Drugs are everywhere. They include cigarettes, alcohol, prescriptions, street and designer drugs, caffeine, or anything other substance used to alter the mind or body. Drug abuse is a complex and costly issue, that affects us all, and the best way to combat its effects is through drug prevention. Nearly everyone has been warned about the dangers of drugs and almost everyone knows someone who had been affected by drugs. It is common knowledge that drug use can lead to addiction and other dire consequences. The best way to avoid drug addiction is to never try drugs to begin with, the best way to educate about drugs and to deliver the message is through drug prevention.
Drug abuse and addiction is an extremely complex problem. This is because of how interchangeable and overlapping all of the issues associated with drugs are. On top of that, the fact is, that there is no cure for addiction and there is still so much to be learned about drug abuse and drug addiction.
Although drug abuse is generally viewed as less damaging than drug addiction, they are connected Drug abuse, over time, can develop into drug addiction. However, the time it takes for the abuse to develop into addiction varies from person-to-person and from substance-to-substance and the problems associated with drugs usually begin in the abuse stage. For example, the same drug, at the same amount and frequency, can affect two different people at different rates, but the side effects of the drug, like depression, loss of sleep, or development of risk-taking behavior can occur at the same rate for both individuals.
There have been many risk factors that have been identified that can make an individual more vulnerable or sensitive to potentially becoming an addict, but there is no way to know if, when, or who will become an addict. A risk factor is not a guarantee that a person will become an addict, but rather, it's a variable that increases the likelihood. Certain biology factors, such as having a mental illness or family history of addiction, have been identified that makes the chances of becoming an addict greater. For example, a person having depression, schizophrenia, or any one of the other severe mental disorders is at a much greater risk of developing an addiction, than someone who does not suffer from a mental illness.
Also, person's genetic make-up can play a vital role in the potential to become an alcoholic. "Alcoholics are six times more likely than non-alcoholics to have blood relatives who are alcohol dependent (Nordqvist). This is due to a genetic predisposition to becoming an alcoholic. However, genetic disposition is not limited to alcohol and it can also be a reason why one person can use a substance on a regular basis and never develop an addiction, yet others can try it once and become hooked.
Other biological factors like weight, age, and gender are all variables in determining the possibility of addiction too. For example, according to the Mayo Clinic, USA, males are twice as likely as females to have problems with drugs (Nordqvist). This may be due to how the body metabolizes substances differently, different hormones and levels of those hormones, or other unknown reasons.
Biology factors are not the only risk factors to be considered. A person's environmental and circumstantial and how they were raised, including, their influences, friends, media, cultural beliefs, history of physical and/or sexual abuse also greatly determine their vulnerability to addiction. Another determining risk factor is the age at which the person first experimented with drugs. "Studies have shown that people who start consuming a drug earlier in life have a higher risk of eventually becoming addicted, than those who start later (Nordqvist)". The type of drug(s) a person experiments with and in which order can not only determine if a person becomes an addict, but how fast they develop a dependence on them.
Factors like stress, loneliness, grief, and the ways people deal with situations can have a hand in the development of an addiction as well. Coping mechanisms and reasons for experimentation and continuing to utilize a substance can have profound results on if a person develops an addiction. Yet, it is not up to any single factor, rather it's a combination of factors and reasons a person has for using drugs that will determine if an addiction takes root. The more risk factors a person has the greater the chance of developing an addiction (Mayo Clinic). Even then, it is not a guarantee that an addiction will take hold.
Along with these factors, it's the collision of opportunity and substance that may decide if a person becomes an addict. If an individual tries a substance at the right moment during the right time and it is the right drug, they may like the experience and decide to continue to use the drug. They may decide that the reason they consume the drug outweighs the reasons not to use the drug and this may develop into a habit and then an addiction. However, a person must first choose to experiment in order for there to be a danger of an addiction to begin with.
"Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person's life to affect addiction vulnerability. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it will progress to more serious abuse, which poses a special challenge to adolescents. Because areas in their brains that govern decision making, judgement, and self-control are still developing, adolescents may be especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying drugs of abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse)." At one point or another, most everyone has experienced peer pressure. "The period of adolescence is the most vulnerable time in a child's life, where they are most susceptible to drug experimentation" (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)). This is typically the first time an individual experiences peer pressure, which includes cigarettes, alcohol, prescription drugs, street drugs, drugs found in nature like mushrooms, or inhalants, such as huffing spray paint. A person's ability to say no during this period of their life can dramatically reduce their chances of becoming an addict.
Drug abuse can destroy families. It can impact the physical and mental standing of a person's family by creating stress, tension, or violence. Drug abuse contributes to low birth weight, birth defects, depression and other mental illnesses and has consequences including illness, injuries. "Each year approximately 40 million debilitating illnesses or injuries occur among Americans as the result of their use of tobacco, alcohol, or another addictive drug (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA))." This includes direct and indirect illnesses and accidental and purposeful injuries. Drug abuse and addiction can even lead to accidental death or suicide. According to the CDC, last year 88,000 deaths were attributed to alcohol use alone (Fitzgerald).These consequences not only place a physical and mental strain on the family, but a financial one as well. Families facing drug abuse have a higher risk of separation and divorce.
Drug abuse is a major contributor to both social and economic problems. It plays a major role in poverty and homelessness. "31% of America's homeless suffer from drug abuse or alcoholism (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA))." It effects everything from lost earnings and unemployment to lower property taxes.
Drugs and/or alcohol contribute to violence and higher crime rates. "Drugs are involved in up to 50% of the arrests for all major crimes, including theft, homicide, and assault (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Drug abuse creates criminals that fill our court systems, jails, and prisons. "As many as 60% of adults in Federal prisons are there for drug-related crimes (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA))." Whether from trying to pay for drugs or from erratic behavior associated with the use of drugs, drugs and crime have a definite link.
People driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol contribute up to 22% of vehicle crashes (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)). Not only is a driver's coordination and reaction time affected when driving under the influence, but certain drugs can cause blackouts or unconsciousness. The CDC reported that a person dies every 51 minutes due to an impaired driver (Fitzgerald). This is not always the person who is under the influence and leaves many people affected by drugs either directly or indirectly. It feeds into the cycle of destruction, creating pain, anguish, mental trauma, and the potential for more addicts or a relapse of addicts in recovery.
There is a direct connection that goes back and forth between drug abuse and child abuse. A victim of child abuse often turns to drugs abuse and the abuser is often a drug abuser, themselves. Approximately 80% of all child abuse and neglect cases involve drug abuse by at least one of the child's parents. On the other hand, at least two-thirds of the clients in recovery treatment facilities report that they were victims of physical and/or sexual abuse as children (The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA))." Children with one or two parents who abuse drugs have a greater chance of becoming an addict over a child who has parents that do not abuse drugs.
Drug abuse affects our education system. Children who suffer from the effects of their parents' drug abuse, force the education system to meet the needs of those children. This means that special classes may need to be available for learning disorders. This also means that counselors in the school systems need to be trained and prepared to accommodate the emotional needs of those children. Teachers and faculty should also have the knowhow to identify any signs of physical, sexual, or substance abuse, either to the child or by the child.
Drug abuse is a major contributor to public health problems. Addiction to any substance can be hard on a person's body and usually has health consequences. It is highly associated with heart disease and cancer.
Drug abuse goes hand-in-hand with risk-taking behavior. This includes unprotected sex, sharing needles, and drugged driving and is directly correlated to unwanted pregnancies, injuries, and deaths. Sharing needles put the user at a greater risk of contracting or spreading HIV/AIDs and hepatitis. It is one of the main reasons that new cases are reported every day. Unprotected sex not only leads to unwanted pregnancies, but also to a higher potential for sexually transmitted diseases.
The good news is that drug abuse is a preventable disease. Studies have shown that drug prevention programs involving family, schools and community is effective in reducing drug use. Educating kids on the dangers of drug use and the potential for addiction can offset the glamorizing shown in the media and lessen the pressure brought on by their peers.
Drug abuse is an intertwined web of issues, that overlap. It costs us on every level: individually, socially, and economically. Whether it's smoking, drinking, prescription drugs, or street drugs, drug abuse affects us all, either directly or indirectly. Drugs and substance abuse is all around us. It is in our media, on our streets, and in our homes. It impacts us on multiple levels, on an individual level, a family level, a community level, and an economic level and usually it is in more than one way. In spite of the complexities of the issues, it is mutually agreed by experts that the best way to combat drug abuse and its affects is to never start. In fact, there is research to support that the longer a person waits to try a substance, the less likely they will develop an addiction.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, Kelly. "15 Shocking Alcohol Statistics for Alcohol Awareness Month." Huffpost Healthy Living (2015). Blog.
Mayo Clinic. "Drug Addiction Risk Factors." Diseases and Conditions (2014). article.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Trends & Statistics. August 2015. Report. 25 April 2016.
-. "Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction." Drug Facts (2012). article.
Nordqvist, Christian. "MediLexicon International Ltd." 04 January 2016. Medical News Today. Document. 18 May 2016.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). " Drug Abuse and Addiction: One of America's Most Challenging Public Health Problems." Magnitude (n.d.). Online Journal.
