Essay On Cocaine Use

The use of heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs has become a public health concern especially during pregnancy. Maternal substance abuse has become an issue during the crack epidemic in the 1980’s; however, there is an alarm rate of infants born addicted to heroin. More than 3.7% women have indicated the uses some form of illicit drugs during their pregnancy, as well as 1.9 % reports binge drinking (Bhuvaneswar el at., 2008; Grant el at., 2009). With this in mind, more than 375,000 infants are born to maternal substance abusers each year costing over $100,000 in medical expenses covered by the state (Reitman, 2002).

Substance abuse during pregnancy can have a negative force on the health and wellness of not only the fetus, but that of the mother. The harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illegal drugs on an unborn child can be devastating and can have significant consequences to its use. Sometimes the effects can be faced and treated, and other times the outcome is a lifelong challenge. During the prenatal period, it is important that new mothers are informed of the different types of abuse, how they may affect the fetus, and the adverse conditions their child may be faced with before and after birth.

Through the years, substance misuse in the United States has turned into an industrious issue influencing numerous people. In 2008, it was assessed that 17.8 million Americans beyond 18 years old where substance subordinate. Women who use medications during pregnancy can have an enduring impact on fetal. Medications can have an impact of maternal and child wellbeing, yet there are a lot of different variables, which influence it, poor social environment, nourishment, cleanliness, and sexual abuse. Regenerative interruption connected with heroin utilization has been shown in both and women and even low dosages of opiates can impede ordinary ovarian capacity and ovulation. The harm that goes hand in hand with substance utilization comes either straightforwardly from the impact of the medication itself or from issues identified with development and/or unexpected labor. The entanglements of jumbling components clamorous way of life, poor nourishment, liquor utilization and cigarette smoking influence the appraisal of the impacts of cocaine in pregnancy. In obstetric practice, 100% of pregnant women utilizing cocaine or heroin are cigarette smokers. Cigarette smoking is presumably the most well known manifestation of substance utilizes and is noteworthy corresponding considering ladies who use unlawful medications. Babies whose moms smoked in pregnancy have a tendency to have lower conception weights and diminished length, cranial and thoracic

The use of illicit drugs and abuse of alcohol exact a steep price from our society. Substance abuse is a factor in many serious ills such as crime. More upsetting, however, is the affects that it has on children born affected from their dependent mothers. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that 60 percent of women of childbearing age consume alcoholic beverages despite the fact that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is implicated in a wide range of birth defects and developmental disabilities, including mental retardation, physical abnormalities, and visual and auditory impairments. (Nevitt, 1996)

Roberts’s response fails to satisfy the individuals that cocaine affects the most. Fetal endangerment requires further study and Roberts fails to identify the “amalgam of racial and class biases” (Kennedy, 1997, p.361) in illicit drug use to determine who is in

The Adoption Encyclopedia “ Estimates of the percentage of pregnant women using cocaine have ranged from 10% to as high as 28% in some areas.” Cocaine is one of the oldest drugs known to man. This is a powerfully addictive stimulant, and is derived from coca leaves, and this drug has been abused for thousands of years. Crack Cocaine's worst damage to the fetus is its effect on the brain. It causes the brain's of both the mother and the fetus to experience the typical surge of dopamine. Since the fetal brain is still in the process of development, it can result in serious psychological addiction, attention deficit disorders, lack of cognitive abilities and developmental problems. Also crack's effects on the fetus result in seizures. Babies that are exposed to crack are at increased risk of birth defects, which include heart deformities. Crack causes an unborn baby to have a stroke or a heart attack. Cocaine abuse by mothers during pregnancy is linked with abnormalities in the development of the heart both before and after birth. Crack Cocaine

Cocaine is an addictive and powerful stimulant of the central nervous system. Cocaine abuse is a big problem not only in the general population but also among pregnant women. “Nearly 4 percent women in the Unite States used cocaine during and other illicit drugs that may pose various risk for pregnant women and their babies” (March of Dime, 2013, para.1). The usage of cocaine during pregnancy is very dangerous and can harm the pregnant woman and her unborn baby in many ways. As adults, we have the ability to make choices/decisions and control our own behavior whether right or wrong. However, a child or baby in the womb has no choice and are also subject to suffering the drug abuse. And that is why I’ve focused on this topic.

It has been reported that gestational exposure to cocaine results in long-term reductions in metabolic activity in the hypothalamus and limbic regions postnatally. There is also a reduced responsiveness to a catecholaminergic challenge, and an increase in the affinity of

Over the past years, drugs have been taking over more lives than we could have imagined. It seems that drugs have become more “popular”, even though they have been around us our whole lives. Kids starting at age 11 are now doing drugs, which is pretty upsetting knowing your little brother could be doing drugs without you even knowing. A more upsetting topic is babies being born addicted to drugs. A study has shown in 2004 seven babies in every 1000 were born addicted to drugs, by 2013 27 in every 1000 babies have been born addicted (Staufenberg, J. (2015, September 7). Huge increase in babies born addicted to drugs in US. Retrieved October 1, 2015.). I know it’s hard, thinking how such precious little humans can be born suffering from withdrawal. Poor babies have to suffer due to their mother’s mistake, ever wonder how baby withdrawal can stop? A topic that has a lot of controversy around it is, should all pregnant women be drug tested? My opinion before I survey 100 people is, I believe they should be drug tested in order to protect the baby. In fact Tennessee has made a law to arrest mother who give birth to drug addicted babies. The legislation gives moms of babies who are born dependent on drugs two choices: Face a misdemeanor charge or go to drug court where they will be put through an 18-month treatment program. (Tenn. Moms Can Now Be Arrested for 'drug Babies ' | HLNtv.com." HLNtv.com. 1 May 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.) The effects of babies born to drugs could be

In the early 1980s, with the rising abuse of “crack-cocaine” and major concerns about it’s effect on children exposed in utero, there was a big push to put legislation in place regarding reporting of illegal drug use during pregnancy, considering it as a form of child abuse (Behnke et al., 2013). The Keeping Children and Families Safe Act was passed in 2003, requiring health care providers to notify Child Protective Services of any infant experiencing drug withdrawal or recognized to be affected by illegal drugs at birth. The effects of maternal alcohol and tobacco use on

Biologically, there are concerns to Teresa’s development. The most obvious is the issue of her mother using cocaine during pregnancy. It is observed that infants exposed to cocaine during pregnancy tend to have smaller head circumference at birth than normal babies (Behnke et al, 2006, p. 45). Additionally, Children born after prenatal cocaine exposure display more abnormal reflexes and tend to have shorter attention spans than those born without the exposure (Zickler, 1999. p. 2). One particular measure to asses child development is the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS). This scale systemizes an infants abilities into three categories: baby’s strengths, adaptive responses, and vulnerabilities (NCBI). Using BNBAS, after three weeks of age, these babies still score weaker than normal babies (Schuler, 1999, p.

Vucinovic, M., Rojo, D., Vucinovic, Z., Capkun, V., Bucat, M., Banovic, I. (2008). Maternal and neonatal effects of substance abuse during pregnancy: Our ten-year experience. Yonsei Medical Journal (serial online), October 31, 2008. 49(5): 705-713. Available from MEDLINE COMPLETE.

Pregnancy among women drug users, is on the rise in the word today. According to The Universities of Michigan and Pittsburg (April 30, 2012), a baby is born addicted to drugs every hour. These babies are at high risk of experiencing birth defects and possibly growing up to be addicted to drugs as well. Most are born at a very low birth weight, usually under four pounds; which is also an ongoing problem as they grow.

During pregnancy cocaine and its metabolites easily travel through the placenta into fetal circulation, from there they enter the immature blood-brain barrier. In animals, research show that cocaine effect directly on the fetus brain, as a result, altering metabolism and cerebral blood supply. ( Grewen, Burchinal, Vachet, Gouttard, Gilmore, Lin,...Gerig, 2014, p.3). Neonatal cranial ultrasounds show substantial incidences of intracranial hemorrhage in infants due to “heavy” prenatal cocaine exposure. ( Grewen, Burchinal, Vachet, Gouttard, Gilmore, Lin,...Gerig, 2014,

Children can be subjected to the negative effects of parental substance use in a variety of different ways. For example, substance use during pregancy can cause detrimental outcomes for newborn infants by placing them at a higher risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), being born with birth defects, developing behavioral and developmental delays, being born premature, etc. Children with addicted parents, are placed at a higher risk of: lacking appropriate supervision; lacking basic needs such as: food, clothing, housing, and medical care; exposure to violence; developing substance abuse issues themselves.