Drug Abuse: Pay Attention Essay

Drug abuse is on the rise. While the use of drugs like cocaine and heroin is in a state of decline in certain parts of the world, prescription drugs abuse is on the rise (UNODC, 2013). Prescription drugs that were prescribed with the intention to do well are now one of the leading causes of self-harm. Drug abuse has no gender or social class, it can affect people regardless of social status and wealth, and now more than ever we need to understand the reason behind the abuse. What psychological factors could cause an individual to abuse drugs in the first place? In this research essay, I will discuss how each one of the major school of psychology perspectives could attempt to explain a

“In 2014, nearly two million Americans either abused or were dependent on prescription opioid pain relievers (“Injury Prevention and Control: Opioid Overdose,” 2016.)” The CDC is now saying that the United States is in an epidemic. The purpose of this paper is to explore the increasing drug use in the United States over the last decade. The primary focus is on the administration of opioid analgesics and the addicting mechanisms of these medications, and what they are used for. It will talk about the deaths related to these medications and the health effects, and the other types of drugs these medications can lead to, such as heroin. This paper will also talk about the costs related to opioid analgesics in the hospitals and in the community, and what we as health care providers can be doing to help stop this epidemic.

Throughout history, drug addiction has been one of the many factors of why people across the United States become unsuccessful. Being an addict controls the mind, body and souls of some people and with that, it usually hurts them in the long run. A disease is a disease, no matter if it’s alcoholism, gambling, food addiction or a drug addiction. Not all drugs do the same to people, but in some cases, it gets them high for a couple minutes and makes them keep coming back for more and from time to time again, they want to get higher than the previous session, which leads to them trying other gateway drugs.

There is no age limit, meaning that abusers can begin at very early ages, as early as teenage years and continue throughout their life. Innocent babies are born with drugs in their system, and young children are having to live in dysfunctional homes. Many kids living in these types of environment have a higher school dropout rate. Young adults to the elderly suffer from the misuse. “Though alcoholism and substance abuse rates are lowest among the elderly, access to habit-forming prescription drugs increases their risk of substance abuse” (Burkholder & Nash, 2013, sec. 3.4.). There are many who suffer from unemployment, health issues, poor decisions etc. It is hard to become employed and to keep a job while under the influence. Diabetes, Liver disease, Heart disease and Kidney failure are only a few physical ailments which can occur. Poor decisions under the influence have led to jail time, physical and emotional pain to others and neglect to a love one.

Substance abuse and addiction have become a social problem that afflicts millions of individuals and disrupts the lives of their families and friends. Just one example reveals the extent of the problem: in the United States each year, more women and men die of smoking related lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined (Kola & Kruszynski, 2010). In addition to the personal impact of so much illness and early death, there are dire social costs: huge expenses for medical and social services; millions of hours lost in the workplace; elevated rates of crime associated with illicit drugs; and scores of children who are damaged by their parents’ substance abuse behavior (Lee, 2010). This paper will look at

Drug use in America is a major public health problem that impacts society on many levels, either directly or indirectly. Drugs take a tremendous toll on our communities and our families. It affects all of us, those who abuse these substances and those who don't. Many of America's top medical problems can be directly linked to drug abuse. Cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS are just a few. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drugs are involved in 10 to 22% of traffc accidents. At least half of individuals arrested for violent crimes like homicide and assault are under the influence of illicit drugs.

It is well known that any form of substance use can be fatal, but so can a lot of other things: choking, accidents, health issues, and sheer bad luck. However, there is something special about substance abuse - fatalities from substance use are considered preventable. Take deaths associated with driving under the influence of alcohol, lung cancer brought on by smoking, or heart attacks associated with cocaine use. A person could die in a car crash, from lung cancer, or a heart attack without ever touching alcohol, cigarettes, or cocaine respectively. However, there is an increase in death associated with these items. The most curious part of this is the legal versus illegal categorization of substances. According to the Center for Disease Control, tobacco is considered the leading cause of preventable death (CDC, 2016). Yet, not only is it legal, a person in the U.S. can purchase cigarettes as young as 18, which is three years earlier than the legal age to drink alcohol. This knowledge leads to questions about addiction and prevalence of substance use. Besides being readily available and highly addictive, are there other factors in the use and abuse of legal substances and are they good indicators of illicit drug use? There is clear evidence to support that children, adolescents, and adults learn and emulate what they see on television. The American Academy of Pediatrics has done research and come to the conclusion that “the causes of adolescent substance use are

Drug abuse is a big part of today’s culture and college students are at a heightened risk of addiction. When making the transition from high school to college students feel that drugs or alcohol will benefit them by making them more social. They ease into it, but routinely relying on them leads many students to addiction of drugs or alcohol. A number of factors lead to high rates of drug abuse among college students such as stress, school work, curiosity and peer pressure; students cope with the high demands such as homework load, work, or social obligations through the use of some of the most common drugs in the industry: alcohol, marijuana and stimulants. They are exploring new aspects of their lives and career out in the real world.

Any ingested substance should serve a purpose. When it comes to the moral dilemma of recreational use of any substance the first priority is Long-term psychological and physical health. All actions should aim towards a better future of the individual and the people surrounding them. It should be considered abuse when it starts negatively impacting this person’s life. The criminalization of drug possession and ‘War on Drugs’ declared by Richard Nixon is a complete failure. Why are we following the doctrine of someone who is viewed as one of the most dishonest presidents in American history? Whether you believe all drugs are wrong and shouldn’t on any occasion be used, still the ‘War on drugs’ isn’t an effective policy. The use of illegal substances is extremely common, in fact, it is estimated that 24.6 million Americans over the age of 12 have used an illegal drug of some sort

Substance abuse is something that can’t be controlled or prevented. Something as simple as ibuprofen that you take when you have a headache can turn into something deadly. It is up to the individual to be responsible when taking any kind of pain pills or other drugs. Our world is filled with gateway drugs such as marijuana or even worse, cocaine that is highly addictive.

80,000 or more deaths happen yearly from overdose of narcotic and pharmaceutical drugs. Can the overuse of narcotic drugs impair a person for life? The human brain is the most complex part of the human body, it controls it completelyalmost all of it. Thoughts, movements and even thinking of movement comes from the brain. One of the most worst ways of ruining your precious brain is to over use narcotic drugs. The overuse of narcotic drugs can not only cause damage to the brain but, can also be fatal. Narcotic drugs range from many varieties, types and strengths all causing havoc on the brain. Merriam-webster.com says that the definition of narcotic is “a drug that affects the brain and that is usually dangerous and illegal”. Merriam-webster.com has another definition for narcotic in a medical term that is “ a drug that is given to people in small amounts to make them fall alseep or feel less pain”. Opium, morphine, cocaine, marijuana, heroin are all narcotic drugs and can give anyone with possession many years in prison. The over use of narcotic drugs can alter the function of the brain causing that person to act differently, get an addiction and a feeling causing the person to feign for more. Narcotics are a big deal and can impair the mind of the user by giving them physical side effects and psychological effects and create an addiction that can and will harm the brain and even cause death to the user. With this worldwide trend

Approximately eighty percent of the inmates in correctional facilities have problems related to substance abuse. The number of male inmates has increased considerably in the recent years mainly due to a high number arrests and prosecutions that are drug related. Many correctional facilities offer educational and treatment interventions to help them. However, significant gaps remain.The Justice’s Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program in the U.S tracks prevalence trends and the type of drugs used in different urban areas. Arrestees’ urine samples are tested for five core drugs – marijuana, cocaine, opiates, PCP, methamphetamines and up to six other drugs. Cocaine was present in more than thirty percent of the test results in twenty sites (for men it ranged from fourteen percent in San Jose to fifty-one percent in Atlanta). This indicated the use of cocaine by these inmates within the previous two or three days. More than seventy-five of the adult males who tested positive for opiates also tested positive for other drugs. Methamphetamine use was more than ten percent in nine sites for men and twelve sites for women; use was more concerted in the West.

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem, driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs is an even bigger problem that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Abusing either one of these substances can lead to the death of you or the death of someone else or even cause a major change in their life like Jacqueline’s story, her whole life has been changed because of another person’s ignorance and carelessness. Therefore, you should know the facts about drug and alcohol abuse before you do something you may regret for the rest of your life.

Drug abusers experience several severe health effects ranging from ill-health, general sickness to death. Different drugs used by an individual has different health effects such as cocaine, methamphetamines and even alcohol. Excessive and continuous consumption of alcohol leads to liver cirrhosis which is a very dangerous condition ultimately leading to death. Drug use has four major effects on its consumer which are medical, addiction, social and economic.

Drugs frequently destroy people's lives. Health issues such as disabilities, heart attacks, seizures brain damage and even death as well as behavioural problems including paranoia, aggressiveness and addiction are common and detrimental ramifications of drug abuse.