Research Paper on "Social Problem Drug Abuse"

Research Paper 5 pages (2108 words) Sources: 8

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Social Problem - Drug Abuse

Drug Abuse

Drug abuse refers to excessive use of drugs with an intention of altering one's mood, emotion or state of consciousness. Buddy T. (2011) further indicates that drug abuse is "the use of illicit drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are indicated or in a manner or in quantities other than directed."

The menace of drug abuse otherwise referred to as substance abuse has been a threat to the societal mesh and has been attributed largely to the products of the civilization and the effects of globalization. There are particular aspects in the civilized and globalised society that encourage the wider abuse of drugs as follows (Medline Plus, 2012);

Peer pressure; Many people especially the youth abuse drugs due to the peer pressure that they find themselves inevitably immersed into . They want to be like their peers by doing what their peers do. Many people fear taking the risk of losing friends and therefore if their peers use drugs, they also tend to use them because they want to fit in the group.

Unemployment; this leads to the use of drugs by youth because they do not have work to do hence being idle. As a result they indulge in use of drugs in order to pass time and keep themselves occupied. Many youth who are unemployed tend to hang out with bad groups for like the drug addicts since they are idle, hence ending up using drugs.

Depression; this is another cause of drug abuse in such a way that when some people face challenges in life, the only thing they think of making them forget their bad encounters and become happy is by using hard drugs which later turns to be a habit hence drug abuse.

Under-employment; this also contributes to drug abuse in such a way that some people are employed but not in their desired capacity. For example they are over worked, paid less compared to their skills and experience or not compensated for the extra working time they do hence they decide to use drugs so as to release the stress.

Reduced family and community cohesiveness; some families don't have time for each other in such a way that some parents don't have time to share words of wisdom with their children and advise them on how they can live a better life free from drugs. This leads to the deficiency of the moral lessons a kid should learn one of them being the aspect of drug abuse and its negative effects. This reduced family time and ties is as a result of busy schedules that parents find themselves in as per the busy American lifestyle. The children therefore grow up not thinking of their future and they end up using drugs since they lack people to mentor them.

Impacts

Increased spread of HIV / AIDS; most people who abuse drugs engage in impulsive and unsafe behaviors due to addictive and intoxicating effects of many drugs that they take excessively which end up altering their judgments and inhibitions which leads them to engage in unsafe behaviors such as sex without protection. This predisposes them to sexual transmitted diseases such as AIDs. This infection can also be occasioned by sharing the used needles while injecting the drugs into their blood system (National institute on drug abuse, 2006).

Injuries and accidents; drug abuse also leads to increased injuries and accidents in such a way that after someone has taken the drugs and drives he is likely to cause accident hence injuring the people in the vehicle and also loss of properties since they become violent after taking those drugs. Some of those drugs such as Marijuana stay in a person's system for 24 hours after taking it hence impairing the driver's motor function and concentration leading to high possibilities of causing accidents as indicated by the Addiction Treatment Magazine, (2011).

Legal consequences; drug abuse is illegal and therefore abusing drugs can lead one to court which results to one being taken to jail hence paying fines while some drug addicts end up in rehabilitation centers where they are advised on how they can stop taking drugs and move on with the healthy lives.

Mental health problems; drug abuse leads to problems such as depression, stress whereby one experiences tension and anxiety, and psychosis which leads to loosing touch with reality.

Drug abuse leads to premature deaths whereby a person develops so many complications due to drug abuse such as increased blood pressure, increased heart rate etc. . For example Nicotine which is a highly addictive stimulant compared to others contributes to approximately 340,000 deaths annually in the United States of America.

Job loss; drug abuse also leads to loosing of jobs since drug addicts become so violent after taking their drugs and fail to cope up with the terms and conditions set up at their work places by their employers and they end up being fired hence remaining unemployed.

Poor performances; drug abuse also results in poor performances in most companies since drug addicts don't do their work to their best and most of the time work under the directive of their mood swings, to the worst scenario they don't report to their work places hence reducing the company's productivity leading to reduced sales and profits.

Physical health; drugs such as Marijuana affects ones physical health since it interferes with the short-term memory of a person. Excessive use of Caffeine increases the rate of miscarriage etc. Almost all hard drugs will manifest some physical characteristics which are not normal like reddening of the eye, drying lips, drooling in speech, lack of attention, general tiredness and shivering in the absence of the drugs. Simon Wills (2005) further indicates that there is a high risk of one getting skin infections due to the persistent injections using non-sterile needles. He gives a grim statistics that indicates as high as 72% of infections presented by the drug users presented at the ER had abscess and 23% had cellulitis and of all of them, 40% needed admission and further close attention.

Increased expenses; drug abuse also increases expenses in such a way that the employer who has employees who are drug addicts incurs more costs for their drug using employee's damages, absentees and reduced productivity in the company.

Solutions that have been taken by the government and the private programs

Vance & Laurence M (2012) indicates that the government has introduced public and private drug abuse prevention and education programs across the country which in effect has educated people on the different effects of drug abuse and how they can change their lives.

The state has also organized a National Association of state and drug abuse coordinators across the country to stop the fragmentation that exists among the states. These coordinators coordinate and give directions to the public and private agencies in the field as far as drug abuse is concerned. This according to President Obama has cost the U.S.A. economy multiple millions of dollars and is an exercise that will go on for the longer run till the fight against drug cartels is won within the U.S.A. And across the border (NewYork Times, 2012).

Private organizations that focus on drug abuse provide free consultations to the people who want to set up treatment centers for addicts and mentor them on how they can manage the drugs addicts.

The students Association for the study of Hallucinogens (STASH) which is an independent group run by students themselves has published journals on drugs, provided reprints and also issues bibliography on Hallucinogens and other drugs. They also hold conferences to educate people on the effects of drug abuse and other related problems. STASH also provide literature materials on Marijuana and hallucinogens and has complied a directory of drug information groups.

Some private groups perform some unique and valuable services like sponsoring clinics that provide health care for the addicts, support programs that offer counseling, job placements to unemployed people and training the youthful drug abusers. Some professional students in the U.S.A. spent their summer holidays providing improved health care to the drug abusers across the country.

Solutions that worked

The government introduced the law of jailing and penalizing anybody found using, selling and transporting illegal drugs which worked very well since many people who have been found guilty of drug use and/or peddling have been jailed and some are facing life sentences in jail.

What should be done

The government should look at drug abuse as a health problem rather than looking at it as a criminal offence whereby it should such for experts to come forth and help addicts to give up their ill habits. The government should also make treatment widely available across the country like other health services so as to undermine the drug market hence reducing the harms from drug abuse (National Coalition for effective drug policies, 2012).

The government should set up… READ MORE

How to Reference "Social Problem Drug Abuse" Research Paper in a Bibliography

Related Research Papers:

Drug Addiction Research Paper

Social Problem of Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction

The Social Problem of Drug Addiction and the Role of the Community

The Social Problem of Drug Addiction and the Role of Community… read more

Research Paper 8 pages (3652 words) Sources: 7 Style: APA Topic: Drugs / Alcohol / Tobacco

---

Drug Abuse Term Paper

Drug Abuse and Prostitution

Researchers have known for a long time that drug abuse and prostitution frequently go hand in hand (Medrano, Hatch, Zule & Desmond, 2003; Yacoubian, Urbach, Larsen,… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (2001 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA Topic: Drugs / Alcohol / Tobacco

---

Drug Abuse and Multidimensional Family Therapy Research Proposal

Drug Abuse and Multidimensional Family Therapy: Literature Review Only

Review of the Relevant Literature

By any measure, substance abuse represents a serious problem in the United States today among adolescents… read more

Research Proposal 6 pages (1773 words) Sources: 6 Style: APA Topic: Drugs / Alcohol / Tobacco

---

Social Problems Accuracy of the Uniform Crime Term Paper

Social Problems

Accuracy of the Uniform Crime Reports

The accuracy of the data of the Uniform Crime Reports is criticized on a number of grounds. Firstly, the mentioned reports only… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (1968 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Sociology / Society

---

Drug Abuse Prevention or Treatment Strategy Term Paper

Drug Abuse Prevention or Treatment Strategy

Every Government reserves the right to fight against the use and the abuse of illicit drugs, like for example, prescribed drugs like psycho stimulants,… read more

Term Paper 6 pages (2253 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Drugs / Alcohol / Tobacco

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>