The Problems of Drug Addiction

Substance abuse is a very widely known public epidemic in today's society. Many people are unfortunately plagued by this issue. According to Emedicinehealth.com (2012), “People abuse substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs for varied and complicated reasons, but it is clear that our society pays a significant cost,” (para. 1). People that are affected by substance abuse includes a very different range of people. Many that abuse the substances end up having health-related problems which in turn increases the need for health care. Other people that are affected by substance abuse are the family members and friends of the abusers because they have to deal with the person abusing the substances. Things that can be abused are

Drug abuse does not only impact a person’s well-being, but it also negatively impacts society. The economy is impacted by health costs incurred from prevention, treatment, and hospital visits. Public Safety is impacted by drug-affected driving. Operating a vehicle under the influence is illegal and dangerous for the driver, passenger(s), and other people on the road. There are three classifications for drug abuse related crime: nexus, economic-compulsive, and systemic. Drug abuse also hinders productivity because addiction causes an individual to constantly seek the drug while deeming all other things less important. Companies experience loss of potential income from employees that are under the influence, incarcerated, hospitalized, or seeking treatment. Finally, economic consequences effect specific populations which include children, women, and people with low-income. Drug prevention strategies have been identified as a way to decrease economic consequences on society (“Economic Consequences of Drug Abuse,” 2013).

It’s always going to be one’s decisions as to doing drugs, it is nobody’s responsibility but our own. Sure, if one is in a bad place in their life that might affect one’s decision, but none the less it’s one’s own choice. Just as Gene M. Heyman wrote about in his book, Addiction: A Disorder of Choice, “Chocolate is delicious and widely available, yet surveys suggest that only about one percent of the population eats chocolate every day.” (Heyman 142). one must take matters into their own hands before they have to deal with the bad consequences of their actions. It’s always up to one to decide if they are strong enough to stop something before it gets out of hand. It is up to one to resist the temptation of taking drugs in the first place, a person can’t blame anyone else but themselves for their own

The consequences of drug and alcohol abuse in America are very costly. Boren, Onken, Carroll, write, “although the costs can be evaluated in dollars, they are more readily understood in human terms: family discord, neglect of children, personal misery, financial and medical problems, fetal alcohol syndrome, HIV infection legal problems…combating and reducing the source of these problems have proven to be difficult indeed…” (Boren, Onken, Carroll, 2000).

The social problem of addiction is quite prevalent in our society. Many individuals from all different ethnic problems have turned to drugs at some point in their life. Substance use disorder can have compelling ramifications on the health of the abuser, their family and even the communities they live in. In 2012, around 23.1 million Americans aged 12 and older needed treatment for substance use (SAMHSA, 2014). The rate of people that have abused substances ranging from alcohol, pills, Marijuana, Heroin and cocaine etc. has escalated greatly over the years.Many teenagers or even adults aren 't aware of the treatment options and/or they don 't have the necessary funding to receive it. This problem can continue to grow and cause a huge strain on the countries economy

Substance abuse remains a large problem in the United States (US). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), substance abuse continues to take a large toll on individuals, families, and communities nationwide. In 2005, an estimated 22 million people were struggling with drug and alcohol abuse in the US. Substance abuse disrupts families, impacts work and school productivity, causes financial problems, and is related to domestic violence, child abuse, and crime (USDHHS, 2015).

The decades-old United States war on drugs has not been successful and very cost ineffective (Madden, 2008). Today, drug addiction continues to be an important public health problem in our nation. The U.S. spends more than $700 billion dollars annually in costs related to substance abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 2015). Drug-related costs include abuse of tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs, crime, lost work productivity, and health care (NIDA, 2015). And the costs corresponding to those whose lives are ruined or whose death is premature, are too immense to be measured. Collateral damage such as that of family members who have to endure witnessing these experiences is not just unfortunate; it is also priceless. Treatment programs for drug addiction are available, and psychosocial approaches have demonstrated to be better than no-treatment controls (Madden, 2008; Silverman, Roll, & Higgins, 2008). Unfortunately, currently available treatment programs are not effective in all individuals, and high relapse rates are typical (Silverman et al., 2008). Considering the immense impact drug addiction has on individuals as well as society, the development of a treatment program that produces long-term abstinence outcomes is of paramount importance.

Substance abuse and addiction have become a social problem that afflicts millions of individuals and disrupts the lives of their families and friends. Just one example reveals the extent of the problem: in the United States each year, more women and men die of smoking related lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined (Kola & Kruszynski, 2010). In addition to the personal impact of so much illness and early death, there are dire social costs: huge expenses for medical and social services; millions of hours lost in the workplace; elevated rates of crime associated with illicit drugs; and scores of children who are damaged by their parents’ substance abuse behavior (Lee, 2010). This paper will look at

Drug abuse, whether alcohol, tobacco, prescription or illicit, continues to burden society, economics, medical care systems, and the family dynamic. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally 185 million people are illicit drug users and an astounding 1.3 billion individuals are smokers.1 Smoking related deaths, estimated at nearly 5 million worldwide, continue to be the leading preventable cause of death. Additionally, in the United States alone, $167 billion in annual health-related economic loss can be attributed to smoking.2 Although there are roughly only 200,000 deaths reported to be directly associated with illicit drug use, the detriment to family and society, and the economic costs associated with crime, law enforcement,

Most people do not know that drug addiction is actually considered a disease. Taking drugs change the way that brains normally function. Therefore once a person becomes addicted it is much harder to quit the drug abuse. “Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs” (National Institute on Drug Abuse 2012). Not only is the reaction in the brain the main cause there are also factors which can increase the likelihood of a person to become addicted to drugs. These risk factors include biology, environment and development. The health issue of substance abuse seems to

Drug addiction: A Modern-Day DiseaseThesis statement: Drug abuse is a complex disease that needs enduring and extensive treatment. People who have struggled with substance abuse have often found it extremely difficult to quit due to the physical and/or mental addiction.

Drug addiction is a complex problem in society today. Addiction is a condition that extremely affects the person’s mind and body. Addiction also has wide sweeping effects on that person’s social connection and functioning. Unfortunately, many addicts don’t realize the social influence of their addiction until much of their functioning has greatly deteriorated.

Many people in the world have abused drugs at least once in their lifetime and some of those people abuse it every day. Lots of drug abuse often turns into a drug addiction which is much more serious and can even be deadly.Many people do not understand that people who have drug addictions choose to continue their behaviors or that they lack the will to quit. Many people just assume that a person with a drug addiction could just quit anytime they wanted to but that is not the case. Because of the ways that drugs change the brain quitting is extremely hard, even if a person wants to quit. Although the decision to take drugs for the first time is a personal choice, eventually the brain changes to reduce self control and their

Drug abuse is a major public health issue that impacts society both directly and indirectly; every person, every community is somehow affected by drug abuse and addiction and this economic burden is not exclusive to those who use substance, it inevitably impacts those who don 't. Drugs impact our society in various ways including but not limited to lost earnings, health care expenditures, costs associated with crime, accidents, and deaths. The use of licit or illicit drugs long term, causes millions of deaths and costs billions for medical care and substance abuse rehabilitation and the effects of drug abuse extend beyond users, spilling over into the society at large, imposing increasing

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