Discussion
The study sought to examine the relationship of drug misuse and families in Hong Kong. Since the people who get involved in drug, use or overuse lived with families at some point. The results indicated that adolescents’ tendency to abuse drugs would continue both in the presence of their parents and in their absence.
In the various family variables investigated, the general trend indicated that the family as a unit has, no significant effect on the misuse of drugs amongst the adolescents. However, parental status of the adolescent revealed more details of the research findings. One of the most significant discoveries indicated that, in cases of single parenthood or divorced parenthood, the adolescent showed a higher predisposition to drug abuse than in cases where both parents remained locked in marriage (Coggans & McKellar, 1994, p. 17).
A further statistic indicated that in the presence of grandparents, the adolescents would even exhibit greater behaviour of substance misuse. Clearly, the reasons cited by the adolescents would suffice in this case to justify this experience. More than three quarters of the participants admitted peer influence to drug misuse while still claiming good relationships with their parents. In fact, just a handful of the sample expressed pessimism about their relationship with their parents (Jay, 1999, p. 5).
The resulting response from the majority of the parents whose children admitted fondness with drug misuse but maintaining good family relations was rather cold. Up to 65% of parents expressed utter concern about the predicament of their children in an attitude that still leaves the adolescents with a wide range of freedom. The nature of their attitude perhaps strengthens other associations between adolescents and drug misuse. From the findings, observations indicate that the level of family income significantly influence the degree of drug misuse amongst the adolescents. Thus, the higher the income, the higher the frequency of drug misuse among the adolescent (An, Mertig & Liu, 2003, p. 417).
The generalization that would follow from this observation points at the possibility of the adolescents from affluent backgrounds to acquire money by some means from their families, before buying expensive drugs such as cocaine and MDMA. Indeed the drug misuse among families also depends on the involvement of other family members in drugs. For example, in households where a parent or a sibling also uses drugs as the member of the family already bound in the practice, the family relation with the adolescent continues to nurture the habit of drug abuse. In similar cases, the non mainstream school’s students indicated high prevalence in drug misuse as opposed to mainstream students. Such students found it more convenient to abuse drugs at will as they had the freedom they need to practice drug abuse. At home, they can bring in their friends and while away they can spend in their rich fellow’ place with the same activity. On the other hand, a significant proportion of the young adults falling in the category of households with an income of less than HK$30,000 but more than HK$10,000 presented a particular predisposition to abusing Nimetazepam found locally though at a cheaper price (Kung, & Farrell, 2000, p. 510).
With this evidence, the generalization that presence of parents in the lives an adolescent contributes to the adolescent’s abuse drugs, if the parents sleep on the relations because they do not wish to frustrate the adolescent is due. Unfortunately, in some poor households, with comes fairly below KH$ 10,000, adolescents still misused expensive drugs such as cocaine and cannabis. Nonetheless, parents played insignificant roles in the adolescent’s tendency to abuse the drug. Since the parents failed to react to the situation, this however worked to promote the behaviour in the society. Fare enough, the family indifference open more space for other factors such as peer influence and gender to play a critical role in orienting the adolescent towards drug abuse (An, Mertig & Liu, 2003, p. 421).
Depending on their family, backgrounds, more than 50% of the participants who admitted frequent drug abuse cited “peer influence and the desire to identify with fellow peers” as the prime cause of getting involved in the activity. While responding to how they best prefer to take the drugs, approximately 60% of the participants admitted taking drugs with friends. This view together with the view that indicates the order of the drugs availability shows a strong correlation that exists between drug abuse among adolescents and peer influence. In fact one would doubt if obtaining drugs amounting to KH$500.00 and then used with the same friends would fail to result in to drug abuse as the peers struggle to outdo one another in purchase and usage (Smith, 2001, p. 72 ).
While age variations placed no significant bearing on the common practice among adolescent in Hong Kong, early teenagers showed a higher likelihood to drug abuse as contrasted with late teenagers and those in their early twenties. In accordance with the resulting frequency, this trend also marked the gradual lack of interest in drug abuse with increase in age. While your teenagers would take drugs few times a year, peers in late teenage and early 20s took drugs less often. The latter group of persons still depended on parental control and many other external control factors to moderate the situation (Werner & Silbereisen, 2003, p.461).
The fact that the adolescents would unite to sing one song, the song drugs defies all of their standards. The temptations of availing the most expensive and strong drug for group consumption present the best opportunity for the adolescents. In particular, we may deduce that the reversed auto expenditure on the drugs where young people from relatively poorer backgrounds take the lead in drugs supply only magnifies the intensity of peer influence in the already maturing behaviour (Liu, 2000, p. 501).
We may opt to contrast this consumption pattern with the self-confessed and the category of the adolescents who would not mind to take extra doses of the drugs, in this manner. While majority of the adolescents who end up in drug abuse because of curiosity admit little addiction, those who find themselves in to drugs because of peer pressure remain hooked into the habit in almost all occasions. However, the drug that forms the core of the discussion remains unchanging across all the varying factors that predispose adolescents to drug abuse (Reed & Rountree, 1997, p. 144).
Notably, the places mentioned as the leading areas of drug abuse place a considerable influence on the activity itself besides the students involved. For example, when peers meet at pubs, clubs, discos, karaoke and other public gatherings, the effect of using cocaine, cannabis and MDMA diffuse into the whole group to create a uniform euphoria that commands complementary from the least abuser to the highest consumer. While such places also provide the ground for stronger and richer networks that make the abuse easier to practice and sustain, the findings then confirms the orientation of non mainstream students in high rate of drug abuse found in this category as opposed to mainstream schools (Wai-Song, 1997, p. 561).
Just as they admit receiving the drug from friends with the view of sharing it among themselves, all that bring them together and allow them to share reasoning shows drug abuse as the main contributors. The survey also indicates a strong correlation between these who would use all the drugs they obtain alone and those who would rather take the extra dose of cocaine and MDMA. With the prevalence running high in males than in females, these adolescent prefer strong and expensive drugs as opposed to common ones found cheaply in Hong Kong. Perhaps, the most considerable effect of this behaviour points at the deepening strength of peer influence towards the abuse of drugs that runs across various families in the city of Hong Kong (Milgram, 2001, p. 12).
From the testable findings resulting from datasheet, student main student is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing factors accused for triggering the level of drug abuse among the different peers; Clearly, both male and female abusers accept that they often find it convenience to abuse drugs at different times. The difference in time in this respect depends on the individuals freedom to take drugs as they wish and when it serves them right to do so. Under every circumstance that an adolescent would chose, Hong Kong provides the environment for the youth to indulge in places that foster the ambience of their hullabaloo only experienced once to thrice a year in parties and karaoke. Besides, the frequency of the negative responses of adolescent drug users confirms the significance of this statistic in actual practice (Sim, 2000, p. 52).
This analysis also draws the input of both non mainstream and mainstream students’ who resort to drugs as a family life style because of peer influence. In other areas the data collected remains significant for skewed high rates of drug abuse in non mainstream students than in mainstream cases. The likelihood of non mainstream student involvement in drug use alongside drug pushers clearly portrays the bac ground of the children together with th image they carry for themselves. For girls with fickle focus, surrounded by friends already in the habit, this can often lead to devastating effects as the girl gradually enters into drug abuse. However, the adolescents whose vulnerability to certain types of drugs such as Ketamine and cocaine present curiosity as the main cause of drug abuse (Krahe, Waizenhofer, & Moller, 2003, p. 221).
On closer study of the result, we learn that this case pertains to girls in most of the cases who obtain the drugs from close friends. If the study assumes privacy for both gender, girls would score the resulting adolescent influence of drug abuse in some other friends while as boys remain on the close friend sources of drugs. In the final analysis, the drug pusher and family members and adolescents’ debut into drugs and ultimate abuse would show as skewed male abusers as compared to males (Grant & O’Connor, 2005, p. 38).
Conclusion
Adolescent usually move in a group with the spirit of mob psychology while under the influence of drugs. Like in most other major cities, Hong Kong main streets and corridors shelter many youngster drug abusers and peddlers. This hide out terror gangs form the prime source and properly devised skims that perpetuate drug abuse amongst the adolescents. Adolescent may require advice of elderly people to keep their drugs intake in check.
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