Addiction In YA Literature

The word addiction has a strong, negative connotation and defined as the states of being enslaved to a habit or action. In the novel, The Glass Castle, Rex is addicted to alcohol. He is dependent on alcohol, constantly craving it and spend money on it despite the family’s financial situation.The text describes him, on many occasions, making his way down to the Green Lantern, the bar, with a drink already in his hand. Rex also takes money from the family to buy booze instead allowing the children to spend it on food to eat. For example, he would always demand for a part of Rosemary’s paycheck, refusing to take “no” as an answer. Additionally, Maureen is addicted to alcohol as well as smoking. Just like Rex, her actions suggest that she abuses

I was reading Ellen Hopkins’, Fallout, the third and final book of the Crank series. Although the first book Crank was my favorite of the series, Fallout held up its own for a solid finish. Hopkins took a chance by changing the main character narratives to relate to her children instead of Kristina Snow. This allowed for a noteworthy story by itself. The title could not be more appropriate for this book, considering the state of the characters’ lives. This widely successful series takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of the harsh reality that is addiction to crystal meth and how it obliterates Kristina’s life. Fallout takes a different route from the previous books, Crank and Glass. Instead of telling the story in the view of Kristina Snow, star of before mentioned books and user of crystal meth, it is in the point of view in her three oldest kids Hunter, Autumn, and Summer.

If cocaine were legal, what would the little packages be called? Sweet N' High! Unfortunately, this is an example of what is commonly known as a “crack joke.” Drugs are increasingly being misused and abused. Yet, today’s youth in its ignorance takes drugs as a light matter. It is a different story altogether from someone who has actually used drugs. In Beautiful Boy, journalist David Sheff recounts his own and his son, Nic’s journey of drug abuse. Sheff’s memoir is a haunting experience filled with tears, brawls, and ample amounts of crystal meth. In Beautiful Boy, Sheff, while applying a casual and conversational style, effectively uses rhetoric to share his experience with an addicted teen.

Chapter 1 starts with the initial beginning of the students jump from drug user to distributor. This chapter initially begins talking about the definition of being cool in high school, how drugs made you cool when you were either using or sharing them (7), how the dealers could initially get high for free if they would just buy in bulk and sell off just enough to gain profit or make a profit in general (10-13), along with gaining mass popularity amongst peers.

Nic Sheff was 18 and collage bound when he discovered crystal meth. At first his father had no idea. Then came a call from his school, the late nights, the lying, the ghoulish pallor and the wasting away. David’s life became an eternity of waiting, for the phone to ring, the door to open, or

Starting off in part one of Lit by Mary Karr, we meet a girl named Mary. It is evident right off of the bat that Mary struggles not only with a drug and alcohol addiction, but that a lot of the characteristics that she possesses were acquired from her rough childhood and early adulthood. Mary seems to have a very close bond to her father, one that her and her mother have never had the privilege of having. Although it is apparent that her father thinks very highly of her and loves her, he left her and her mother when she was a teenager and never returned home. As readers, we can tell that this has greatly affected Mary and her ability to connect to other people.

Methamphetamine: A Love Story is a book documenting the lives of various people who were immersed in the culture of using, selling, and manufacturing methamphetamine. Through interviews with over 30 individuals, Rashi Shukla brings to light the drastic effects that manifested when this drug took over their lives. Shukla aims to “illuminate this dark world,” (Shukla 2016, p. 11), and to provide insight as to why methamphetamine becomes more than just a drug to those involved with it.

Go Ask Alice is a reminder that drugs aren’t always what they seem to be in today’s society, they can lead you onto a dark path that could ruin your life, and potentially end it. Because of this, the anonymous author’s apparent true story of her addiction is a great read. The story may be a bit older, but it is still relevant to teenage life today. Go Ask Alice takes the reader into something personal, a story of apparent real life drug addiction, something that is not often explored even now. This creates an important story with an even more important message for teenagers, both in 1971 and 2018.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a book of haunting poems, but don’t be mistaken this is not your typical collection of poetry. Each poem flows into the next to create a story that will stick in your mind for years to come. Kristina Georgia Snow is the golden child her mother always wanted, she has a great home life, she’s doing well in school and she’s very well behaved. Until a court orders her to spend three weeks in Albuquerque with the man who fathered her but didn’t raise her. This is the beginning of a lot of firsts for Kristina, she meets Bree, Adam and of course, the monster: crank. She goes home a totally different person as she tries to balance her old life and her new habits. This book successfully portrays the ugliness of drug addiction

The study that I will critique and review in this paper is called “Adolescent Ecstasy Use: A Test of Social Bonds and Social Learning Theory” and it was published by an associate professor, Jason A. Ford, and a professor, Laurent B. Ford in the department of sociology in University of Central Florida in 2014. It is a research paper that focuses of the relationship between two social theories, social control theory and social learning theory, and ecstasy usage among adolescents. The theoretical perspective that this study chose to examine separated this specific study among the other in its field of study because it fill a missing point in understanding why ecstasy usage among adolescents increased. In the following paper, I will be reviewing different strengths and weaknesses of this study while using a descriptive language. In general this is astudy that

Australia banned and censored a book, E for Ecstasy. I support the censorship of this book because it could contain information that may encourage the use of Ecstasy. The book might inform readers that people feel better or good when they take this illegal drug. Moreover, censoring this book is good for the public because the book could influence poor life choices like taking Ecstasy. If young teenagers and adults get their hands on this book, the outcome could end up disastrous with young people experimenting with Ecstasy or passing along information to others telling them to try Ecstasy. The book may also romanticize the idea of taking Ecstasy. For example, the author describes to the readers feeling stronger and happier when you take Ecstasy.

Stories such as Farinick’s are not uncommon. Recent U.S. government reports have shown the increasing amount of teen deaths as a result of drug overdoses. Horrifyingly, teen’s perceptions about drugs have been changing. In the Monitoring the Future survey, a survey run by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Lloyd D. Johnston, the principal reporter for this survey reported that only 36% of 12th graders said that they thought that smoking pot is harmful (Johnston).

Kristina faces many, many different conflicts throughout the book. The most obvious one is her struggle with her addiction. “We used to do coke, till "Just Say No" put the stuff out of reach. Now it's crank. Meth.

Addiction is a condition where a person continues to do an action repeatedly which can disrupt responsibilities the person might have. In Daniel Woodrell's novel, Winter's Bone, many of the characters in the Ozark community have an addiction to some kind of drugs. The protagonist, Ree Dolly lives in a world of addiction in an attempt to bring back her father and will ultimately save her house. People are not only addicted to drugs. Some characters in the novel are addicted to smoking, drugs/medication, and drinking.

It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.