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If It's There, Why Not? - Teens and Substance Abuse

"I honestly don't choose to reject it (drugs and alcohol)...I think it's sometimes OK to do because if it's there why not?"

This is a response Dare 2 Share received on our myspace.com profile after we posted a bulletin asking about teen alcohol and drug use. Tragically, the "if it's there, why not?" attitude is far more pervasive and widespread than many adults suspect. Even a cursory examination of the available data on this subject demonstrates the pandemic nature of substance abuse across the landscape of adolescent culture in America.

Perhaps the biggest question behind this distressing development is the question of "why"? What drives teens to reach for a drink, light up, and shoot up simply because it's available? There is a plethora of theories and finger pointing opinions, from lack of parental supervision to peer pressure to even good old fashioned teenage angst- but in our opinion these viewpoints do not address the core issue. To be sure, there are systemic factors pushing teens towards destructive lifestyle choices, but underneath there is a fundamental longing for connection that is temporarily forgotten or at least masked by getting "buzzed".

Here is the way a 17 year old named Jeremy put it:

Often times I see that there is a mentality among our youth where they, by default, are seeking love and acceptance, and in that a manifestation forms in our culture where they seek approval and acceptance from there peers by defying the rules or dipping into "taboos" set for them. I think this is an age old mentality where people say "look at me I am going to be defiant and stand out" when in reality the person is looking for compensation for some sort of insecurity of theirs or for some need that is lacking in there life, like actual love.

For me and my friends it comes down to a matter of personal definition. Who or What defines us? Is it empty gestures, false relationships, and temporary fixes or is it The One who created us. The One who knows the exact number of hairs on our heads, and even though every single day we make decisions that break His heart He still loved us enough that in Mercy he extend us Grace and bared our punishment through and through out.

When I let God's definition of me into my heart I quickly see just how pointless seeking approval from another imperfect being is, because I have a relationship with the ONLY one that is perfect and He is the True source of all Good. He gives and takes away and asks that I glorify Him in the way I live, but warns against choosing any other way because it will leave me bent and broken. Yet He loves me enough to let me choose.

In Jeremy's estimation, the driving motivation underneath availability, rebellion, and peer pressure is what many term a "God shaped hole" that simply cannot be filled with drugs and alcohol.

The distressing part of this fact is that most teens don't know how to articulate this longing or even know where to look in terms of a solution. They have equated a relationship with God in religious terms, which may be one of the most irrelevant and unattractive concepts in their universe. That's why at Dare 2 Share we are attempting to help teens redefine their views of God and realign them with the truth He revealed in Scripture, so they can find a true source of contentment that doesn't leave them physically/emotionally scarred, incarcerated, suicidal, or even dead.

How do we do this? Primarily through world class events and relevant resourcing on our web site that connects and redirects their worldview towards healthy choices. For more information, please contact our Public Relations Coordinator Jen McCulough (jenmccullough@dare2share.org. ) or call (800) 462-8355.