The Problem Of Drugs And Alcohol Abuse

Depending on the source, some would term the heroin and opioid problem in the United States a crisis, while others would use the word epidemic. Regardless of which expression is more accurate, the situation regarding heroin and opioid use, abuse and dependence has ignited national, if not global concern. History shows us that pervasive dilemmas have a tendency to cultivate a variety of intervention and the heroin and opioid crisis is no different.

Whether the opioids were prescribed to the user or if they were taken recreationally by buying it off the street, opioid addiction and deaths has risen dramatically. In Boston alone from 2012 to 2015 opioid related deaths have more than doubled; slowly climbing from 64 to 136 deaths.1 Fortunately, these numbers have not gone unnoticed. Government grants and agencies as well as local programs have been working hard to reduce this epidemic. Boston is a very big city filled with vast diversity. There are beautiful gardens in the Commons, amazing food in the North end, exciting plays and ballets in the Art district and historical buildings and stories that date back to the beginning of America. Boston is the home of 35 colleges and universities

The state of Massachusetts has been fighting a vicious battle with the spread of opioid addiction. Heroin and other opioid drug related addicts have formed a very negative outlook of themselves. A great deal of people view addicts as classic criminals. Addiction is an actual mental illness, something that the addict cannot control. Treating these struggling individuals as criminals is an unnecessary and cruel punishment. The state of Massachusetts needs to break the stigma that all opioid addicts are criminals and starting viewing opioid addiction as a serious mental illness.

It was a few years back when the reality hit that heroin was present and there was little anyone could do, then people began dying everywhere and though many believe that it cannot happen to them, that is an unrealistic belief. Here we live in the upper middle class city of Folsom, we see many individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders with any of the following being the substance of choice: marijuana, opioids, methamphetamines and alcohol. Though in this community many do not speak of the problem and often blame the homeless for the crime and dysfunction that takes place (Folsom watch Facebook). But it is here and it shows in the rooms of 12 step meetings, local low income housing projects and throughout the city streets that run throughout

Both locally and nationally, the opioid and heroin epidemic is greatly affecting communities everywhere. People should care about this epidemic because it is changing the way you live more than you think. As drug use increases, the average income decreases, as that person can no longer hold a job. Opioid addicts cause psychological problems, which doesn’t only affect the person with the illness, but communities as a whole, as often times they no longer keep up with personal hygiene, or function as well as a healthy individual. Drug abuse also affects the child of the user. Children of drug abusers are more likely to become users in their futures, becoming a never ending

In the city of Toronto drugs and alcohol recovery continues to be a major problem. The number of drug users in the city continues to soar. Drugs and alcohol control the city and thousands of Torontonians struggle with this diseases with little to no chance of recovery. Many are left with no food or homes because they don’t have enough money to make rent or to go shopping. This problem is crippling our economy and creating poor environments for youths. Addicts are staying addicts and our jails keep filling up because police aren’t addressing the real problem. Misinformation and preconceptions clog our view of the right path. Scare tactics and disproved science make us live in the past. The truth is the substance abuse issue persists due to

National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that between the years of 2002 and 2012 the usage of heroin was 19% higher with the people that had already been prescribed pain medications.“Pooling data from 2002 to 2012, the incidence of heroin initiation was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical pain reliever use than among those who did not (NIDA). The idea that various doctors just throughout the united states are over-prescribing opioids is extremely concerning. This means that they are being careless, possibly being fooled by patients, and it means that they are ultimately partially responsible for the growing opioid epidemic. Bigger actions need to be taken by all levels of society to attempt to maintain and control this devastating reality. Along with research form many different studies performed throughout the united states, people also have suffered personally from the opioid epidemic. Overdoses are one of the top reasons for death in the US. They happen just about everywhere in the world, but more so in the United states that anywhere else. Congressman Zeldin Lee claims that ““As a whole, our nation has been debilitated by the rise of the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic, and as heroin and opioids flood the streets of our communities on Long Island and across America, the issue continues to become increasingly personal.”

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,

There are many abused people in America, who suffer from alcoholism and substance abuse. There is no discrimination when it comes to the individuals who are damaged by the two so called diseases. The two addictions not only hurt the addicts, but it hurts their loved ones and the community as well. The results of the abusive behavior can be physical, emotional, sexual, neglect or self-inflicted.

A social problem is when the people in the world cannot adjust to the ongoing social changes they face each day. “When enough people in a society agree that a condition exits that threatens the quality of their lives and their most cherished values, and they also agree that something should be done to remedy that condition, sociologists says that the society has defined that condition as a social problem” (Kornblum; Pg. 5). To sum it all up social problems, occur when the world pronounces a certain issue an issue for everyone. For example, drug abuse is high social problem, and has been a problem for years. Using the empirical approach, researches try and observe the dangers and health issues that drugs can create. Millions suffer from hundreds

The social problem with drug and alcohol abuse is a very familiar topic for me. I choose this topic because I strongly agree with the symbolic interactionist perspective explanation about it. Drug and alcohol abuse are learned behaviors, in my own opinion. They are also very welcomed and flourishing in their subcultures. They are both personal and social problems.

Drug abuse is a major problem in the United States and throughout the world as more and more people become addicted every day. As Maia Salavitz points out, “Addiction is one of the most serious health problems we face today, and as of 2010, more than 23 million people have an addiction to drugs, and according to the National Institutes of Health, these addictions contribute to more than 100,000 deaths per year.” When you hear the words drug addict you think of a “junkie” or “crack head”, and when you see someone pan handling for money on the street, passed out, or swaying in a doorway you wonder why don’t they get help? Through my research, I hope to show what barriers people face when trying to seek the

There was a missing person report across the news today, my co-worker stated. I never paid any attention to it; I went on about my day as if everything was fine. When I arrived at home I had several messages on my answer machine regarding my best friend Sonya. The message said, Samara please call me it’s Sonya’s mother, I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days, I just wanted to know if you have talked or seen her. I quickly called back

It’s easy to lose track of the chaos that happens in the world on a day to day basis when your main priority is deciding what to eat for lunch tomorrow, or even dreading your next shift; yet we can turn on the news and hear about the most recent overdose and not even blink an eye. The blatant disregard for drug addicts today is at an ultimate high. In the past two years alone, more people have died from opiate addiction than they have in the entire Vietnam War. The fact that drug users are seen as lower class members of society as only aided in the increase of addiction and death, killing more Americans than HIV/AIDS did at its peak. Though the epidemic did not occur overnight, it has recently become one of America’s biggest health confrontations. Although there is no absolute solution, in order to decelerate the prevailing wave of usage and overdose/death, decriminalization in correlation to government funded programs could give ease to the definition of the word “epidemic”.

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