The Problem Of Drug Abuse

Attention Getter: Imagine 60,000 people in one city, all dealing with the same problem, addiction. According to an article written by Carter M. Yang for ABC news on March 14th of this year, there are 60, 000 people in Baltimore alone that are addicted to illicit drugs. These numbers are disheartening and unfortunate. I can relate to every one of these people struggling with substance abuse, because I am an addict. A program called Narcotics Anonymous has

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches but to reveal to him his own. - Benjamin Disrael This quote is similar to a Chinese Proverb that says “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”(Chinese Proverb). Both essentially say the same thing, and that is, you can only help someone so much until they need to realize they are capable of doing great things on their own. Higher Risk youth benefit from guidance, but once they have figured everything out they can move on alone. These two quotes apply to mentoring because, mentoring is like showing someone the way to life.

Heroin addiction is one of the leading killers of adolescents and adults in the United States. In recent years, addiction has skyrocketed, and “the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths increased by 286 percent between 2002 and 2013.” In 2002, “100 people per 100,000 were addicted to heroin, and that number has doubled by 2013” (The National Institute on Drug Abuse 2013). The most affected populations include low income males, adolescents, and those who have a family history of addiction, due to their increased susceptibility and crime-ridden environment. While it may seem as though heroin addiction is “just another drug problem” in the U.S., it is actually a problem of major public health importance because there are numerous physical, economic, and social risks associated with heroin dependence. Heroin dependence in the United States accounts for brain damage, increased homelessness, crime, and incarceration rates, as well as economic decline.

“Declared “the most heroin-plagued city in the U.S.” by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in 2000, Baltimore has grappled with how to effectively address the problem of [heroin] drug addiction in the city for decades” (Tsui & Rukow, 2007, p. i). Baltimore has more people addicted to heroin, per captia, than any other U.S. city. It is estimated the heroin that is bought and sold in Baltimore on an annual basis yields as much as $1 billion in the underground drug market. Heroin addiction is an epidemic in Baltimore that dates back to the 1950s and is now a deep-rooted part of the city’s culture (Yang, 2000).

Opioids are making a resurgence in the black market, evident by the rapidly increasing opioid overdose rates in an increasing fatality count for Maryland every year. The state and local governments have been working to alleviate the issue with increased access to counteractive medications and required rehabilitation. This, however, is draining government funds only to stall, if not worsen, the problem. The best approach to stopping the opioid epidemic of Maryland is to take a similar approach to smoking in treating the situation as a matter of addiction instead of one of drug abuse.

If one traveled through the small quiet community of Monroe, MI you would probably never think that this town has a drug problem. From the outside it seems like a nice middle class suburb that might be ideal to raise a family. For those that reside here however, they know that there is a growing problem. There aren’t many families that haven’t been affected by heroin addiction in this small town. The drug has literally swept through this county like an angry mob of rioters bringing crime, death, and destruction with it, leaving many people in the community asking, “Why?”

Jekielek, M.A., titled, Mentoring: A Promising Strategy for Youth Development which reviewed research on ten local and nationwide mentoring programs. It concludes that mentoring is one of the most promising programs for children at risk, especially when paired with other supportive services. The report confirms that mentored youth have fewer absences in school, better attitudes toward school, fewer incidents of hitting others, less alcohol and drug use, more positive attitudes toward their elders and helping others in general, and improved relationships with their parents. Establishing a positive relationship with a caring adult can serve as a protective factor for at-risk youth and can significantly offset the effects of existing risk factors. Through their collaborative relationships with other service providers and strong knowledge base of community resources, PCHAS mentors are able to link youth and their families to other supports, as

Heroin use and addiction has historically been a problem in large cities within disadvantaged neighborhoods (Levengood, Lowinger, & Schooff, 1973). However, in recent years, many suburban, higher income communities have been affected by heroin and its victims are becoming much younger than the typical heroin addict. According to a qualitative study done on young heroin users in Baltimore, Maryland, the new generation of heroin users have a different demographic profile than older heroin users in that area. There are many factors that may have contributed to the heroin epidemic such as prescription opioid use that was replaced with a cheaper and more readily available drug, heroin. In this literature review, four scholarly, peer reviewed

The portrait of a heroin addict. Images emerge of a homeless junkie huddled in the corner of a subway seat at 3:00am feening for his next hit. Or the drug addict laid out on a New York City bench, just skin and bones, with syringes littering the ground below. What probably does not come to mind is a picture of the perky cheerleader rooting her team on to victory at a Friday night football game, nor does a vision of the mother of three living in the suburbs with her husband working for a Fortune 500 company in her Executive position. However, these are some of the real people who are falling victim to the temptation of heroin on a daily basis. Heroin deaths are surging amongst suburban whites and the impact of the drug has taken a devastating turn. The heroin epidemic in the United States is entering a new stage in the war on drugs.

“Happiness is not to be found at the bottom of a bottle or from the tip of a needle; it is not to be found amidst a cloud of smoke or within a sugar-coated pill. If you look for it in these places, you will find naught but despair” (Quotes about Drug Abuse). This quote by Wayne Gerald Trotman describes how heartbreaking it is to contemplate on exactly how many people’s lives have been adversely impacted as a result of abuse. Child abuse, animal abuse, and sexual abuse are all major types of abuse; however, prescription drug abuse is a problem that is drastically skyrocketing in today’s society. While other addictions and abuses are equally significant, it is imperative that people put a stop to prescription drug abuse using two simple

Agoraphobia is a difficult mental illness to treat due to the fact that there is a small number of people have been diagnosed with it. According to the Mental Health First Aid USA (2013) roughly 0.9 American adults are diagnosed with agoraphobia and the median age for onset is twenty years old (p. 41). People who have agoraphobia have a higher risk of developing substance use disorders by using drugs or alcohol to help them cope with anxiety. In the twins’ case, they are heavy cigarette smokers and it has to be monitored how many packs of cigarettes they are given. From research, there are no reports of concerns with diversity, oppression, or populations-at-risk of individuals diagnosed with agoraphobia. However,

In a world where addiction is a somewhat ‘taboo’ topic, it is hard to open up and converse with perspective employers, on what issues you have in your personal world. Thank God for the chance to heal a large part of those issues prior to seeking new employment. (And, I suggest that you do) Recovery from drug and/or alcohol addiction is not easy as it is, so it is immensely imperative that you make the necessary considerations before looking to jump head first into the workforce again.

What is a social problem? Social problem is every conditions that is recognized as a social problem existed for some time before it came to be “defined” as such.

Would it be morale to legalize drugs, and would it be right to do. The questions that I am going to look at from the point of view of the ethical principles of Mills , Kant , and Rawls, are is it moral for what are presently considered illicit drugs to become legally produced in the US. The next question will be is it moral for individuals to consume what are presently considered illicit drugs. I will also be stating my best arguments for my views on this subject and wither a criminal organization should be held responsible for supporting these problems.

Drug addiction is one of society 's biggest problems and it is rampant among teenagers and young adults and one of the most abused drugs is marijuana. Cannabis sativa or marijuana usually grows throughout tropical and temperate climates and then plant 's stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds are then dried. What attracts to most users is the mind altering effect these parts produce which is addictive to some extent. It is usually smoked as cigarette, or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, in which cigars will be emptied of tobacco and refill with marijuana or sometimes it is combined with another drug. It can also be brewed as tea or mixed in food. Hashis is a more concentrated, resinous form which is sticky black liquid, hash oil. The