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Prescription Social Problems

Decent Essays

Social Problems and Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse has been around for well over two centuries, but only recently has research begun to track the abuse and how to stop it. Surveys began in 1970 to document the abuse and has continues since. Although, in 1980 and much of the 90's more pressing items took the front lines and prescription drug abuse was sent to a lower priority. More concern was with street drugs and the crimes that were being committed due to the use of them. Early to mid-1990's surveys suggested that the prescription drug abuse was at an outbreak and was becoming a larger issue.
Patterns of drug seeking and drug taking is continently changing and is irregular. Inciardi & Cicero (2009) describes people who seek and take …show more content…

DuPont (2005) reports, "During the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the use of prescription medicines for an increasing number of indications. Participating fully in this trend has been the use of medicines to treat psychiatric disorders and the widespread use of narcotic analgesics to treat outpatients for the first time in a century." Errors in prescribing and over medicating has struck a wide spread controversy. Nonmedical use or use by someone who had not seen a physician to get a proper prescription is of a higher concern (DuPont, 2005).
Another issue with prescription drug abuse is the steep rise in deaths and visits to the emergency rooms. Unintentional overdoses send thousands to the each year. From 1999-2007 the number of overdose deaths in Los Angeles quadrupled from 2,900 to 11,500 according to the Center for Disease Control. Misuse accounts for nearly all of these (PDMP, N.D).
Many people have the inability to control themselves when faced with pressure from others. Also, social situations can lead to erratic drug behavior. Under stressful situations, such as divorce, or moving it can lead to self destructing behaviors. One pill leads to another and the abuse becomes uncontrollable (Guerrero, …show more content…

Patients who stay in treatment longer than three months have better outcomes than do people who undergo shorter treatments." Education is key to helping prevent a rise in future drug and alcohol abuse. Parents, employers, and school campuses can all helped educate the youth on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse (Guerrero, 2015). Giving people with addictions the proper help and rehabilitation could help combat those who may relapse and use again.

Functional perspective believes that society is unable to control and regulate its behavior.

In the book Social Problems, written by Guerrero (2015), " Sutherland (1939) proposed the theory

of differential association to explain how we learn specific behaviors and norms from the groups we have

contact with." If society believes that using prescription medication is a safer alternative to street drug,

they are more likely to abuse them." Guerrero (2015) also states, "Peer influence may be direct or

indirect: peers provide social opportunities to engage in substance abuse, and peers shape attitudes toward

substance abuse." People who may not usually engage in substance abuse may so do to peer

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