Substance Abuse: A Fast Growing Issue in Today's Society

Substance abuse is a rapidly growing issue in today’s society. Drug addictions hinder and restrain people from everyday life events, dreams, accomplishments, and the relationships they have with friends and family members. A common reoccurring problem related to substance abuse is the issue of peer influence and peer pressure on trying and using drugs, which can vary from alcohol, tobacco and even the use of prescription drugs. The negative influences of peer pressure may promote drug use which can further lead to an addictive behaviour, not just to one drug, but to a multiple combination of drugs. Both social and economic factors, lead to substance abuse and many negative issues such as losing your job, friends, family and your purpose in life, these are all potential issues that may occur if ones addiction is not dealt with in time. Therefore, preventive measures need to be taken in order to address substance abuse and to prevent future generations from falling prey to the circulating drugs present in our society today. This paper will determine how the social and economic influences puts adolescents at a risk for developing an addiction to substances, it will also develop possible solutions and strategies in order to prevent addictive behaviours from forming, as well as strategies that can possibly address and prevent drug problems in Canada. Drug problems need to be resolved and addressed now, before they continue to further create negative factors for the people in Canadian society.
Social and economic influences on adolescents
The social determinants of health are both social and economic factors and conditions that influence individuals and groups in society based on their location, work, class, race, age and access to care...

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...ed and other substances commonly used by teenagers. Therefore, schools need to promote positive social skills to teach children and teenagers how to say no regardless of the situation. These programs need to take into perspective social and economic factors present in a young person’s life in order to incorporate positive and protective factors to prevent drug use.
The promotion of positive social skills and the encouragement of a protective factors with respect to drug-taking behavior and other forms of deviant behavior. Successful primary prevention programs are built around the central idea that an individual is less inclined to engage in substance abuse if the protective factors in his or her life are enhanced and the risk factors are diminished. Only then can a young person be resilient enough to overcome the temptations of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.