A Turn for the Worse? As today's world continues to increase in different technologies, which are said to create a better and even safer society, but are they leading towards the road of destruction? According to the organization CASAColumbia “More than 1 in 7 Americans aged 12 and older suffer from addiction to nicotine, alcohol or other drugs (2014).” This means that by the age of 12, one in seven CHILDREN would have an alcohol or drug addiction. Substance abuse in America is widespread and is definitely spiraling out of control. The sadness of substance abusers is that they probably never even dreamed of using any type of drug, but when the doors close they would kill to have a way out, even kill themselves. Most drug addictions start in families, and peaks are more common in adolescents. they were discovered. The main substances commonly abused are alcohol and marijuana. Marijuana has been classified as the "gateway drug", which means that most people first start using marijuana, and since the effect is not high enough, they proceed to the next level of the drug, which nowadays Her name is "Molly". Molly is basically an extract of the purest form of Meth and, once caught, it will be the start of a horrible journey. According to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "In terms of harm to adolescents and our society, methamphetamine is the most dangerous drug in America today (2012)." Substance users think drugs are the solution, but in reality IT IS THE PROBLEM. By reading the short story “Clean” by Amy Reed I came to a better understanding of substance abuse and what causes it. In his novel Reed portrays ordinary teenagers, then demonstrates how drugs and/or alcohol become a major factor in the life of an average teenager. Early… middle of paper… substance abuse must continue, and it is imperative that more adolescents are educated about different substances and their effects on physical and mental appearance. More educational classes are needed now because of the risk of losing an entire generation to the streets and the world of drugs and alcohol. The slow but sure acquisition of drugs and alcohol is a problem that can be solved by taking appropriate precautions. If we, as a team in America, act now to stop the rapidly increasing spread of methamphetamine, alcohol, and other substances, there will be hope for America's future. Bibliography http://www.casacolumbia.org. Substance abuse. 2014 Reed, Amy. Clean.Oakland.Simon.2011.http://www.newsweek.com . Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. July 18, 2012 http://www.drugfreeworld.org . Substance abuse. 2014http://www.drugabuse.gov. Drug use graph. 2011-12