Drugs And Alcohol And Drug Abuse

Drugs and alcohol is a major social issue (J. David Hawkins, Richard F. Catalano, and Janet Y. Miller, 1992). It is not something that can be solved by the law (Lee P. Brown, 2008). Throughout history, many attempts have been made to try and legalize and control alcohol and drug addiction but has failed.

In the United States alone, nearly 18 million people have an addiction to alcohol. This drug can be a mild to chronic addiction and sometimes can turn out fatal for some people (Chakraburtty). Almost 100,000 people have died from overusing this drug (Chakraburtty). Alcoholism and alcohol abuse is not only damaging emotionally, physically, and mentally to the person who is doing it, but to the people around them as well.

For some people, the use of alcohol and drugs can lead to a chronic disease or long-term illness that has serious medical and social consequences. Are you feeling down, left out, trying to fit in? Addiction begins so easily and takes over without any warning. It can begin with a bad day, consequences, peer pressure, or a teen trying to find a way to fit in. “An estimated 2.4 million Americans used prescription drugs non-medically for the first time within the past year, which averages to approximately 6,600 initiates per day”, states According to, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2014, 47,055 people died from drug overdoses. Since 2000, opioid drug overdoses have jumped 200%”. While some people believe drug addiction is a choice, it is a disease. Continued drug use changes the brain 's structure and how the brain functions. Also, Environmental cues is why some people get addicted. Furthermore, drug addiction, like other diseases, may require medication to treat.

Adolescence is the period when children socially grow and develop into adults. It is also during this time, that many children start to experiment with drugs and alcohol. According to Dictionary.com, substance abuse is “long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning; broadly, alcohol or drug addiction.” While many adolescents may just experiment, addiction and abuse of substances is a very real possibility. Sharma found that most drug and alcohol users began using between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. The most common reasons given to them for initiation were peer influence, curiosity, and sense of growth (2015).

Drug and alcohol abuse is a very serious conflict that could Drug abuse may start as a way to socially connect, it usually happens with be deadly or could seriously injure someone, maybe even ruin a relationship. Alcohol Abuse. {http://www.drugabuse/library/alcohol-abuse/.com,2012.)} friends or acquaintances. There are many dangers associated with this kind of abuse ,this could lead to inappropriate activities and not reasonable social behavior which is just the beginning of a stressed and sober life.

Millions of Americans suffers from the effects of alcohol and drug abuse. It can shatter lives, brake families, and to rob people of their dreams for the future. Once alcoholism or drug addiction begins, an individual's problems not only don't go away, but their mental well being as well as physical ability continues to diminish from the immediate and long-term adverse effects from the drugs and alcohol abuse.

This paper examines how the abuse of drugs and alcohol can drastically alter the dynamics of the family as a whole. Addiction is a chronic disorder that tears families apart as it destroys the individuals themselves. There is a thin line that family members walk in order to function with an addict daily. The impact that family member have can either be a positive facilitator towards the addicts recovery or the family can become drawn into the addicts world of abuse and addiction. There are various assorted roles that family member take on when it comes to either interacting with an addicted family member or merely being an innocent bystander. Within the world of addiction there are tools that family members can utilize to gain a greater perspective on the disease as well as guard their lives from the insanity that sparks from addiction.

Substance abuse within the US is a very significant issue, with costs “exacting over $600 billion annually” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015). Various laws and regulations have been put in place in order to lower the amount of substance abuse cases. This has in turn triggered the establishment of appropriate public administration institutions. Even with these institutions there has been very little relief with the issue of substance abuse.

A current ongoing problem in the United States is the continuous use of drugs and alcohol. There isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t see in the paper or on the internet that someone overdosed on drugs and passed away. Currently the United States is narrowing in on the legalization of one drug in particular, which is marijuana. Just over 130 years ago there were no laws against drug use, until the 20th century when the fight against drug use began. Harry Anslinger is man who began the probation of marijuana. Anslinger set the tone for the American attitudes towards drugs, specifically marijuana beginning in the 20th century.

Even though drug and alcohol addiction is the repeated and excessive use of drugs and alcohol to achieve a certain effect, which involves two components: physical and psychological dependency, they both can be treated. The cause of substance abuse is examined through several studies which showed drugs and alcohol are used to get relief from untreated mental or physical pain, through genetics, and low self-esteem. It is very important to know information about drug and alcohol addiction because not only is it a battle for the individual it impacts their family as well.

There was a missing person report across the news today, my co-worker stated. I never paid any attention to it; I went on about my day as if everything was fine. When I arrived at home I had several messages on my answer machine regarding my best friend Sonya. The message said, Samara please call me it’s Sonya’s mother, I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days, I just wanted to know if you have talked or seen her. I quickly called back

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is defined as a patterned use of a drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods which are harmful to themselves or others. (put citation in) The exact cause of substance abuse is not clear, with theories ranging from genetic disposition, a habit that is learned from your environment, or if the use of the drug turns into an addiction, it is viewed as a disease. Drug abuse is often linked to a lack of willpower or self-control, meaning that people who have addictions make a conscious choices to take part in the destructive behaviors. The use of substances may lead the user to have physical, social and psychological difficulties. There are many theories and psychological approaches when dealing with substance abuse.

Drug Abuse is a global problem. Drug abuse is a medical concern, as it is a pattern causing damage to health. It is important to discern the difference between drug abuse and drug use, as we will be looking at the problem of drug abuse today. Of an estimated 246 million people who used an illicit drug in the past year, 27 million (around 11%) experienced problem drug use, which was defined as a pattern of psychoactive substance use that is causing damage to health. The damage may be physical (like HIV or hepatitis following injection of drugs) or mental (depressive episodes after heavy drinking). Harmful use commonly has adverse social consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a record 33,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2015, killing more people each year than car accidents. In 2015, the number of heroin deaths nationwide surpassed the number of deaths from gun homicides.

As we all know drugs are given to you by a doctor for a specific purpose, either to cure an illness or treat an ongoing disease. Otherwise taking prescription drugs can be dangerous for your body and overall physical health. To go with this they can be very addictive if someone starts to take them for recreational purposes. Just as hard drugs can take control of someone’s life, so can prescribed drugs if is it not a monitored situation.

For the research on drug use and societal or natural disaster, there is various findings on drug users' lives, before and after disasters. This paper gives a broad explanation of their trauma & stress, housing life styles, and health risk during times of disaster. These topics show the studies on people whom partake in drugs such as Crack/Cocaine Heroine on the day-to-day basis. The researched for this paper worked with the usagers directly to affect the health of those in these situations.