Max Beth*

A staged photo of a student telling me their story (not an actual interviewee).

Drugs and alcohol have a crippling power that can control and ruin people. Although they might not be troublesome for some, for others it can cause severe struggle in their lives. It’s easier to see someone with a drug or alcohol problem later in their life, but there are Air Academy High School students that have recently been caught or admitted to using substances. Not only that, but sometimes the usage of a substance by someone in a student’s family can cause stress and tribulations. Substance usage is all around a terrible practice that does nothing but harm.

Of course, many schools have a problem with students using drugs or drinking. This includes ours, ultimately harming not only Air Academy students, but also other students. 

“It’s disheartening as a professional that this is where it’s at, but it’s not just here, but at other schools I’ve worked at too,” teacher, Mrs. Smith* said.

There have been numerous reports of students vaping and smoking in bathrooms over the years. Drugs have such immense control that students feel they can’t go throughout the day without vaping and sometimes drinking.

“I did have a student come forward earlier in the year about vaping in the bathrooms and it was reported very quickly,” Mrs. Smith said. 

With drugs and alcohol becoming more common and easily accessible in our communities, it’s no surprise that students have been exposed to illicit substances at least once.

According to an article from the American Addiction Centers, 30% of students have drank, 14% have binge drank, 32% of 10th graders have vaped, 37% of 12th graders have vaped, and about 1 in 16 high school seniors have smoked marijuana every day.

There are many instances of students being affected by friend’s or family’s addictions or usage. A student reached out to me and told me about how her grandmother’s addiction has “affected me and my family horribly,” senior, Samantha Jones* said.

When someone in a family has an addiction, it can greatly harm not only the person using it but every person they know and love.

“Her substance abuse has affected my family and is drawing us apart and her choosing substances over us has made us have less of a relationship with her,” Jones said.

Friends of students who may suffer from an addiction or an overwhelming amount of substance usage can also create fear and anxiety for not only themselves but also their close friends.

“I remember we were both very stressed about it at the time. I was stressed for them and they were stressed about their life in general,” senior, Lileth Campbell* said.

Knowing someone who may be struggling with substance abuse can make day-to-day life incredibly difficult, making it hard to study or enjoy time with friends.

“It’s a very weird situation and when it happens right in front of you, I’ve never really known how to react because I’m too anxious or socially awkward to say stop or to not do it, ” Campbell said.

For those looking, there are many solutions. For anyone who feels addicted to a substance of any kind, there are programs and therapies that can help. There are programs like Ali-Teen for people to talk, there is also Safe2Tell, and AAHS school counselors who will always be willing to help.

*Any and all names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals.

For more information on the statistics, go to American Addiction Centers, “Statistics of Drug Use in Highschools.”