Korean-American adolescents are taking to drugs at a rate that has some
Korean-American adolescents are taking to drugs at a rate that has some parents and counselors concerned, according to an article from the Korea Times, which cites anecdotal evidence of an increase in teen drug abuse in the community. The article is translated from Korean below.
In the Korean-American immigrant community, one of the biggest worries for parents is their children going astray, especially when it comes to drug abuse. Gradually, drug problems are reaching alarming rates, with drug addictions starting at younger ages than before. Recently, due to advanced Internet access, there is an environment in which Korean adolescents can become addicted to drugs easily, and at the same time, there is a growing number of Koreans who have started their life anew, recovering from addiction.
The Korea Times will discuss the problem of adolescent drug abuse in the Korean immigrant community, how addicts can start a new life, and what countermeasures there are for parents.
? Case Studies
– People involved in drug rehabilitation center in L.A. were shocked when a boy [his last name is Kang, but he do not his first name published] came to the center, after he was forced to by his parents.
The 11-year-old boy was just entering middle school, and was addicted to marijuana and ecstasy, the rehabilitation official said.
“He told us that his friends at school distributed it to him at first, and that they were saying ‘this is something cool,’” the official said. “After that he became hooked on drugs.”
– Last year, Kim, 17, a “parachute” child [who came to America without his parents to study at a young age], started to take drugs within six months of coming the L.A.
He felt a loneliness caused by studying abroad at too early an age and having a difficult time adapting to his new surroundings, and he started to smoke cigarettes at first, at his friend’s suggestion, which lead him to do marijuana.
“I have limited [English] language,” Kim confessed, “so I do not have friends, and I had trouble adjusting to school, so to bear the loneliness, I started to smoke cigarettes and marijuana.”
– Mr. Shin’s family in L.A was deeply concerned about his son. His son, an undocumented immigrant who is barely make a living, was arrested by police because of marijuana.
“I am afraid he might be expelled from this country because he is an illegal immigrant,” Mr. Shin said, “and it has been 10 years since we left Korea.”
? Status
According to experts, the age of Koreans adolescents who fall into addiction is getting younger. Young Ok Baek, a counselor at the Asian American Drug Abuse Prevention Program, said, “even elementary school students trade in drugs, and it is not unusual for them to take drugs gathered in small groups.”
Hae Wang Lee, a missionary in Korean American Mission center for Addiction Recovery, noted, “a lot of Korean adolescents in the 12- to 13-year age group are suffering from a drug addiction. The kinds of drugs that Korean adolescents were addicted to are getting stronger, and the range of addictions are expanding.”
Baek, a counselor in the center said, “marijuana is still usual among students, but use of methamphetamine is growing. In particular, with methamphetamine, they can take it without injections or by smoking it, and even a small amount of it can work, so students use it during class, which causes problems.”
According to a survey from the National Institute of Drug Addiction, in the U.S.A., drug addiction cases in adolescents are increasing, and the frequency of exposure to drugs among them is increasing…
? Problem
In the Korean community, there are no exact statistics on drug abuse in adolescents, and many are reluctant to admit to drug addiction. Experts pointed out that parents often recognize their children’s addiction too late, after the addiction has continued for a long time, and this situation is worsening.
Once students take drugs, it is difficult to get out of the habit by themselves, without the help of others, and this makes the situation worse. Some addictions affect the brain’s function during a period of growth, which can lead to students having problems reading due to the frequent use of drugs.
By Jinwoo Cho – The Korea Times
Translated by Chloe B. Park