Substance Abuse in America

 A person in an impoverished situation may abuse drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with the dangerous environment he or she may live in, a way to deal with her financial stresses or a way to cope with physical or emotional abuse. Many times,

This story is from a book “Righteous Dopefiend” by Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg, published in 2009 May. The introduction basically talks about the powerful study of anthropological plunges the reader into the world of homelessness and drug addiction in America. According to the study from the late 1990s to early 2000s, based on ago and gender profile of homeless men and women were mostly heroin injectors and they also smoked crack and drank large amount of alcohol. Many of the injectors were distressed and from poor families. In the study in 2008, many African-American and Latino who used drugs primarily smoked marijuana even while they were selling heroin on the street. Heroin effects the human bodies and daily routine, within couples of weeks of daily use, heroin creates a strong physiological dependence operating.

The numbers do not lie—little evidence exists that supports the claim that drug testing recipients will save money. Striving to prove that the main source of the drug problem in the United States lies in the recipients of the welfare program, policymakers continue to work fervently. The overgeneralization of the poor as drug users has become common practice in Washington. Lawmakers seem to feel that because recipients receive government funding, they in turn give up their constitutional rights as U.S. citizens. The practice of criminalizing the poor has become commonplace in the creation of U.S. governmental policy.

Residents who come from low income levels are more likely to agree that “Drug dealing can be a good way for people to raise themselves out of poverty” (Wallisch and Spence, 2006, p. 296). Although most residents are aware that drug trafficking is connected with corruption and violence, their economic deprivation has created community norms that tolerate the economic advantages brought by drug trafficking. Individuals who chose to be drug users are more aware of the availability of drugs and chose to live in neighborhoods of higher drug

From the abstract of this article that there are no simple answers to this problem. The research is minimal and the correlation between social services and the drugs users is non-existent.

How an individual utilizes drugs is partially up to their culture, family, friends, peers, doctors, race, job, position in society, social class, and most importantly themselves. Drugs can be positive or negative, it depends on a person's demographics in society and personal views. It is true that illegal drugs are related to several negative components of society’s family problems, high prison populations, violence, health problems, deaths, homelessness and many other. To some people drugs are the only way, the only way to survive a life killing disease, mental health problems, physical health problems, depression, stress, and anxiety. It is true that drugs impact social problems, but if people changed their perspective on less harmful drugs and how they can help, there may be fewer problems that our society would have to worry about. Before 2010, sentencings for possession of crack, which is cheaper and mostly used by the poor and African Americans,  were much higher than the possession of cocaine which is predominantly used by the middle class and whites. “Drug laws criminalize the poor, especially people of color, who now fill U.S. prisons in disproportionate numbers” (Macionis, 248). Court fines and legal council are expensive and the average lower middle class family can not afford to pay these let alone the lower class. Poor Americans are almost certain to fall back into a life of drugs and crime when they are released from jail because there are few programs in place to help inmates successfully integrate back into society. Finding a job as a convicted felon is near impossible so many turn to selling illegal items to support themselves and their family. Enhanced policing and tracking in poor communities makes it easier for law enforcement to arrest new and repeat offenders (Macionis,

The issue of drug abuse is a sad reality in every community, and drug prohibition is present across the globe. Whether it is under the guise of protection of family values, or public safety, prohibition disrupts more than it maintains. Many people view drugs as a problem but they can also be viewed as a problem solver. This essay will address the socioeconomic issues with prohibition of hard drugs, and argue for their legalization.

The United States is not immune to the worldwide drug addiction epidemic. Drugs pour in from Mexico daily, then distributed to throughout the country. The economic crisis in America is creating an excuse for drug use (e.g., depression, hopelessness). This chemical fix not only creates problems for the addict, but the family and community as well. Every addict has an enabler, a person who makes the addiction possible through various venues of support (e.g., financial, denial). Addicts are only concerned with their next fix and will resort to any means to obtain it (e.g., theft, prostitution, pan-handling). Some have even resorted to extremely desperate measures; for example, murder for inheritance or life insurance proceeds.

Of the issues, Dr. Hart discussed I agreed with the idea that crimes and poverty still exist outside of addiction and the attractive alternatives to drugs can help deter the selection of that pathway. Personally, I agree that crime and poverty aren’t a consequence of drug use rather a precursor to the act of. In some circumstances, the only way to get by in the eyes of an individual is to sell drugs and in the process a habit is picked up. In other situations, crimes occur and throughout the process drugs are introduced. After hearing about the research that has been conducted with humans and animals, I also believe that alternatives can deter many from continuing

I agree with the sociocultural view of drug use. According to this view, people are likely to abuse substances when they are living under stressful socioeconomic conditions (Comer, 2013, 305). In my experience teaching in an inner-city school, many of my students would come to school high. I tried to talk to some of them individually about their drug use, and they freely admitted to it and said that it was the only way they could cope with their home lives. They knew I was not from such a dire background, so they knew I could not fully relate to their situation.

I chose this article to educate myself on how socioeconomic status may or may not be a factor in substance abuse. Substance use has a negative impact on public health and human development and I wanted to learn how to help people avoid substance abuse. So many children and young adults are affected by the use of drugs and alcohol and I felt that if I gather as much information about how to help people avoid drugs and what causes substance abuse then I can make a positive impact in someone’s

The narrative will provide my insight and opinion on the availability of communications on drug abuse and resources in the mid-south. A gatekeeper is not required as I am right in the middle of the community, and can provide internal insight into the problems and issues. I will also be conducting informal interviews with my parents and a counselor who has worked with my brother to get their perspective on the lack of communication about available resources. In my research, I kept notes on the conversations and relied heavily on past experiences using reflexivity and past situations to help with the content of this paper. In organizing my notes, I reviewed them thoroughly to ensure I addressed each of my research questions, and have enough information to provide a strong argument or proposal.

Drug abuse oftentimes leads to poverty and many times results in homelessness. Drug abuse is a major issue in the U.S. People who abuse drugs often become addicted and the addiction takes over peoples’ lives. When

The abuse of alcohol and drugs seem to be a worry that low-income students will take on. Truth is, every human is capable of accessing drug use regardless of their backgrounds. “Alcohol consumption is significantly high among upper middle class white high school students than among poor black high school students” (Gorski 34). Even if drug sale is more often found in poor neighborhoods, it still crosses over to the different communities. Saying a person is a drug user because they are poor, is like saying an overweight person cannot go to the gym because they’re overweight.

Incarceration can influence the accessibility of drugs and the opportunity for a user to commit crime. Interviewers will only track and assess subjects in halfway houses, psychiatric facilities, individuals who are homeless, and other known areas of abundant drug circulation (streets). For research clarity, we would like to note that interviewers will not be assessing subjects in jail or prison, as both locations inhibit a subjects’ ability to obtain and/or use illegal substances, as well as their opportunity to partake in criminal activity.