaining balance in one's life - that is, a balance between online and off-line interactions. Any group that presents technology, gaming, or online interactions is inherently bad will have a very difficult time achieving 'buy-in' from adolescents." That to bring attention to this issue, especially for adolescents, student leaders need to show how it is directly relevant to students. So how could a student organization do something with a little more impact? Good information presented by peers in a nonthreatening way might help. Just getting students to be aware of what they are missing with their abuse of technology would be helpful. A student group could creatively promote a survey in which students could track their use of technology - then see firsthand how much time they're spending. Another strategy involves incorporating a mini-assessment on Internet and video-game habits into the curriculum in a way that still meets learning objectives, Of course, the student group would have to enlist the cooperation of teachers.