Discussion Question: Consequences of Family Dysfunction and Substance Abuse
Thelma, a 16 year old girl, suspected that her father had a drug problem but never knew it for certain. One day, she found out from some friends at school that her father used to buy crack cocaine from a known dealer. She agonized for over a week about whether she should tell her mother. She eventually did. Her mother asked Thelma’s father to leave the house and filed for a divorce. Thelma felt that the breakup of the family was her fault.
Read the article on http://www.aaets.org/article230.htm that discusses behavioral, medical, educational, and emotional consequences of family dysfunction and substance abuse.
Read the following article http://www.cigna.com/healthwellness/hw/medical-topics/teen-alcohol-and-drug-abuse-tp17749 on Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse, paying particular attention to the Why Some Teens Abuse Alcohol and Drugs and Prevention Strategies sections.
Answer the following:
Here are some additional web sites that you might find helpful in answering this question:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/mh-sm/divorce/2-eng.php
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/fcs482.pdf
Be sure that you have:
Applied your readings from the texts and the lecture to your response