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An Introduction to the Dangers of Teen Drug Addiction

Did you know drug abuse and overdoses are the leading cause of death in people under the age of 50? Or just how prevalent teen drug addiction is in modern times (van Groeningen)? If you ask anybody, most people can describe an experience or encounter they have personally had with substance abuse, or someone they know closely that has. At such young ages, most people have no idea the potential impact drug use could not only have on themselves long term, but also on the people around them, their familial relationships and friendships. This blog's purpose is to spread awareness on the potential dangers of teen drug abuse and the detrimental effects it can have on themselves, and the relationships in their lives. I also aim to encourage teens who currently struggle with drug abuse to take that vital step and receive help. Issues such as teen drug abuse are often depicted in modern movies, television shows, music videos, etc, called cultural productions, in order to present the reality of contemporary issues and to spread awareness to those who are struggling with those issues. Beautiful Boy is a cultural production that exemplifies the harsh reality of the effects of teen drug abuse and the familial hardships that occur along with drug addiction, by presenting the cruel reality that many teens struggle with.

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Drug Abuse and the Affect on You

Teen drug abuse is a highway to immediate harmful consequences and dangerous long term effects, and every day it is becoming more and more common among young people. In Beautiful Boy, the viewer gets an inside look at the main character, Nic, experiencing the serious effects of drug addiction, such as being bipolar, depression, and overdosing. Although many may chop these consequences up to dramatic effect, these side effects and potential dangers are very real and possible during a drug addiction. Teens are even more likely to experience permanent damage and brain functioning issues, as repeated drug use is scientifically linked to causing problems in the brain. When a young person uses drugs, they corrupt the brain's ability to properly receive and send information. Emotions, feelings, ideas, concentration, etc, are all processes that could potentially be affected. During the first time a person uses drugs, a large amount of dopamine is released, and the person gains an immediate sense of satisfaction. Yet, the dopamine release pushes the person to continue to use the drug to get back to the high, and they will also find the things that used to make them happy, the things that used to give them fulfillment, with a rush of dopamine, they can no longer achieve. Some drugs may also cause the neurons in the brain to die, causing an inability to feel happy or relaxed. This leads to a feeling of loss and lifelessness accompanied by symptoms and often a diagnosis of depression. Addiction will cause a person to act irrationally, doing things they normally would never consider, such as stealing, creating family problems, losing friendships, all in the search for more drugs (“Brain and Addiction).

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Teen drug addiction is also more prevalent than many would think, as any alcohol, marajuna, or cigarette use immediately increases the likelihood of teens using and gaining an addiction for harder drugs. It is also important to understand that addictions can come in from any person in any form. Studies show that many different aspects can influence the start of teen drug use, such as social pressure, familial issues, and sometimes just personal characteristics (Nakahee and Jadidi). Beautiful Boy exemplifies these potential dangers by showing the intense struggle the main character, Nic, has with depression leading from his addiction. Nic is also shown acting erratically, begging his family for money, and having episodes of anger towards his family, in a way he would never have acted if the drugs had not been controlling his thoughts and actions (van Groeningen). Drug use, especially in teens, is something that should be taken very seriously due to the potential life threatening consequences it poses on the user.

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How Addiction Affects the Lives Around You

Addiction not only affects the users own personal life, but distinctly impacts the lives of the people around them, in particular their family. In the movie, we actually see the story of Nic, the drug abuser, through the eyes of his father, David, as he experiences intense turmoil, trying over and over to support him and get him back on the right track, while also showing how the whole situation affects him, his wife, their children, his ex-wife, and all family members of Nic. The impact of teen drug abuse on the family is not often talked about, as many people will place unfair blame on the family for ‘failing’ and ‘letting’ their child fall to addiction without putting a stop to it. However, this narrative is completely false, as people in perfectly loving homes can still develop an addiction, as drug abuse is a mental illness and those under the influence should be cared for as having one (Lander, Howsare, and Bryne).

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However, parents should still be checking on their kids and their well beings often, as studies show teens who have a close relationship with their family are less likely to participate in drugs. Each family is affected differently, going through their own hardships, but common issues within families dealing with teen drug abuse are having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her” (“Brain and Addiction”). Each of these issues, alone or a combination of them, can put an enormous amount of pressure and stress on the family members of teen addicts. In Beautiful Boy, we see David struggling to come to terms with his son's addiction to crystal meth, going through his own mental health crisis, joining support groups, interviewing specialists, and even disowning his son at a point. Experts say one of the best ways to combat these issues is to join a support group, as David did, with other parents struggling with a child who is an addict, in order to learn how to properly care for their child and for themselves. Beautiful Boy does a fantastic job at describing the hardships that not only Nic faces in this situation, but his family, especially his father, and how he comes to terms with Nics drug addiction, with the story finally resolving as Nic finally gets clean once his father opens his heart back up to him. These facts and the film Beautiful Boy shows the intricacies of drug addiction and its serious consequences, not only for the user, but for all the different relationships they hold in their life, most importantly their family (van Groeningen).

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The Harsh Reality of Teen Drug Abuse

Beautiful Boy is not only a cultural production that comments on teen drug abuse, but was also based on the real life story of a father chronicling the ups and downs of his son's addiction, and the impact it had on him and his family. The movie closely follows the true story written by the father of a drug addict, detailing the change he witnessed within his son. In his writings he details how Nic grew up a good kid, doing well in school and staying out of trouble, but once he reached adolescence, he began to use drugs, leading him to develop addictions to many different types of drugs. He explains how he would steal from his younger siblings, almost had his arm amputated, and overdosed several times, as his son became someone unrecognizable to him (Sheff).

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David Sheff portrayed by Steve Carell

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Sheff describes Beautiful Boy as though he was “watching a home movie” because of how intensely similar the movie was, and just how the actors encapsulated the emotions, hardships, and pain they experienced in real life (Sheff). Because Beautiful Boy is a production based on a true story, it becomes even more of a relevant cultural production of our time, because it presents real life stories of events that are taking place in ordinary everyday homes across the globe. The movie did not glamorize the highs of the drugs, but instead intensely focused on the battles Nic faced with his own depression and anxiety, and the battles with his family, attempting to repair their relationship time and time again. The dual perspective of the movie also allows us to view the situation through two different lenses, as the viewer is able to sympathize with both characters, wishing for the best for everyone in the situation. (Jones) This reflects the harsh realities of life, especially in teen drug addiction, where there is not one bad guy or singular thing you can blame your problems on, but rather an overwhelming issue that needs to be solved through societal change.

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Conclusion

The story of Beautiful Boy is an important cultural production that comments on the harmful ways teen drug addiction affects the life of the user and their families, while simultaneously spreading awareness to teens, in hope to inspire themselves and their families to get help and refuse to give up. Beautiful Boy relates the intense hardship that the personal drug user faces, such as mental illness and potential life threatening overdoses, while also describing how one person's addiction affects each person around them, in particular their family. The production also relates how the users family must deal with their own trauma while also attempting to get them help. If anyone is struggling with drug abuse and is in need of help or treatment call 1-800-662-4357.