Introduction:

The big issue of drug abuse among young adults across societies drives our research. This problem persists in taking lives, so understanding why addiction happens is important for our group. Our research question has stayed the same throughout: How has the use of drugs on young adults in different societies through the years affected their overall health and well-being? To add more context, we will analyze personal accounts and statistics on factors like family background, mental health, and peer pressure. We will be using a mix of Content Analysis and Ethnography methods to further our research in ways that can look at the background, history, and statistics. This will look for specific patterns that may help identify different problems through perspective and it can be addressed more. Our goal is to advocate for prevention and support by spreading awareness. Thorough analysis and research could highlight ways to address this societal issue. Small steps make a difference. We want to at least help reduce the impact it is having on our society today. Drug abuse negatively impacts young people's health and well-being. By examining stories and data, we aim to reduce the problem through greater understanding. While drug abuse may not quickly disappear, even small progress saves lives. The research methods offer insights to help reduce this problem.

Struik, L., Dow‐Fleisner, S., Belliveau, M., Thompson, D., & Janke, R. (2020). Tactics for drawing youth to vaping: Content analysis of electronic cigarette advertisements. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e18943. https://doi.org/10.2196/18943

The content analysis study shows us the use of content analysis as a method. The researchers first conducted a literature review to develop a basis for the influences on youth vaping. This coding framework was then applied to systematically analyze 38 e-cigarette TV advertisements. The ads had themes aligned with the influences, especially through the benefits of the product and the visual appeal. It analyzes data collected from a large sample of students in New York City over two years. The goal was to examine how factors like friends' drug use and self-confidence influence youth drug use. The results highlight key risks like peer use and protective factors like refusal skills. The content analysis models the use of qualitative methods. This shows us how advertisements hook onto the youth and how they vape, providing evidence to help set up policies through the analysis of behavior. The survey study uses data collection from a sample over time. The methods are clearly explained, through patterns, showing the expertise the researcher has. However, the narrow focus on youth may limit how this could affect people around the age range. It still makes a useful contribution in identifying influential risks and protections. Content analysis provides a basis for developing a coding base to analyze textual data like social media posts. Looking at the study of these real-world trends in behavioral studies can help strengthen our approach to the topic. The survey article highlights details to explore further in our research on drug abuse motivations, like social factors and skills of refusing. Its methods provide effective data collection from a youth sample. Overall, these sources demonstrate the importance of analysis in both prior research and youth experiences. A mixed methods approach from these models and the voices heard from the youth can provide a better understanding to shape vaping and drug prevention efforts.

Poole, R., Carver, H., Anagnostou, D., Edwards, A., Moore, G., Smith, P. J. O., Wood, F., & Brain, K. (2022). Tobacco use, smoking identities and pathways into and out of smoking among young adults: a meta-ethnography. Tobacco Use, Smoking Identities and Pathways Into and Out of Smoking Among Young Adults: A Meta-ethnography, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-022-00451-9

This research investigates how young adults talk about their tobacco use and smoking habits. Using a careful and organized approach called meta-ethnography by Noblit and Hare, the study aims to help design better ways to prevent smoking and reduce harm. This source is a helpful guide for understanding research methods. The researchers did a proper search across eight databases and followed meta-ethnographic guidelines, showing that they did their work carefully. The use of the CASP checklist to check its quality makes it a trustworthy resource. It gives useful insights into how young adults approach smoking, making a meaningful contribution to the field. This source connects well with our drug abuse project that uses ethnography. It fits with our exploration of what influences young adults who smoke. The meta-ethnographic approach can be an influence for how we bring together different studies, keeping their context and creating an understanding between these. Understanding how young adults see themselves and their reasons for smoking is essential for our drug abuse study. The study's idea of looking at the bigger picture, using the PRECEDE theoretical framework, is an interesting take that we will look more into before incorporating. The emphasis on involving the community is on our goal of reduction strategies that work. This source helps shape our methods for studying substance abuse, reminding me of the importance of considering the bigger picture and involving the community in planning.

National Academies Press (US). (1996). Drug abuse research in historical perspective. Pathways of Addiction - NCBWEBookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK232965/

This source takes us on a story through the history of drug abuse research in the U.S., specifically looking at the use of morphine for addiction treatment during the 1800s and 1900s, along with the financial support provided by the Rockefeller Institute until the early 1940s. The aim is to show perspectives on addiction over time, offering valuable insights for shaping future studies in this topic on drug abuse. Being an official report, this source is very credible and reliable. It provides an accurate and unbiased historical account of addiction research, giving us information on the early stages of exploration in the field. The presentation adds to the roots of addiction and how it is reliable through the view of addiction researchers. This source acts as a basis for looking at the growth and allowing me to understand how it is shaped. The examination of past ideas, especially regarding chemicals and antibodies, sparks motivation in me to incorporate this into our current study on young adults and drug abuse. It looks at the importance of context and community involvement, influencing our approach to incorporating information from this ethnographic research method. The historical aspect of this becomes a guide for us when we are doing our ethnographic study. This shows me also that we must look at the past and present to investigate how it has been through the years to further our understanding of drug abuse.

Roudebush, M., Godbole, A., Johnson, L., Egan, K. L., & Cox, M. J. (2023). Alcohol protective behavioral strategies for young adults: a content analysis across drinking contexts and gender. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 49(6), 818–826. https://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2023.2272035

This article explores alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS) among young adults, looking at their use across different drinking contexts and genders. The study, conducted through an online survey with 514 young adult heavy drinkers, uses a content analysis to identify and analyze themes from responses. The findings reveal differences in PBS endorsement based on context and gender, with important ideas like drink content, social support, and engagement in other activities. The use of an online survey with a good sample size provides a view of young adults' PBS use. The content analysis method is used to take out themes from the responses. The author shows us his knowledge and experience in this field, making this credible. This source is helpful in shaping our ethnographic research on drug abuse. While focusing on alcohol, it inspires me to consider contextual factors and gender types in drug use behaviors. The content analysis approach lines up with the nature of ethnography, allowing me to investigate the experiences and views of drug abuse in different societies. By understanding more of PBS endorsement, we will be able to drag out the level of substance use behaviors among different demographics. This source reinforces the importance of context and gender which allows me to use this study to help apply to our drug abuse research.

Z. Raviv. Personal Communcation. August 2023.

This interview investigates the Ethnographic aspect of Drug Abuse within Teenagers. This interview's point is to gain valuable insight from Mr. Raviv into the potential cycles of peer pressure in our society today. The topic covers peer pressure faced by friends and the mental capacity to keep up under stress. This is a very well-known topic to Mr. Raviv since his daughter faced this suffering and he did not know what to do when this phase occurred in her life. Mr. Raviv now runs podcasts about his daughter's experience and has many videos looking into drug abuse used by teens and adults. This adds to his credibility since he has interviewed people from all over the world and his team has worked through a non-profit to promote a reduction in drug use. His knowledge through his own life has contributed heavily to the field as he can convey his thoughts and experience on the topic when talking to various adults and young adults in society. Mr. Raviv talked about throughout history, he has been looking at the trends of peer pressure and how it starts under a roof at a home. It can be based on family, friends, or work. The stress that someone undergoes can make them lose their train of thought and act out in ways that they think will allow them to cope with their situation. His daughter went through the same cycle when she went through depression in her life. She was stressed from school and peers, making her turn to substance use to get her mind off the topic. It soon turned into an addiction. This got so bad that her father recognized the problem and addressed it. He had talked to her about it, taking small steps at a time to ensure that she reduced the use working towards the goal of stopping it completely. She had also agreed to go through the process with him, one step at a time, eventually leading to their teamwork to create a non-profit that promotes the reduction of drug abuse. Talking to Mr. Raviv about his daughter's experience with drug abuse has been super helpful for our research. His real-life stories and how he tackled the issue step by step gave me great ideas and inspiration for our study on teens and drug use. It made me think more about understanding the stress and situations that lead to substance abuse. We plan to use these insights to shape our research approach, making it more effective in understanding and preventing drug abuse among young adults.