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The Problem Of Drug Addiction

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While it is generally assumed that a persistent epidemic must be dealt with as efficiently and effectively as possible, I would like to know why drug addiction, an epidemic of enormous proportion, is treated as a social problem as opposed to the disorder that it is?
I propose that we understand drug addiction as a disorder, like heart disease, diabetes, and depression. In what follows, I will suggest that we understand the issue from the perspective of two primary sources.
Addiction is the term used to describe or define a complex behavioral disorder. The most common symptom is that addicts reach a point where they cannot control their own actions even when they see the harm they inflict on themselves and others; they continue this …show more content…

I’ve worked with people suffering from drug addiction and learned that many of them live in abject poverty, were either victims or perpetrators of domestic violence, uneducated, severely depressed, and emotionally and physically abused as children and adults. Some suffered from severe psychological trauma due to rape or witnessing the rape or murder of loved ones. Almost all had severe mental health issues that went undiagnosed and/or untreated. Nonetheless, they were addicted to drugs and many used them to escape the depravity of their everyday lives.
Jerry Nelson, an internationally known freelance writer and ghost writer, covers social issues globally. In one of his blogs he gives his opinion about some of the most common myths concerning drug addiction. He says that addiction is not a gene because institutions have studied this model and found that although many try to explain it as such, there is no way to determine if a person will become an addict. On the other hand, he says, if parents are drug addicts and frequently expose their children to their drug use, the children are at higher risk of becoming drug addicts (Jerry Nelson, 2015). In my experience, home life plays a critical role in whether or not the children follow in the footsteps of their parents or peers. If the home life is frequently violent, physically and emotionally abusive, and the children are exposed to this treatment at an early age, it is almost certain that

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