The Consequences Of Drug Use And Abuse

The use and misuse of illicit drugs in today’s society can be blamed on both individual, and societal factors. With the use of societal factors researchers can show the effect for a larger population, and provide better information of the population. Blaming the individual for developing the addiction will not fix issues that lie in society that worked against the individual, the underlying issues of poverty and addiction, many scholarly articles mention bad neighborhoods, low income, and loose family ties with future drug use. I will be using evidence from articles involving both teen and adult drug use and addiction, as the effect on society is noticed in both age brackets. “Substance use is considered a problem by individual addicts who seek treatment, by institutions within society (such as the police or the medical system) that deal with substance use and its consequences on a day-to-day basis, and by national organizations such as governments or supranational organizations, such as the International Narcotics Control Board (a United Nations agency located in Vienna). (Adrian) I will be using scholarly articles to explain the sociological reasoning behind drug use, with theories involving low-income neighborhoods, leading to lessening of family involvement which can lead to drug use. “Drug abuse affects a community 's living conditions and economy, its youth, and the environment for crime.” (Watts)

This paper will illustrate several aspects of how drugs affect our lives. Addiction philosophies including the psychology and physiology will be explained in an attempt to describe how drugs affect our bodies both physically and mentally. Secondly, different drug categories types will be covered including: stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens, and cannabis. Each of these categories has different addiction potentials and effect levels including withdrawal symptoms. Finally, the abuse of prescription drugs and their effects will be discussed.

Drug abuse in America is evidently a huge problem, yet remains to be misunderstood by many people. Elizabeth Foy Larsen writes a strong, informative article about a young woman named Brittany who has fallen to drug abuse. Brittany was a drug free, well rounded student with great potential just like many other young adults in America. However, one occasion flipped her life completely upside down. She had gotten her wisdom teeth removed and received prescription medication to reduce her pain. She soon found the new pain medication to be to her satisfaction. After the pain faded away, Brittany made a decision that would commence her addiction. She used the now unneeded medication thinking it would be her last time. The sensation she felt influenced her to use it again. This occurrence began to repeat itself until Brittany found herself to be dependent on the drugs. “And when you 're under 25, it 's even easier for the drugs to take the wheel, since your brain is still developing--and therefore more susceptible to addiction” (Larsen, ℙ15). She then began to spend her time with a different group of friends, who introduced her to other illegal drugs. Larsen states in the article, “That means that when the prescription drugs become too difficult to find, many once-straightlaced teens turn to illegal drugs, like heroin. In fact, four out of five heroin users started abusing drugs by taking prescription opioids, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids” (Larsen, ℙ15). In

In an attempt to demonstrate the absurdity of the drug abuse problems in the United States, it should be brought to light that the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use Health estimated that “27 million people aged 12 or older have used an illicit drug in the past 30 days” (Hedden, Kennet, Lipari, Medley, & Tice, 2015). As gun violence has become a popular topic in America over the past few years due to its’ related deaths, many Americans’ fail to realize that more people are dying from drug overdose than by weapon. In today’s society, controversy regarding drug abuse has taken a forefront due to various media outlets in our technologically possessed world. In order to grasp the underlying issue of drug abuse in the United States, it is imperative to observe the media’s effects on adolescents in a technologically and socially consumed digital age, how family and peers correlate with drug abuse, and whether or not drug abuse effects criminal activity.

Addiction is a tragic situation severely affecting all American citizens, personally or through family members. Reading “Clean” exposed many key learning points involving the use of drugs and addict treatments: including celebrating the use of drugs in the media, the cost of hypocrisy, and family influence on drug use. Many American citizens’ opinions on addiction are persuaded by social media. The dilemma for individuals in our society involve either idealizing or demonizing the use of drugs. In the chapter, the cost of hypocrisy, disgrace on the use of drugs in our society impact the financial support towards addiction prevention and treatment. The family influence on drug use involves: single-parent and divorced families, dysfunctional

Drug abuse has been a big, painful epidemic in country. A reporter for Healthday,Alan Mozes wrote , “20 percent of teens who admit they have abused prescription drugs said their first experience doing so was before the age 14, with 27 percent mistakenly believing that prescription drug abuse is safer than “street drugs” such as cocaine or ecstasy”(Mozes3). Even though prescription drugs are a very dangerous demon , what most of us call “street drugs” are just as bad , maybe even worse . Trying a new drug to be “cool” or to fit in could lead to serious consequences including death or incarceration. Helpguide.org writes in an article , “Addiciton is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. While each drug produces different

Drug addiction has been a destructive element in American society for many decades. It saw a considerable upswing in the 1950 's spreading rapidly through many major US cities. Prior to its infestation of affluent suburban neighborhoods in the 60 's and 70 's, it was associated with low-income neighborhoods striking out the poor despondent underclass. Its rapid spread found its way into the consciousness of the media including many well-known literary and academic works of the time. These works illustrate potential causal factors of addiction including, abuse, mental illness, lack of opportunity, single parent homes and the general poverty associated with the neighborhoods in which they

For my paper I decided to research a drug which I struggled with personally, and that is cocaine. As a teenager I grew up with no intention of becoming anything, or doing anything besides living day to day. At the age of fifteen I struggled with the concept of going to school everyday, and eventually I fell so far behind I had to go to a continuation school in Salinas. The continuation school is where everything went downhill, I became friends with people who were not good company. By the age of seventeen I became addicted to cocaine, kicked out of continuation school, and forced to get my G.E.D from the adult school.

Substance abuse is a catastrophic illness. People put it upon themselves when they become addicted, but unfortunately, there is a lack of support when an addiction becomes a lifestyle. Awareness is the main attack for the battle of substance abuse and sadly, most people are blind to the fact of how serious addiction can be. Educating youth on the consequences of doing drugs and consuming alcohol is the most significant way to ensure they make smart choices. For the people who are already suffering the evil, a strong support system must be implemented in their lives. Obviously, 12 step programs are active all across America today, but is it enough? I watched my Dad almost die in front of me. The doctors said it was a miracle that he survived

If you have ever seen the movie The Wolf on Wall Street, there is no doubt you have seen the effects drugs can have. Leonardo DiCaprio portrays a high-strung stock broker reliant on a multitude of illegal drugs to keep up with his hectic life style. His addiction gets so severe that at one point in the movie, he is lying on the floor, unable to move due to the drugs’ effects on his body. Even though the movie is set in the 90’s, a decade infamous for its use of drugs, today, drug usage and abuse has never been more of an issue. According to Alice Park (2016), “More people died of drug overdoses in 2014 in the U.S. than in any other year” (p.49). What people fail to realize is that drug abuse effects more than just the individual that uses them. The loved ones trying to support the user, the community the user is in, can all be affected by drug abuse. In fact, all members of society are affected by the abuse of drugs. In short, no one benefits from drug abuse. In the words of the Nation Institute of Drug Abuse, “Drug abuse is a major public health problem that impacts society on multiple levels. Directly or indirectly, every community is affected by drug abuse and addiction, as is every family. Drugs take a tremendous toll on our society at many levels” ( Magnitude, 2016).

When a person takes a substance and gains a comforting and satisfying reaction, they will

Illicit drugs are on the rise, causing major negative effects on society. Users can travel down different paths of life. They can either; go to prison, rehab, or they can become homeless surrounded by others who often use drugs. The government is pressuring users by sending them to prison to punish them, not considering after they get out of prison many employers would not want past drug users because of how the government handles them.

The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.

A drug is a chemical substance applied into treating, diagnosing and preventing one from disease infections or a substance that is used by a person to enhance his or her physical and mental state in the perceived effect. Drugs used for different purposes and their effect depend on which cause for usage. It causes both positive and negative consequences directly to the user and in the long-run it affects the whole society or community. Drug addiction is the activity of uncontrollable dependence on a substance by the user no matter the harm caused by its usage. It is a habit that has been in many years hard to curb especially among the youths. “We must recognize that substance abuse and addiction is a disease, not a moral failing or easily abandoned self-indulgence,” (Califano, 2008).The cases of drug abuse have been on the rise over the recent years and resulted in crimes. The cases have a great effect affected the society in general since the reliable energetic youths have turned to drug abuse. However, some measures have been initiated to mitigate, curb and treat drug addiction in the society as outlined in the essay.

    Using illegal drugs has many damaging effects on an individual. These effects not only damage a person physically but also mentally and emotionally. The effects of illegal drug usage have long lasting effects on the individual long after the drug usage has stopped as well.