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parental substance abuse and its affect on childrens development
effects of substance abuse in children essay doc
parental substance abuse and its affect on childrens development
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The infant of a drug dependent mother be merely a day old, but already 9 months an addict. The lucky few will only have to experience excruciating diarrhea, vomiting, constant high pitched crying, tremors, and violent convulsions for a couple of months without any hope of consolation until they are no longer dependent on drugs. The others will have to live with the repercussions of their mother’s substance abuse for the rest of their lives as they will face facial and limb malformations, learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and congenital heart defects (Stern, 2013.) Project Prevention is a nonprofit organization which aims to end this issue by paying drug addicts to use long term contraceptives or, if they choose, sterilization. Due to Addicts are given the option of either taking long term birth control which is temporary or, to those certain they don’t want children in the future, sterilization is also an option. As mentioned before, critics argue that addicts should not have to make these life altering decisions at a vulnerable point in their life. That is true for a radical decision such as sterilization, but in all honesty, getting on birth control in not a permanent life altering decision. All long term birth control does is prevent the birth of one or two drug dependent infants per person, not eradicate the addicts ability to ever conceive again should they choose to get clean. Additionally, it provides the addict a couple of months to get the treatment they need should they choose to want a family. When an addict gives birth, if they test positive for any narcotic, the child is removed from their care until they get clean. Taking a child away from a mother often leaves addicts with no hope and their motivation to get treatment ceases to exist. With this program, addicts are not punished rather they are offered help at a rehabilitation center paid by project
It is undoubted that we are exposed to more open and activating political environment today than ever. We talk about 2016 presidency election, criticize those candidates’ political claims, argue about political issues and disdain those who belong to different “side” with us. And it is under this social context that Planned Parenthood, all of a sudden, is dragged into the political spotlight.
“Crack-babies” a media induced phenomena brought about by the climax of public outcry from the results of the 1980’s war on drugs. This term laid the foundation for biased prosecutions which sparked a political crusade during climate of the time. Thus exploiting the public’s fear of children born to substance addicted mother and creating a firestorm of litigation to prosecute pregnant drug addicts. According to Flavin, Paltrow (2010), current evidence points to public stigmas and prejudice as posing a greater danger to both maternal and fetal health than use of the drug itself. Leaving the question as to why addicted women are still publicly reviled for the outcomes of their circumstances. From this abhorrence stems the likelihood that these women would be deterred from seeking prenatal care than to seek help for their addiction; expelling an even greater issue as the concern of health care is then added to the mix. The complex social issues then must be taken into consideration to underscore the need for policymakers to allow for the legal and medical systems to better create programs for these women and allot for rehabilitation instead of punitive solutions.
First of I just want to take this time to congratulate you on meeting the requirement of the paper, it was an honor to read about your topic on Birth Control. From reading the paper I can honestly see the hard work you put into it. While reading your paper I notice the use of standard vocabulary words, I found this to be a great idea, in my view it help to persuade readers on the level of text they’re reading, but in other words the paper is not graded on how much vocabulary words you can come up with, I’m not saying using standard vocabulary is a horrible thing but instead focusing your paper on vocabulary words that might get your reader confused and have them searching the web for definition, I honestly advice since this is a argumentative
However, for those who did not get the privilege to experience a good environment growing up due to drug addicted parents and guardians should not lose hope. Such is also the case of adolescents who were introduced to drug abuse and feel hopeless in life. Programs such as the Adolescents Substance Use Disorders Services Program, aim to ensure hope and quality life for every broken child and adolescent. If left unattended and ignored, this children could end up on the wrong side of the law hence spend their adult life behind bars or far must worse remain unproductive all through their lives. It would be hazardous to ignore these children hence the urge to ensure all government officials in every state and the world at large to participate in a program that would not only increase the number of healthy adolescents but also the number of reliable adults in future. Drug addiction and abuse are cases that have brought down the economy of many countries all over the world due to unproductive adults who are deep into the act hence the need for it to be
Some people argue that the drug users aren’t the heroin victims. One writer notes, 'The parents of the user who steals from them, abuses them, physically, emotionally and mentally, the siblings who suffer the loss of care and love but who also get abused and used by the user, the kids of the user who learn that the parent's desire for smack is greater than the desire to be a parent,' are the real heroin victims (Fitzgerald, 2000). This problem therefore effects not only the user but the society living around them as well.
Addiction is a disease that affects by ten percent of Americans but countless others, including family and friends, are devastated by it. Addiction is not a choice that a person can make; rather the disease takes away people’s ability to make conscious choice. Science has advanced to show exactly how drugs affect the brain chemically, proving that it is a disease and not a moral failing. Addiction is a disease and should be treated through rehabilitation and community based support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), not imprisonment, and the state and federal governments should increase funding and programs for prevention and treatment.
Welcome to America: land of opportunity and most importantly, free. Well, unless you're a young, possibly teenage girl seeking birth control. We have people with extreme morals and religious beliefs making those decisions for you! Let us not forget the people saying sex education is tainting our youth's brains, yet wonder why they lack the basic knowledge on STDs. Remember, "Choice is an essence of personal freedom," (Brooks, ...About Life Control). Therefore leading to the point that birth control should be complimentary to all.
If one does not incur an illness, their child may due to the parent’s drug abuse. Drugs can affect even the unborn baby. They can change the very structure of a man’s sperm, causing him to become sterile or give an egg a diseased sperm. “A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish may/could give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby,”– (Drug-Free World #1). A baby born in spite of all of these conditio...
Over 24 million United States residents 12 and older are facing drug addiction, but shockingly only 10 percent will obtain help from an expert facility (“Substance Abuse and Mental Health”). Abuse and addiction negatively effects the addict along with humanity. An estimated $600 billion is spent annually as a result of substance abuse. As surprising as this number may be, it does not explain the depth of damaging public health and safety implications of drug addiction, essentially there may be child abuse, domestic violence, and loss of employment (“Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction”). Addicts face critical health complications, monetary problems, ruined families, illnesses, or even death. As an addict falls further into their addiction, they will lose control of their drug usage, and most times exhibit harm to themselves and others (“Drug Abuse Ruins Lives”). Drug abuse takes a major toll on the addict, their family and on work relationships; on the other hand, there are numerous of people who have dealt with substance abuse overcame their situation and used it as motivation.
Parent(s) should be able to provide a stable and loving environment for their children to grow up in, unfortunately, for drug addicted parents this feat seems impossible. Addicts must satisfy their own needs over anything else (Street, Whitlingum, Gibson, Cairns, and Ellis 2011). The high cost of drugs and their bizarre side effects cause rocky, unpredictable daily lives for the children of these addicts. Estimates show “…6 million children live with a parent who abuses alcohol or other drugs” (Taylor 2011). Children that reside with substance abusing parents enter into a perpetual cycle of physical abuse, neglect and emotional trauma. Numerous children raise themselves and/or their siblings because their parent(s) are either too drugged up to tend to their needs or are not home at ...
“Harm reduction is based on the premise that people are responsible for their behaviour, that they maker personal choices that affect their health and well-being, and that they can make safer and better decisions if given useful and honest information” (Mathre, 2002, p. 106). Harm reduction recognizes people’s unhealthy choices while also attempting to reduce the harmful effects that come from these unhealthy behaviours (Marlatt, 1998 as cited in Brown, Luna, Ramirez, Vail, and Williams, 2005). Using a harm reduction approach has a positive effect on drug users, as it helps to reduce the negative consequences that come from using drugs. Although harm reduction aims to reduce the harm from illegal drug using, it is viewed as “unethical and inconsistent with the ethical practices of health-care providers” (Lightfoot et al., 2009, p.17). In this paper, the strengths and limitations of using harm reduction as an approach to reduce the negative effects of (illegal) substance abuse and the implications this has on nursing will be discussed.
When I was a senior in high school one of my classmates was pregnant and abusing cocaine during her whole pregnancy. This upset me so greatly and it still does today when I think about it. I felt angry with the mother, concerned and scared for the child, and I also felt confused about exactly what consequences the mother would face if anyone ever found out. Chapter fourteen in our textbook covers "Fetal Abuse": The Case of Drug-Exposed Infants, so naturally I became very interested on the subject. One of the issues brought up is criminal court response and whether the use of illegal drugs during pregnancy should be prosecuted. This is a controversial issue in our society that is very important to me. Currently, no state has passed legislation that actually makes it a "crime" to abuse drugs while pregnant. "Instead, criminal prosecutions have been based on existing criminal laws, which were never designed or intended to govern prenatal conduct." (Sagatun, Edwards 1995)
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...
Abortion is one of those words that the true meaning depends on the person point of view. For me abortion is a medical procedure to end a pregnancy. This issue is very controversial, many people have different opinions or beliefs for or against it. In my particular case I’ve always been against it. Life begins at conception, unborn babies are human beings with the right to live just like us. An unborn baby is capable of feeling pain, just imagine the amount of pain they feel during abortion. Abortion is murder, why are women killing an innocent human being that is unable to make decisions for themselves. There are many ways to prevent abortion. Besides, this procedure is extremely dangerous, and contains many risks for the mother.
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