Drug Abuse: A Problem In The United States

In this paper I’m going to discuss one example of drug use and I’m going to relate it back to the public. While still posing the question “Is this a personal trouble or a public issue?”

Substance abuse is a very current problem in the United States. Opiate addiction is a particularly difficult problem in the State of Vermont where the abuse of prescription opioids has created addictions for many individuals. The problem of substance abuse has severe repercussions that may encompass severe dependence and overdose.1 Substance abuse is an epidemic that cannot be ignored. However, the combined forces of over-prescription, addiction and subsequent unemployment may mean that coverage for treatment for opioid addiction is not guaranteed even with increased Medicaid access through the Affordable care Act (ACA).

One of the fastest growing epidemics in the United States is prescription drug abuse as reported by the DEA (Partnership for Drug Free Kids, 2013). All ages are guilty of abuse of medications, however, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2016) reports young adults abuse these prescription drugs at the highest rates compared to all other age groups. The NIDA reports misuse and abuse is highest among opioid pain relievers, ADHD stimulants, and anti-anxiety drugs (NIDA, 2016). The use of these prescription drugs to treat a variety of physical and mental health issues is quickly becoming a top conservative treatment option. While pharmaceutical companies make extreme amounts of profit off of these physical and mental issues, young adults are increasingly taking on the consequences of addiction and overdose.

In the United States of America, we, the people value several things, some of which

In and around most large cities in America, the rising substance abuse epidemic has brought about a renewed interested in determining the root cause of substance abuse, the effects of substance abuse on individuals and societies, and the substance abuse treatment modalities that achieve the best outcomes. In reviewing the current research on substance abuse there seems to be no one clear cause of substance abuse disorders, although there is strong evidence that a number of life circumstances may predispose an individual to a substance abuse disorder, as well as a number of protective factors that may reduce an individual’s risk of developing a substance abuse disorder. One important risk factor that is commonly associated with substance

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 669,000 Americans reported using heroin in the year of 2012. The number of people using heroin for the first time is dramatically high, with 156,000 people starting in 2012, doubling from the year 2009 (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014) Those using heroin are typically adults aged between 18-25 years old. The impact of heroin is felt all over the United States affecting many people. Heroin is identified as one of the most important drug issues, therefore this is a social problem that is becoming typical, and more people are coming across negative health effects due to it.

The drug problems in America will not change until a proactive approach is taken on drug issues. The first step would be convincing America that addiction is a disease that should be treated as an illness and not as a criminal act deserving punishment. In The Journal of Gender, Race, and Justice, author Andre Cummings spoke about the war on drugs and the cost of prisons as it relates to our economy and the influx of incarcerations due to drug offenses. Cummings titled it a “mass incarceration,” he said “The United States has increased its incarceration rate in the last thirty years by more than an astonishing 335%” (Cummings, 2012) In a study from 1920-2006, “The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population. But it has almost 25% of the world’s prisoners.” (Cummings, 2012) The majority of those incarcerated are for drug offenses or something pertaining to the sale, manufacture, and/or distribution of an illegal

Prior to all of the scientific knowledge that was discovered about drug usage in the United States in the late 20th century, many Americans had an extremely negative connotation about drug users; this stigmatization continues to occur today. Today, many scientists who study addiction and its effects on the human body have come to the realization that a myriad of people cannot control themselves when it comes to stop being addicted. During the TED Talk, prominent neurologist and Director of the National Institute of on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Nora Volkow discusses the parallels of addiction in drug users and addiction in obese individuals.

Out of the items on the list, I chose to do my paper on illicit drugs. I will discuss why illicit drug use has increased over the past decade, especially the usage of marijuana, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an organization actively combatting illicit drugs.

It is possible to stop most drug addiction in the United States within a very short time. Simply make all drugs available and sell them at cost. Label each drug with a precise description of what effect - good and bad - the drug will have on the taker. This will require heroic honesty. Don 't say that marijuana is addictive or dangerous when it is neither, as millions of people know - unlike "speed," which kills most unpleasantly, or heroin, which is addictive and difficult to kick.

“D.A.R.E” is an international nonprofit organization. It is the most prevalent drug abuse prevention program in the United States, which is often referred to as the most prevalent drug prevention program in the world! The original D.A.R.E. program was developed in 1983 as part of a joint effort between the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Unified School District to "break the generational cycle of drug abuse, related criminal activity, and arrest." The original curriculum consisted of core elements such as resistance, skill training, and self-esteem building, supplemented with additional information on gangs and legal issues related to drug use. The program focused mainly on something called "gateway" drugs, which are drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants, which usually lead to harder drug use.

Drug addiction is very common all over the United States. There are many forms of drugs and the government or companies spend a lot of money in them. Tobacco is considered a drug, the amount of health care is one hinder fifty billion dollars, and overall is two hundred and ninety five billion dollars. Alcohol by health care is twenty-five billion dollars, and over all is two hundred and twenty-four billion dollars. There are many more types of drugs, but those who want to overcome drug addiction can do so by going to rehab, having support from family and friends and having a strong personality to fight it off.

Drug use in America has been on the rise, drugs have been available for many years. The use of drugs in communities not only affect the drug user but it also affects families across the United States. Drug use has a way of making one dependent on a substance which can lead to many issues such as theft, theft usually plays an important role in funding a drug users habit when they are not able to hold a job or run out of money to sustain their unhealthy habit. Families are hurt by the user’s ability to be careless about their own situation and the situation of others that surround them, like children, parents or friends. Kids often act out in ways that are unhealthy for their future when growing up in such environments that lack the support

Many countries have the problem of drug abuse. There are spent many dollars for preventing, treating and fighting drug.

It is common knowledge that America has the world’s largest population of prisoners, and in 2008, a study was completed by the Pew Charitable Trusts which indicated that half of the inmates in jail and prison are serving time for nonviolent drug charges (http://www.pewstates.org/news-room/press-releases/new-pew-study-finds-36-percent-increase-in-prison-time-served-85899394970). Since the “War on Drugs” approach about forty years ago, the criminalization of the addict has done very little to address the problem of substance abuse in society. While there is no one clear cause of substance abuse, there have been patterns identified in substance abusers, that may be the underlying factors that lead to the addiction. Some of these factors include mental health and biology.