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An essay on the effects of drug abuse
An essay on the effects of drug abuse
Effects of drug abuse essay u.s.a essay
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The Effects of Substance Abuse As reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, our nation spends 700 billion dollars annually in relation to substance abuse. Substance abuse doesn’t just affect the individual involved, but as well as their family, and the society they live in. There is no single reason why a person chooses to abuse drugs and other substances. A person’s environment, like their socioeconomic status, and family can influence their abuse. Some factors in their environment include peer pressure, stress, sexual abuse, and parental involvement, which can all determine if someone is inclined to abuse any type of harmful substance. Substance abuse is not a subject to be taken lightly. It is classified as the overconsumption …show more content…
Addiction, also known as substance use disorder, is the dependence on any type of drug, legal or illegal; alcohol and nicotine being two examples. Addiction occurs because “Drugs contain chemicals that tap into the brains communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information” (Understanding Drug Abuse). This disruption teaches the brain and person to keep repeating the sensation they get when using drugs, causing the individual to develop addiction problems. The sensation occurs from a rise in dopamine levels in the brain; so when an individual consumes alcohol and drugs, their dopamine levels boost. When the addiction develops, the individual’s brain changes, restricting them from making logical decisions, leading to uncontrollable cravings for whatever drug they are …show more content…
“Alcohol and substance use are among the most common reasons given for a divorce—the third most common reason for women and eighth most common for men” (RIA Reaching Others). It is proven that in couples where one partner abuses drugs, the relationship is not a happy one. The use and abuse of drugs creates an emotional barrier between partners which is not easy to overcome. The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy explains that these couples fight and argue constantly, and it sometimes becomes violent. “It is often the fighting itself that can create an environment or situation in which the partner with the drinking or drug problems uses these substances to reduce his or her stress” (Fals-Stewart). Sexual dysfunction is also a side effect if an individual abuses drugs and alcohol. The individual experience issues with their partner while trying to achieve physical intimacy. Research also shows that the sober partner in the marriage may help cover up their partners abuse problems so other friends and family don’t find out; and they also hide the other’s substance abuse from their children, which can cause damage to the child if they end up finding
Substance disorders affects all social, educational, cultural, and age groups. Substance abuse research often focusses on the abuser and the family as a whole but not how it affects their spouse. United States misuse is linked to approximately 590,000 deaths and is responsible for injury or illness to almost 40 million individuals every year. (Cox, R., Ketner, J. & Blow, A. 2013). The consequences resulted from this disorder, are not only related to the substance abusers, but also have a great influence on their behavior and other layers of their life, especially their wives (Salehyan, Bigdeli, & Hashemian 2011). When the husband or boyfriend has an addiction the wife takes on responsibilities of her spouse which causes an increase in stress. Marriage is generally described as a protective factor against substance use. The concept of codependency was developed to explain what happens to the spouse of a substance abuser.
George F. Koob defines addiction as a compulsion to take a drug without control over the intake and a chronic relapse disorder (1). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association defined "substance dependence" as a syndrome basically equivalent to addiction, and the diagnostic criteria used to describe the symptoms of substance dependence to a large extent define compulsion and loss of control of drug intake (1). Considering drug addiction as a disorder implies that there are some biological factors as well as social factors.
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Addiction is normally thought of as drug abuse and alcoholism but people can also be addicted to things such as gambling and sex as well. The controversy on if addiction is a disease or a choice is a continuous debate. Everyone has an opinion on this topic, one side believes it’s a disease, while the other believes it is a choice. Although addiction has been assumed to be a lack of willpower and a weakness, addiction is actually a complex disease that changes the wiring of the brain. Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior (Leshner.) Both devolping
Since family structures are taking on various forms, families have become more complex and evolving from the traditional nuclear family to single parent families, stepfamilies, foster families, and multigenerational families. When a family member abuses substances, the effects on the family may differ depending on the structure. Extended family members may experience feelings of abandonment, anxiety, fear, anger, concern, embarrassment, or guilt; they may wish to ignore or cut ties with the person abusing substances. Effects on families may continue for generations. Neighbors, friends, and coworkers also experience the effects of substance abuse since the person who abuses substances often is unreliable.
Many environmental factors contribute to a person’s proneness to substance abuse. These factors include but are not limited to stress, early physical or sexual abuse, witnessing violence, peers who use drugs, and drug availability. (Addiction Science) The desire to be accepted within a particular group often creates an enormous amount of stress in teens. This stress and feeling of alienation is a driving force towards drug use. Research has shown that, “Another important environmental factor is the amount and quality of emotional and social support a person receives. Teens who reported having an adult they trusted and could talk to, for example, have a lower risk of addiction than those who don’t.”(Environmental Factors) An impoverished environment increases the likelihood of substance abuse and addiction as well. Those who are apart of a lifestyle of poverty often experience incarceration and dropping out of school. Those who drop out of school, are unemployed or live in unsafe areas are at “higher risk, especially if their home environment has already exposed them to dru...
Alcohol Addiction is people who drink abused alcohol every day and they may not stop to drink because they feel that they need it. Alcohol addiction can lead to severe effects because they become worst with passage of time if person do not seek treatment. Many causes make effects of alcohol addiction that are not good for people. Many effects of alcohol addiction are not good for health and community. For example, alcohol is too expensive and cost a lot of money, so people whom alcohol addiction will lose their money for buying alcohol. Furthermore, when people drink a lot of alcohol and become addiction of alcohol, they will lose their mind because alcohol is not healthy and alcohol has a lot of brain damage. Moreover, alcohol causes several diseases and some of them may kill people whom addiction of alcohol. This essay shows what causes and effects of alcohol addiction and the causes are too expensive, unhealthy, and diseases so the effects are lose money, lose mind, and death.
“For every family that is impacted by drugs, there are another 10 to 15 families impacted by alcohol abuse. It's a pretty big deal. We have a tendency to only look at part of the puzzle.” (Kevin Lewis). As a society we tend to categorize the severity of addiction in a way that drugs are the most dangerous and alcohol being just a problem. Because alcohol addiction can be a slow progressive disease many people don’t see it in the same light as drug addiction. An addiction to drugs is seen as being a more deadly and dangerous issue then that of alcohol because a drug addiction can happen more quickly and can kill more quickly. Alcohol is something that is easy to obtain, something that is found at almost every restaurant. People with an alcohol addiction can not hide from alcohol as easy as a drug addict. Approximately 7 million Americans suffer from alcohol abuse and another 7 million suffer from alcoholism. (Haisong 6) The dangers of alcohol affect everyone from children with alcoholic parents, to teenagers who abuse alcohol, then to citizens who are terrorized by drunk drivers.
When the standard and moderate amounts recommended are exceeded we begin to run into abuse, dependency and addiction to alcohol. All three areas are unique to the individual. How much and how often plays a role in the level of abuse, as well as the duration of the amounts consumed. When alcohol is misused, the effects can be limitless and extremely damaging to a person’s life. It can stem out into areas not only that become harmful to one’s health, but family dynamics, as well as social, professional and legal aspects.
There are many forms of addiction. Substance abuse, which is also known as drug abuse, is the continuous use of a drug in which the user consumes in amounts or in different ways that are harmful to themselves or others (Wilson & Johnson, 2013, p. 16). In some cases, criminal behaviors occur when the person
Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive or uncontrollable, drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences and changes in the brain, which can be long lasting. Drug addiction is also a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to drug use after an attempt to stop. The path to drugs and addictions begin with the voluntary act of taking drugs. The only way you will get addicted is if you chose to yourself. No one else is entitled to you getting stuck on it. People get to the point where they search all over for the drug and have to have it to function. Addiction affects parts of the brain involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and control over behavior.
Substance abuse consists of a vast range of destructive effects on its users, the people surrounding that individual and also society in its entirety. The repercussions of substance abuse has adverse consequences on families, such as finances and emotion turmoil. The abuser is likely to use all available resources to support the addiction they have developed, and disregarding other priorities and leaving them neglected. Due to the altered mental state of these individuals, it is not uncommon for them to initiate tendencies of violence and cruelty towards their family members which can occasionally enable a spouse to take on an unsound role to preserve their relationship. Unfortunately, children of parents who are substance abusers become a higher risk of experiencing physical and emotional trauma and possibly repeating the cycles. Substance abuse impacts society tremendously from every direction. The cost for enforcing drug laws and policies is a very expensive and extensive process, all ranging from street level enforcement, correctional facilities, as well as rehabilitation problems. Crime has always been associated with drugs in a large spectrum scaling from petty crime to more organized affiliations that wish to control drug trades. The violence and crime that these people create seriously disrupt our society and the citizen that abide by the law. Abusing drugs or alcohol is essentially allowing your body to be poisoned slowly over time and has a tremendously impact on multiple areas of one's health and wellness. These long-term abusers have an increased the risk of numerous ailments ranging from heart, liver, lung disease to nerve or brain damage. Substance abuse is seen as one of the most ubiquitous issues facing our nati...
Many sources including: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Edition (ICD-11), American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), and American Society of Addiction Medicine’s (ASAM), quote substance addiction to denote the word addiction. For instance, ASAM defines addiction as a chronic disease of brain reward, motivation and memory which cause dysfunction in biology, psychology, society and spirit (Smith 1). The characterized symptoms include inability to abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving for rewarding experiences, diminished recognition of substantial personal and interpersonal problems and a dysfunctional emotional response (Smith 3). The definition includes the chronic, relapsing features of the disease, symptoms of loss of inhibitor control, dependence, and compulsion and adverse impact on individuals and society. Therefore, substance addiction is included in the definition of addiction. Furthermore, drug and alcohol addiction have been recognized for a long time; they are continuously included in DSM since its first edition in 1952 (Baysinger 1). Since all the detailed definitions provided by these authoritative associations are supported by significant clinical data and research, mental disorder caused by
... has fewer physical symptoms. However, one may experience more psychological and emotional symptoms. One is, therefore, expected to be patient, have self-care, relax, and carry on with the flow so as to finish the stage. In conclusion, drug addiction is caused by various factors such as family background, peer pressure, and mental illness among others. People take drugs to feel relaxed, and reduce stress among other reasons. However, excess taking of drugs can lead to drug addiction or drug addiction which causes body damage and maybe even lead to death. This paper has succeeded in looking at the various factors which cause drug addiction, some of which are family history of addiction, social environment, heredity, mental addiction, peer pressure, and escapism (Heymann and Brownsberger). The paper has also highlighted the physical addiction, symptoms and withdrawal.
Before being capable of fighting the use of drugs and alchol, one must come to an understanding of why some people use drugs. The decision to ultimately use drugs is influenced mainly in childhood. Whether in a poor ?ghetto? neighborhood, or in a middle-class suburb, all children are vulnerable to the abuse of drugs. Most high-risk children are effected by personal and family circumstances (Falco 51). If a child?s parents are substance abusers, then it is a fairly safe prediction that the child will abuse drugs later in life. Also, early-life experiments with drugs greatly increases the chance of abuse later in life. Academic problems, and rebellious, anti-social behavior in elementary school are also linked to drug problems, in addition to truancy, delinquency, and ear...
Perhaps most substance abuse starts in the teen years when young people are susceptible to pressure from their peers. One of the main concerns when dealing with substance abuse is the long term problems with substance such as addiction, dependency and tolerance. The physical state of an individual, who is addicted to a substance, will deteriorate over a long period of time. This is due to the chemicals that are being put into an individual body. One of the most important aspects of the effect of substance abuse on society includes ill health, disease, sickness, and in many cases death. The impact of substance abuse not only affects individuals who abuse substances but it affects our economy. Our government resources are negatively impacted by individual who abuse substances. According to (Lagliaro 2004) the implication of drug users extend far beyond the user, often damaging their relationships with their family, community, and health workers, volunteer and wider