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Substance Abuse Case Study

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With both parents struggling with drug abuse, Savannah was a victim and started using drugs at the age of ten. Consistently, she was taking pills, smoking marijuana, and drinking. Struggling with depression, bulimia, anorexia, and her parents’ physical and verbal abuse was demanding. In 2009, she ran away from home. At 15 years old, when the cops found her, her eyes were sunken in, her skin was black and blue and littered with cuts; she did not recognize herself. When Savannah entered the juvenile hall, sobriety began. At 18, she now works as a project coordinator for a drug recovery center (“True Story: Savannah”). Though Savannah's story ends well, this is not common for kids living with addicted parents. Ordinarily, kids from drug addicted parents do not end up in recovery, and often struggle with physical and psychological problems. Studies reveal, “25 percent of American kids grow up in households where substance abuse is present” (“Guide for Children of Addicted Parents”). Therefore, substance abuse affects children in numerous ways, including impacts of drug addiction, abusive parents, and involvement in rehabilitation programs. Similarly, substance abuse affects …show more content…
According to the NIDA, an organization researching causes of drug abuse and addiction, “...an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 and older - 9.4 percent of the population - had used an illicit drug in the past month.” and goes on to say that, “...there were 19.8 million [Marijuana]users - about 7.5 percent of people aged 12 or older” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). In the past few years, there have been 3 million new drug users annually, and of those, the majority are teenagers (National Institute on Drug Abuse). As a result, the amount of drug users continue to increase each year, affecting families all over the country. Drug addiction continues to affect future generations, impairing childhood

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