Drug Abuse And Its Effects On Society

Cocaine is one of the oldest, most powerful and most dangerous stimulants in the world. This powerfully addictive drug effects over 35 million people In the United States. Cocaine addiction prevents a person from being a productive member in our society. It also increases the cost for law enforcement and treatment facilities. It rapidly decreases the workplace, increases the homeless rate and needless deaths on a daily basis.

1b. List and describe briefly the major structures of the brain, as presented in your textbook, including the function of those elements that are most related to psychoactive drug reaction.

Drug abuse in America is at an all time high across the country. Most people start out with a legit medical issue that leads to a prescription for pain, anxiety, stress, or even trouble concentrating. After repeated prescriptions, the body tends to get use to the medicine, with then leaves the body craving more. In fact, prescription drug abuse is the highest drugs abused my both men and women. Research shows that young adults ages 18 to 25 are the prime abusers of prescription drugs, ADHD drugs as well as anti-anxiety drugs. There several reason why this age group abuse these types of drugs. The reasons include getting high, to feel good, better study habits, stress, and weight loss.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) updated reports on the prevalence of substance addiction in 2015, illegal drugs use has been increasing in the entire United States. In 2013, approximately 24.6 million United States citizens aged 12 and above used illicit drugs. The increase represented a 9.4% of all the population consuming illegal drugs. In 2002, the total population of illicit drug use in America was approximately 8.3%. The increase in substance abuse has been attributed to the breakdown of social ethics in the society.

Drug abuse in America is evidently a huge problem, yet remains to be misunderstood by many people. Elizabeth Foy Larsen writes a strong, informative article about a young woman named Brittany who has fallen to drug abuse. Brittany was a drug free, well rounded student with great potential just like many other young adults in America. However, one occasion flipped her life completely upside down. She had gotten her wisdom teeth removed and received prescription medication to reduce her pain. She soon found the new pain medication to be to her satisfaction. After the pain faded away, Brittany made a decision that would commence her addiction. She used the now unneeded medication thinking it would be her last time. The sensation she felt influenced her to use it again. This occurrence began to repeat itself until Brittany found herself to be dependent on the drugs. “And when you 're under 25, it 's even easier for the drugs to take the wheel, since your brain is still developing--and therefore more susceptible to addiction” (Larsen, ℙ15). She then began to spend her time with a different group of friends, who introduced her to other illegal drugs. Larsen states in the article, “That means that when the prescription drugs become too difficult to find, many once-straightlaced teens turn to illegal drugs, like heroin. In fact, four out of five heroin users started abusing drugs by taking prescription opioids, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids” (Larsen, ℙ15). In

Whichever stance you may have on the matter, it is pretty evident that drug use is increasingly prevalent and an ongoing issue in the United States. “Drug use is on the rise in this country and 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs. That’s approximately one in every 10 Americans over the age of 12 – roughly equal to the entire population of Texas” said Dr. Kima Joy Taylor, director of the CATG Initiative (Drugfree.org). Because of facts like these, the War on Drugs was created with the proposed mission to deplete the number of drugs being consumed and sold in the United States. After over forty years since Nixon declared it, the War on Drugs has continuingly failed its promises and created additional social problems for

In an attempt to demonstrate the absurdity of the drug abuse problems in the United States, it should be brought to light that the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use Health estimated that “27 million people aged 12 or older have used an illicit drug in the past 30 days” (Hedden, Kennet, Lipari, Medley, & Tice, 2015). As gun violence has become a popular topic in America over the past few years due to its’ related deaths, many Americans’ fail to realize that more people are dying from drug overdose than by weapon. In today’s society, controversy regarding drug abuse has taken a forefront due to various media outlets in our technologically possessed world. In order to grasp the underlying issue of drug abuse in the United States, it is imperative to observe the media’s effects on adolescents in a technologically and socially consumed digital age, how family and peers correlate with drug abuse, and whether or not drug abuse effects criminal activity.

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.

As reiterated by Barbara Bibel, historic data reveals that the worldwide use of mind-altering drugs dates back to 5,000 BCE (Bibel 6). This fact proves that drug abuse is not a new dilemma nor has an effective solution to this age old problem been found. Over the centuries, substance abuse has been proven to be a contributing fact to a slew of social conditions such as the spread of HIV/Aids and increased crime rates, and has made many victims to the addictive properties of drugs. Unfortunately, America is not exempt from the global, dangerous and deadly effects of drug abuse. The abuse of prescription and illegal drugs has devastated American history, the present condition of the family system and projections for America’s future society.

From 2001 to 2014 there has been a 42% increase in the number of deaths caused by prescription drug overdose. Moreover, the national survey conducted on drug use stated that 27 million people who are aged 12 and over have used an illegal drug. Year by year, drug addiction has been growing immensely among citizens and does not seem to stop. The sooner people start to take action, the sooner drug addiction in America will decrease. Whether it be directly or indirectly, the abuse of drugs has affected every family in every community and needs to be stopped.

Today in America a lot of young people experiment with illegal drugs. Some people try drugs for recreational purposes, others are addicted to drugs and can't survive without them. Usually it all starts from recreational purposes, and people who can not control their recreation become a drug addicts. There are many different types of drugs, but all drugs are similar in that they change one's understanding of the environment, feelings, senses and mood. Some drugs cause physical addiction, which means that after several tries of the particular drug, the body requires that chemical in order to function. Some drugs destroy lives; people use drugs so much that it changes their personality and acceptance of environment,

Drug use in the United States has increased for the past few years. A report conducted by Tobias Salinger from NY Daily News, in 2013 an estimated 24.6 million Americans age 12 or older 9.4 percent of the population had us an illicit drug in the past month. The increase is due to the increase of marijuana use, because it is so common. Marijuana use has increased since 2007. In 2013, the number of current users ager 12 or older was 1.5 million; however, this number is lower than 2002, to 2007 ranging from 2.0 million to 2.4 million. (Tobias Salinger, NY Daily News)

Heroin abuse in America has become an overwhelming issue considering the numbers of people who abuse it today compared to just two years ago. America has become a drug culture, the marketplace of an international flow of drugs on an unprecedented scale (Biernacki, 1986). There are many foundations of this social problem; the intense availability of drugs in neighborhoods where crime is prevalent, as well as basic economics. Prescription pain killers have become much more expensive and more difficult to obtain while the price of heroin has decreased, making it more convenient for people to buy. Though this is a nationwide problem, Kentucky has certainly been no exception. Especially hit hard has been Louisville, raising fear and paranoia that a heroin plague will soon ravage the city. It’s no secret why heroin overdoses are on the rise; however, does the stigma surrounding substance abuse play a role in the increase of the drug epidemic?

Since 2000, the drug use rate in America has risen to the highest it’s ever been. In a survey done in 2009, 8.7 percent of people age 12 and up said that they used illegal substances within a month of taking the survey, a 9 percent increase since 2008 (Abuse, National Institute on Drug, 2010). This statistic alone is very concerning due to

A drug is a chemical substance applied into treating, diagnosing and preventing one from disease infections or a substance that is used by a person to enhance his or her physical and mental state in the perceived effect. Drugs used for different purposes and their effect depend on which cause for usage. It causes both positive and negative consequences directly to the user and in the long-run it affects the whole society or community. Drug addiction is the activity of uncontrollable dependence on a substance by the user no matter the harm caused by its usage. It is a habit that has been in many years hard to curb especially among the youths. “We must recognize that substance abuse and addiction is a disease, not a moral failing or easily abandoned self-indulgence,” (Califano, 2008).The cases of drug abuse have been on the rise over the recent years and resulted in crimes. The cases have a great effect affected the society in general since the reliable energetic youths have turned to drug abuse. However, some measures have been initiated to mitigate, curb and treat drug addiction in the society as outlined in the essay.