Thursday, December 12, 2013

Example of Argumentative Essay 1: Teenagers and Drugs


            What are drugs? The moment someone mentions the word ‘drugs’, the first thing that comes to our minds is everything that is negative. We see drugs as ‘Mr. Hyde’ of medicine. In this modern era, society subscribes to the dogmatism that drugs are evil substances that are capable of harming our body and mind. Time and time again, we see people cringe in discomfort, the moment we mention the topic. The truth is, drugs were once and still is the medicine to cure all kinds of illness. Antibiotics, quinine, pain-relievers and many other drugs are used each day to help manage pain and save lives. So, how then did the negative perception come into the picture? The quote ‘We have used all the good technology for all the wrong reasons’ explains clearly how this dogmatism came into existence. Undeniably, teenagers more than others, have a higher tendency to become victims of the evil side of drugs. The entire nation is probably pondering upon the same question and that is, WHY?
            For children, the most important people in their lives are parents. Children have certain responsibilities to their parents and vice-versa. Parents’ responsibilities to their children have been very subjective these days. One of the main reasons as to why teenagers fall into the clutches of drugs is due to parents’ ignorance of their children’s needs. In today’s world, almost everything is about money unlike the past. With the advancement of technology, the cost of living has gone up. This has resulted in both parents working. In their quest for a better life, parents forget their responsibilities to their children, that is, to give them support and attention. For example, a boy committed suicide recently. In the note he left behind, he wrote ‘I just wanted to have dinner with my parents’. This is the real picture of today’s world. Children are left to fend for themselves the whole day.
            Peer pressure is another factor that causes drug problems among teenagers. Friends make a big impact on one’s life. A lot of time is spent with friends. Teenagers meet their friends almost everyday, in school, during co-curricular activities, in tuition class and others. Many teenagers tend to share their problems with friends for they seem to understand them better. It is the friends who provide solutions to problems. This is where the problem creeps in. If they mix with friends who have a sense of what is right and wrong, they are safe. However, things get murky when they do not mix with the right group. Friends may offer drugs as a solution to all their problems. The victim, who is naive and too trusting, soon becomes addicted to drugs.
Stress or pressure of life is a Sword of Damocles. It is a double-edged sword. Too little of it and you are seen as lazy, too much of it will get us all tensed up. Drugs are often associated with people who have high levels of stress or pressure. These people are not able to think straight and often look for the easy way out. The intelligent individual knows how to de-stress. However, others will turn to drugs. They depend on drugs to relieve them of all their troubles. This probably explains why most drug addicts are found to come from stressful backgrounds. They tend to believe that drugs provide a form of escapism form from pressures of life. Actually, it is a common fallacy and misconception. Drugs only provide an illusion of escapism. The real world does not work that way.
            Another factor, which causes teenagers to misuse drugs, is lack of moral values. The world is getting busier today. Everybody is wrapped up in his or her own live and 24 hours tend not to be enough. There seem to be little room left or priority for moral values. Sadly, this is the true picture of our society these days. The inability to differentiate between what is good and bad is common among most teenagers. Most of them lack moral values and do not have a good foundation in religion. This can be overcome if the support system pays just a little attention. Moral values must be nurtured at home. A teenager who has been ingrained with good moral values from young will stay away from drugs. Thus, the misuse of drugs can be eradicated.
            Teenage is the time when children undergo physical, mental and emotional transformation. This is the time when their curiosity reaches its peak. Teenagers tend to get excited easily and their ‘must-try’ behaviour most often than not gets them into trouble. Although, Professor Dumbledor, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire says ‘Curiosity isn’t a sin’, it must have its limits. Some teenagers start off just wanting to try what drugs taste like. Unfortunately, once they have fallen into its clutches , it is difficult to turn back.
            Drugs have many uses. It is up to us to make good use of it. It takes more than just an individual or a group of good men to cure this growing problem disease. It is everybody’s responsibility to make sure that drugs are used for all the right reasons. Teenagers hold our future in their hands, so we must ensure that the future is guaranteed. We have to act on this problem before it gets out of control.
(893 words)

Sasikala Nallaya, Leela Chakrabarty. (2006). Polish Your English: A Textbook for English Language Proficiency Courses. Perak: Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.

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