Running head: YOUNG ADULT

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Interview Reflection: Tobacco use in the Young Adult Deborah Morrison Georgia State University

YOUNG ADULT Abstract

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April 1, 2014 at noon, I conducted an interview with a 20-something female, who is a mother of 3 children. She goes by the name Black, and she is a family member of mine. She agreed to this interview as long as she remain anonymous, in which I ensured her of the confidentiality of this project. Introduction Her substance of choice is cigarettes and marijuana. She started smoking both cigarettes and marijuana at the young age of 13. She felt compelled to smoke due to society's pressures such as friends and family. She does not believe she has a problem with drug dependency although she has to smoke both substances daily. She has only stopped using during her pregnancies, but she always relapsed before discharged from the hospital. She feels she is in great health despite her smoking habit, because she runs about 5 miles weekly to maintain her oxygen levels. She does not have any plans to stop using either substance in the future, and she does not think she will have any health problems in the future, as she ages. She would not recommend anyone to start smoking, because she understands it is not good for you, but she loves how both substances calm her nerves. Compare and Contrast The prevalence of cigarette smoking among Young Adults (18-25 years) has remained stable, while it has decline among Middle Adults since 1983 (SAMHSA, 2011). More than 90 percent of cigarette smokers become regular users before 18 years old (Ramo et al., 2013). According to Ramo et al (2013), the combination of tobacco and marijuana used is common among Young Adults. Using marijuana causes smokers to smoke fewer cigarettes than they otherwise would have, or a facilitation effect, whereby smoking marijuana increases the intensity

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of use and is associated with reduced motivation, reduced abstinence goals, and increased barriers to quitting tobacco (p. 302). Researchers have reported that tobacco prolonged and sustained the effects of marijuana (p. 302). Compared with other age groups, Young Adults are less likely to use behavioral or pharmacotherapy interventions for smoking cessation (p. 303). Person Experience Impact During as well as after the interview, I felt conflicted about the reasoning behind anyone desire to smoke. My interviewer-expressed desire to quit one day, and even expressed that she found the taste disgusting. Nevertheless, she could not quit this awful habit. I was surprised that she did not consider herself as have a dependency on tobacco or marijuana or her lack of knowledge of the health issues that would arise as she aged. I was under the impression she was really thinking of the future, because according to her, she was living in the now. Future Social Work I have given this a lot of thought, and in all honesty regardless of all the research I have conducted, I can only think of one recommendation for social workers for this groupeducation is the only way of possible prevention. In regards to intervention, social workers will have to work closely with physicians and families to help educated and monitor substance abuse among Young, Middle, and Older Adults. Conclusion The social challenge for my project is substance abuse, but my team concentrated on tobacco and prescription drug abuse among the Older Adults. To have a better understanding of this use in all development groups, we decided to conduct interviews with each group in regards to tobacco use. The interviews allowed us to see the progression over each developmental stage in regards to tobacco use.

YOUNG ADULT References

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Ramo D., Delucchi, K., Hall, S., Liu, H., Prochaska, J. (2013). Marijuana and tobacco use in young adults: Patterns and thoughts about use. Journal of Alcohol and Drugs. 74(2): 301310. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Detailed data tableCigarette use in lifetime, past year, and past month among persons age 18 to 25 by demographic characteristics: Percentages, 2009 and 2010. Retrieved from http://www.samhsa.gov.data/nsduh/2k10NSDUH/tabs/sect2pe-Tabs1to42.tm#Tab2.24B