The Adolescent Novel: Rx by Tracy Lynn
In the novel Rx, Tracy Lynn writes about drug abuse and the way the behavior is affecting young people within the learning institutions. The book shows that substance abuse is a common practice in modern schools and it is becoming more prevalent. As an honor student, Thyme Gilchrest refuses to take part in drug abuse activities, but things change quickly, as Thyme becomes a drug dealer in the school as well as a person involved in the drug abuse activities. Therefore, this paper will present a response to the Rx novel, as one of the most prominent and fascinating adolescent text.
Thyme’s Drug Abuse Behavior
The novel is extremely didactic, and each character influences Thyme’s drug abuse behavior differently. Of all the characters that Lynn has discussed in the novel, I think that the three characters who influenced Thyme to become involved in the drug use practice are her parents, Suze, and Lida. In chapter two of the book, Thyme expresses that Lida was one of the qualified person in their class, but she was stoned when they were taking the placement exam (Lynn, 2007). In chapter eleven, Thyme attends Lida’s party, where she uses some illicit drugs under the influence of her friends and colleagues who attended the show. In the novel, Lida is quoted saying that “Holy shit, Thyme. I did not know you toked. Thyme is a stoner; Thyme is a stoner” (Lynn, 2007, p.128). On the other hand, Thyme’s parent feeds her with vitamin and illicit Xanax, to treat her adolescent depression and aggressive behaviors. This made Thyme steal Ritalin pills from her friend, and from that instance, she began taking them. Consequently, Thyme started using other pills such as Valium, which made her a drug dealer in the school and a substance user. Suze, another close friend to Thyme, has an influence on her behavior. In Chapter seven, for example, the author outlines that Suze took two pills of Ritalin out of curiosity (Lynn, 2007). In this context, Thyme demanded to be paid by both Lida and Suze for the pills that were out of their possession. Surprisingly, the two gave Thyme money, which marked the start of a drug dealing business for Thyme. Personally, I feel that Thyme’s parents and her friends are the most unrealistic people, as they are the ones who made Thyme start abusing drugs and later peddling to other teenagers in her school.
The Link between Thyme and School
In some ways, I believe that Thyme felt connected to her school and education. Thyme was in the student council, which is a clear indication of the fact that she is linked to her learning and she enjoys it (Lynn, 2007). Examining the novel made me see how the teachers and school staffs had an opportunity to connect with Thyme. For example, being a student council means that students and a teacher from one class elected Thyme, and therefore, this is a clear indication of the fact that Thyme had a connection with her teachers. Furthermore, as a student council, Thyme should have been working with the school committee that consists of teachers and other staffs to promote the welfare of the students. Thus, this shows that Thyme was connected with her school’s staffs and instructors at all-time in school.
I understood that Thyme and her colleagues were given plenty of homework and through the homework assignments; the teachers would have taken it as a chance to evaluate Thyme performances and behaviors. Lynn (2007) posits that in one night Suze and Lida flocked at Thyme’s place struggling with their homework assignment such as English, French, and math (Lynn, 2007). As the two struggled with their assignment, Thyme was ready to help, but it seemed that they were not interested, as they were focusing on taking drugs such as Ritalin. I believe that the teachers did not take advantage of these opportunities to learn about Thyme drug practice behavior. I feel that the teachers did not use what was available to notice the things that Thyme was doing with her life.
Reasons for Thyme Taking Drugs
Throughout the novel, I realized that various factors made Thyme start taking drugs. First, social gatherings and occasion played a major role to Thyme’s behavior of taking drugs. In chapter eleven, Thyme and her friends took drugs while at a celebration party. During this social event, Thyme is introduced to marijuana where Lida calls her a stoner. On a similar occasion, Dave and Thyme took Ritalin drugs and some Nyquil drugs that were being passed to everyone who was in the party. In the novel, Thyme is quoted talking to Dave by saying that “I don’t even want this other one, Dave gave it to me a while ago, and it’s still got that new joint smell” (Lynn, 2007, p.128). At the same time, Thyme is associated with the reasons that made her start taking drugs.
The author reveals that Thymes thought she had ADHD condition. This made Thyme desperate and took some Ritalin pills. Henceforth, she became an addict of the pills as well as other types of drugs. Besides, the book talks about how Thyme spends her time online learning about different medication prescription and their side effects. From this point, I learned that technology had some impact on Thyme’s life, as through online she started using Ritalin as an experimental drug to aid her study. Looking back at Lynn’s perspective and argument, I now think that kids in a different city or social class would use the same reasons to involve themselves to drug abuse. For example, the kids can use social events such as party gatherings as a pathway to indulge in drugs, as no one is there to monitor or control their behaviors.
Actions to Manage Thyme Drug Abuse Behavior
As a teacher, to help prevent and reduce drug abuse, I would discover universal programs that would address the risks of taking Ritalin and any other drug substance that Thyme was taking and selling. Such a program would be designed in an inclusive way, as I would propose a counseling event where I would talk with Thyme about the impact of drug abuse and protective measures to apply. Moreover, basing it on Thyme’s case, I observed that as a teacher, referring Thyme for expert help would benefit her more, as her situation is complex and it requires a person with counseling skills and experience. This would be substantial, as Thyme would be encouraged on how to stop abusing drugs while at school, home, or social events. Finally, of all the methods that I can use to help Thyme stop selling drugs, offering her mutual support through training would be the most substantial assistance for her. For instance, I would give Thymes instruction on the consequences of selling drugs and demonstrate to her the best way to spend her free time rather that selling drugs. I think that this will allow Thyme to attend learning sessions and become open to her teachers regarding her drug-dealing business, which will allow teachers make Thyme feel positive about stopping drugs the practice.
Lessons about Adolescent Prescription Drug Use
The book has given me several ideas and beliefs concerning adolescent prescription drug use for young people in learning institutions. First, having read the book, I now know that youths can take prescription medication to get high. For example, in the book, we see that Thyme and Dave take Ritalin pills for pleasurable purposes. In addition, through the book, I have learned that most of the young people in the schools mix adolescent prescription drugs with other illegal drugs such as marijuana and alcohol. From my understanding, mixing prescription medications with other drugs can be dangerous, as it can make one addictive, which is a hard thing to deal with in life. Lastly, the book has been educational to me, as I have learned that many teenagers take adolescent prescription drugs because they think the drugs will help them with schoolwork or stop some pain. From this argument, I can say that adolescent prescription drugs are unsafe drugs on some people, as they will cause more harm than serving the intended purpose.
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Perspective (WSCC)
The WSCC components that I will talk about in this section include:
- Health education
- Counseling, physiological, and social services
- Community involvement
- Family engagement
- Social and emotional school environment
Since the book is about young people and drugs, healthcare education component is strength oriented to manage this problem as the component can help the student make quality decisions, such as stopping misuse of adolescent prescription drugs. From a personal perspective, I feel that health education component has a weakness. Undoubtedly, healthcare education does not give quality assurance (Sharma, 2005). As such, the program has the inability to reach many students within the institution, which means the quality of the program is not a guarantee. Hence, I can affirm that in some ways, the component is complex and will use a lot of time. The strength that I believe counseling, physiological, and social services have is that the component provides support and intervention measures that can help in managing drug abuse in schools. From the case of Thyme, I view this component demanding and something that might trouble the certified school counselors. Community involvement can as well be taken in two ways (Benes & Alperin, 2016). The major strength of this component is that the society will contribute to the prevention and management of the drug abuse behavior. I strongly believe that the key weakness of community involvement is that many people in the society do not have educational ideas that can help in preventing drug abuse within the learning institutions.
I find family engagement as an interesting WSSC component that can be used to prevent drug abuse in schools. With no doubt, I feel that the strength of this component is that it makes school staffs and parent to view the aspect of drug abuse as a shared responsibility, which will create commitment and motivation. Personally, through this component, I identify that some parent may take their involvement too far, which may become a source distractions to the students and teachers. Finally, in my own opinion, I consider social and emotional school climate as an important component that can be employed in the management of drug abuse behavior in schools. When a school makes the social and emotional school positive, this can strongly support the learning environment and the students can become more focused on the education. For this component, funding is a weakness. To coordinate results of a positive learning environment, institutions are required to make fund the programs, and this contradicts institutions financial planning.
References
Benes, S., & Alperin, H. (2016). The essentials of teaching health education: Curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Lynn, T. (2007). Rx. New York: Simon Pulse.
Sharma, M. (2005). Health Education in India: A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis. International Electronic Journal of Health Education, 8, 80-85.
