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Essay on prevention of substance abuse
Drug abuse and its effect on adolescents
Influences Of Drug Abuse On Youth
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Drug addiction has been an ongoing problem which has been increasing in Australia and other western countries in the past half century, despite there being an increase in wealth and improved physical health in the population. Although though there is no one system which can accurately explain the range of problems which exist from drug use, WHO defines it using the ICD-10 stating, “The criteria for drug abuse entail continued drug use despite resulting in significant problems. The criteria for drug use dependence include, in addition to continued drug use problems, symptoms such as tolerance and withdrawal” (World Health Organisation, 1992). There is not one sole reason why individuals become addicted to drugs. There are a variety of social …show more content…
A person’s socio-economic status can be described as their “position in society using criteria such as income, level of education, value of property and so on” (Galobardes, B., et al.). It has been proven with much research that those with a low socio-economic status and income inequality are often associated with poor health and well-being, which is partly mediated by the impact of socio-economic factors on drug and alcohol use. Socio-economic status is also interrelated with poverty. Groups of high risk of poverty include people who are earning low wages or are unemployed, those with sole parent families and their children, homeless people, migrants, refugees and Indigenous Australians. In particular, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and sole parents have significantly worse health, well-being and drug-use patterns. This is mainly caused from the cruelty and trauma experienced from European usurpation of their lands which led them to feel inferior and defenceless. This damage has resulted in inter-generational disadvantage and associated negative consequences. Socio-economic factors are difficult to isolate since many aspects interrelate with one another, particularly as the mechanisms by which these issues influence drug-use behaviour and outcomes can be common to multiple socio-economic …show more content…
The exposure of drug use and its influence is distinct between the age groups of those in their early childhood, middle, adolescent and adult years. In the early years of childhood, it is essential to keep clear of anything related to drugs since it can affect an individual’s learning, mental health and behaviour throughout their lifetime. The period of adolescence is probably the most sensitive one as behaviour during these years is highly predictive of later drug abuse (Guo J, Hawkins JD, Hill KG, Abbott RD. Childhood and adolescent predictors of alcohol abuse and dependence in young adulthood. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 2001;62(6):754-762.). This may be because they spend more time with their peers as well as being prone to hormonal changes, shift in sleep cycle and their cognitive maturation is still developing (Source: Tarter RE. Etiology of adolescent substance abuse: a developmental perspective. American Journal on Addictions 2002; 11:171-191.) The combination of factors highlights the importance of harm reduction at this time. Even though drugs and its abuse is most likely to be prevailed through an individual’s lifetime, their age, especially their early childhood experiences, significantly impacts this
Pagliaro, L. & Pagliaro, A. (2012). Handbook of Child and Adolescent drug and substance abuse: Pharmacological, Developmental, and Clinical Considerations. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons, Inc.
There are some social determinants factors contribute to Australian indigenous people’s mental health disorders. The addiction incidence of mental health disorders and substance misuse problems is terribly high. Aboriginal Australians suffer from unemployment and that can give rise to substance misuse, anxiety, depression, and sometimes severe mental health conditions. The social isolation risks rose up with development of social exclusion and hardship, such as addiction, divorce, disability, s...
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 B.C. in China. But it was not until the nineteenth century that the active substances in drugs were extracted. There was a time in history when some of these newly discovered substances, such as morphine, laudanum, cocaine, were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments.
The drugs issue is a major problem in Australia. A simple solution cannot be found to solve this great problem because there are so many decisions, thoughts and sacrifices that need to be made. All sides of the issue must be considered when making such a large decision. To find a solution, several tests, meetings, interviews and research need to be made, to name a few. Extreme care is needed when challenging such major issues, all aspects of the problem need to be considered.
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.
The consequences that follow the use of any drug are unfavorable. Although many individuals may see drug addiction as a mere lifestyle choice, it is a problem that many individuals suffer from and inevitably a growing issue that leaves major social and economic impacts.
Drugs cause an overall disturbance in a subjects’ physiological, psychological and emotional health. “At the individual level, drug abuse creates health hazards for the user, affecting the educational and general development of youths in particular” (“Fresh Challenge”). In youth specifically, drug abuse can be triggered by factors such as: a parent’s abusive behavior, poor social skills, family history of alcoholism or substance abuse, the divorce of parents or guardians, poverty, the death of a loved one, or even because they are being bullied at school (“Drugs, brains, and behavior”) .
Drug abuse and addiction are issues that affect people everywhere. However, these issues are usually treated as criminal activity rather than issues of public health. There is a conflict over whether addiction related to drug abuse is a disease or a choice. Addiction as a choice suggests that drug abusers are completely responsible for their actions, while addiction as a disease suggests that drug abusers need help in order to break their cycle of addiction. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that addiction is a disease, and should be treated rather than punished. Drug addiction is a disease because: some people are more likely to suffer from addiction due to their genes, drug abuse brought on by addictive behavior changes the brain and worsens the addiction, and the environment a person lives in can cause the person to relapse because addiction can so strongly affect a person.
The illegal drug use issue in Australia is being increase. Thus, Australia Government Department of Health National created a webpage to try to help and decrease the illegal drug use issue. In this essay, I will be using the Grunig’s Four Models of public relation concept characteristic (included Press-Agentry or Publicity, Public Information, Two-way asymmetric and Two-way symmetric.) [Grunig & Hunt 1984] to analyze how this website work and how are these concept and public relation impact to the organization.
Adolescences in particular can be easily influenced to abusing a drug or multiple drugs. I believe this happens because teens often lack education, live in an environment where drugs are readily available, are peer-pressured and the lack of proper growth of the frontal lobe. Many factors contribute to adolescences experimenting with drugs. As side from being a child, the adolescence stage is of great importance. Healthy habits and activities are supposed to be instilled within this stage of life. The adolescence stage can be very perplexing and what is made into a habit then is easily carried on into adulthood. Our genes act together with our environment to contribute to the addictive behaviors we are motivated to develop. If addiction is left untreated it can ultimately lead to de...
Drug abuse has been a hot topic for our society due to how stimulants interfere with health, prosperity, and the lives of others in all nations. All drugs have the potential to be misapplied, whether obtained by prescription, over the counter, or illegally. Drug abuse is a despicable disease that affects many helpless people. Majority of those who are beset with this disease go untreated due to health insurance companies who neglect and discriminate this issue. As an outcome of missed opportunities of treatments, abusers become homeless, very ill, or even worst, death.
There are many assumptions of why an individual may use different substances and perhaps go from a “social” user to becoming addicted. Understanding the different theories models of addiction many help in the process of treatment for the addict. Although people in general vary in their own ideologies of addiction when working as a clinician one must set aside their own person beliefs. Typically as a clinician it is best for the client to define how they view their addiction and their view may encompass more than one of the five theories. Some theories suggest genetic and other biological factors whiles others emphasize personality or social factors. In this study three theories are defined and given to three different people with different cultural backgrounds, different ideologies, different experiences, and most importantly different reference point of addiction.
There are many addictions in the world, and drug addiction is the biggest. People may experiment with the drug for many reasons. “If your drug use is causing problems in your life, then you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem”.(Lawrence Robinson pg.1) Many people start out using drugs by peer pressure or out of their own curiosity. Stress, anxiety, lows self-esteem and depression could be another factor to start using drugs. The drug takes over your body and gives you a good feeling that many people tend to enjoy. The urge to use the drug can keep increasing rapidly after the first use. The urge can become so severe that your mind can find many other ways to deny the factor of addiction. Very few drug addicts can feel and realize when they have crossed the line with drugs. A drug addicts mind can build up a very large tolerance for the drug that they start to abandon the activities they used to do on a daily basis like showering, hobbies, socializing and even being associated with family members. The person with the addiction will continue to use the drug knowing that it is harming there body, but they don’t have any remorse. A drug addict will often try to hide their problem, so they can continue to use without anyone’s input. Family and friends may try to use preaching methods or tell the user that they need to stop using the drug. This method is not ...
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.
Few people deny the dangers of drug use, while many teens are curious about drugs. They should stay away from drugs because drugs affect our health, lead to academic failure, and jeopardizes safety. Drugs are used from a long period of time in many countries. The concentration of drugs has increased from late 1960’s and 1970’s. Drugs can quickly takeover our lives. Friends and acquaintance have the greatest influence of using drugs during adolescence.