The Pros And Cons Of Substance Abuse

20. The following are trends in substance abuse treatment today except for A. chain smoking regarded as an addiction B.human rights seen as a practical philosophy C.counseling of clients in moderate drinking D.public opinion favoring more imprisonment of drug users ANS:D PG42 21. The drug court movement promotes what action with individuals whose legal problems are related to their addiction? A. decarceration – treatment in the community B. incarceration – treatment in the prison system C. requirement to serve out the remainder of prison term, in case of relapse D. moving clients into “wet house”. ANS:A PG46

Western countries struggle with the control of drug abuse. America, for example, has been failing with eliminating or reducing the chronic issues of drug abuse and crimes associated with drugs. America’s goal around these problems consistently has been complete

Sixty-seven percent of people who were surveyed believe that treatment should be emphasized for those who use illegal drugs rather than punishment. Only 26 percent believe jail sentencing should be emphasized. And the percentage of people who believe that the governments should do away with minimum mandatory sentences for drug crimes increased from 47 percent in 2001 to 2014. This addresses the wider question of how to deal with drug offenders in a way that will best help them rather than being sentenced to jail. Receiving treatment rather than jail sentencing is one that has come up an amount of times in the last few months, as Queensland struggles with the best way to help drug addicts. The law from the 1970s allows judges to send addict law-breakers

The use of illegal drugs is most often perceived by society as purely negative. As in, individuals who partake in the illegal activity and are caught deserve to be punished and serve their time in jail. Now, this solution may aid in keeping criminals away from society for the time they are serving but it does not help dramatically reduce the likelihood that these individuals will relapse into their drug addiction once they are out. Drug and substance abuse should be perceived as public health and safety crisis rather than a moral dilemma. Therefore, the criminal justice system needs to implement a treatment program that goes along with a drug user’s jail time to increase the chances that they will become actual functioning and contributing members of society.

There is no doubt that crimes committed by these addicts are harmful to our society, but there is certain validation to course of their actions. So if people that have this addiction illness are ultimately incarcerated, it is the responsibility of our government to provide them with holistic treatment. This will provide purpose for the convicts that truly want to overcome their addiction and become contributing members of society once they are released. Our health and public polices can have positive change in the future if leaders followed the belief of New Jersey’s state Governor Christie, who fully supported drug and alcohol treatment because making this treatment “more available for everybody” was “part of government’s job”.

The complete banning of all drugs means that each user is a criminal; illegal purchasing, illegal means of financing the addiction, and association with fellow criminals of varying degrees. By studying the interactions between addicts and their dealers there is a clear cycle of dependency. Addicts are spending well above their means to fund their problem and making their money in illegal activities. Decreasing criminal activity by making drug substances legal, affordable, and accessible sounds bleak breaking the cycle is the plausible solution no matter political or personal

Drugs are a very controversial topic containing many grey areas. Some may argue that all drugs should be illegal, but does this also include prescription drugs given to one by their doctor. Others may say that drugs like anti-depressants are an acceptable addiction, however, drugs such as heroine are not. There are others that advocate for all drugs to be legal so that it can become a safe and regulated process, but questions arise on whether that would help or hurt the drug users and the community surrounding them. A drug addiction can happen to anyone, whether it be needing to take a medication daily for psychological reasons or happening to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and folding under pressure. Society begins to dictate

“The latest United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) results in their World Drug Report estimate that the extent of drug abuse in the world involves about 180 million people” (“Drug Use and Offending", 2015) that means about 180 million people in the world use illicit drugs and even with imprisonment there will never be a lasting fix. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s “National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009. Of these, only 2.6 million of those who needed treatment—received it at a specialty facility.” This could be a direct result of different reasons, conceivably the absence of cash to pay for treatment or the inaccessibility of the treatment itself. Authorizing all drugs and afterward offering free treatment could help take care of various issues of the drug war.

In Gore Vidal essay, the author argued that there is a way to stop most drug addition and in a very short time. However, before we talk about Gore Vidal solution, we must talk about the main concern with drugs, addiction. Once a user has developed an addiction, it makes it increasingly difficult for that person to stop. Their addiction may affect aspects such as money, health, and their personal social life. Some may say by legalizing every drug it will only exacerbate the situation and create an endless chain of problems. However, this is not true, In 1980 Switzerland had a sever public health issue relating to heroin use. Switzerland street crime had dramatically skyrocketed and HIV was at it’s highest peak. Switzerland solution was harm reduction. They opened Heroin- maintenance centers, a similar version of rehab,

Drug and alcohol addiction is a very serious and widespread problem in America, and across the globe. Drug addiction is a constant craving, seeking, and using of a substance, despite the negative consequences it may have on the addict or those around them. When drug use becomes more frequent, it is considered drug abuse. Once an individual’s drug abuse is can no longer be controlled, and they are using the drug to get through everyday life, it beomes an addiction. A person on drugs has an altered way of thinking, behaving, and perceiving. There are treatment facilities all over the world dedicated to help those suffering with drug addictions. All

Today there are a ton of drugs out there that are extremely harmful, yet people still choose to indulge in them. I think the making of new drugs will continue to happen due to people wanting to experiment so that they can have something of value to sell. There is a greater number of young adults and teenagers in this world who engage in drugs rather than adults. Our society isn't very educated on how drugs can harm your body which just makes it even worse to use them. People will continue to do drugs because of the way it makes them feel and also because it looks cool among their peers.

Every year, thousands of students graduate and enter full time jobs in the workforce excited to begin their careers. However these young adults do not realize some of the immense pressures that await them, this can arise from tight deadlines and high expectations that they may not feel they can live up to in the first few months. This can cause many of these transitioning graduates to panic and look for ways to calm themselves down once they get home from work. With the stresses of work continually wearing on their mental health, many people become vulnerable to drug abuse. One studied also showed that 8.7 percent of full-time adult workers aged 16 to 64 used alcohol heavily in one month, 8.6 percent used illegal drugs, and 9.5 were dependent on one or both of the substances during the year. Yet it is not only the middle class workers that are susceptible to the lure of drugs and alcohol. As we know there is a high percentage of the wealthy population that feel these substances are the answer to some of their problems in life, whether it’s to fit in, to achieve a high in a lifestyle which already provides them so much, or to just experience something new, many affluent individuals find themselves caught in a cycle of addiction which is tough to break. Although, no matter what background you have there is always a way to get your life back on track if you truly want too, there are many different methods to combat these addictions and rehab centers that provide intervention

My oldest cousin, Heidi is a foster mother and has recently been taking care of an 8 month old baby girl named Charlie.  Charlie's birth mother is a methadone addict and was pregnant with Charlie while taking methadone.  This caused Charlie to have many difficulties after birth including being born early with a premature weight and having trouble eating and getting enough nutrition.  Charlie was kept at the hospital for 3 extra days to help maintain and improve her  health.  She was then diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome because of how dependent she was on the drug in her system and soon taken from her mother to foster homes so she could be properly taken care of.  Charlie still has obstacles to overcome but is finally off methadone and getting better each day.  Methadone is not the only substance that can take over a baby's life, all drugs, smallest sips of alcohol, and anything that is harmful to the human body is even more dangerous to a baby.

“According to the Legalization supporters the economy takes more damage if drugs are illegal, they state that it will make the public funds wasted on the enforcement of drug laws an example of that are workers such as DEA and the police which searches for drugs users or people who possess drugs. The government pays billions of billions of money on the search for drugs each year. The prisoners which are imprisoned because of drug use also cost the government a lot of money, according to studies (New York times, accessed 2016-05-23) 58% of the federal prisoner population are imprisoned for drug related crime, The city pays $167,731 to feed, house and guard each inmate every year, and 58% of the prisoners are accused and locket in of drug related crime so imagen how much money that are used for just to maintain the convicts. Instead this money could be used for more important factors for the good society. The borders are also a much discussed question; we have all heard or watched the TV-programs about the drug war and the high security boarders to prevent different type of drugs trespassing in to the country and what we see on these programs are true. Since 1981 USA started to use tax dollar to prevent the smuggling from Colombia’s cocaine, Jamaican marijuana, Burmese heroin and so on, but all do there are a lot of tax

The use of criminal restrictions for drug related crimes is not always an entirely punitive tool, and that penalties, or even the threat of them, often urge individuals struggling with addiction or substance abuse to get the treatment they might never seek or receive on their own, therefore increasing their opportunities to become productive members of society. In fact, more than one-third of all treatment referrals in the U.S.