Prevention Measures in the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 - Essay Example

?Prevention measures in the National Drugs Strategy 2001 – 2008 and their implications for counseling interventions Drug abuse in our daily lives refers to all the psycho-social and legal situations arising because of excessive usage of drugs. Drug abuse is not a problem of an individual but  rather it creates a helpless situation for everyone living with that person, making it a problem of whole community  and eventually causing it to prove a menace for country’s economy as well. Researches states that drug abuse is highest prevalent among male ,young adults .Few things that further makes the individual more prone are  droping out from school, irresponsible attitude of parents, living in disadvantaged community , lack of healthy  activities to keep the youth busy. In order to cure our community of this disease strategies such as “The National Strategy “ mainly emphasis on supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research. For prevention , providing people with healthy and useful activities is one of the most important entity, apart from that supporting dropped  our children to join the school again and councelling  parents is also important. Introduction Drug prevention strategy is a vital part of the governmental policy of any state, nation or country. Governments recognize that drugs are a complicated issue that requires cooperation from different government and non government agencies as well as involvement of professionals and society. Ireland has committed itself to the prevention of drug usage and in May 2001 the National Drugs strategy 2001-2008 was launched. The National Drugs strategy focuses on dealing with drug issues in a comprehensive manner by involving the community and other stakeholders and formulating objectives and implementing measures that focus on prevention (National Crime Council, 2001). The National Drugs Strategy focuses on four pillars; supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research to eradicate the complex issue of drugs in the society. The strategy also focuses on schools and the vital role that they play in preventing and controlling drug abuse. In order to mitigate the existing burden of drug abuse amongst the youth, the strategy requires that schools have substance abuse policies in place with the objective of the welfare and protection of the youth, in accordance with the Education Act 1998 and the Education Welfare Act, 2000 (National Crime Council, 2001). This report focuses on prevention issues, family and community issues in drug abuse and how they affect counseling intervention. The report will outline these issues and evaluates how counseling can better address these issues. The National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 will be reviewed and compared with the National Drugs Strategy 2009-2016 (National Crime Council, 2001). National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 Drug abuse or problem drug use, as it is commonly referred to as, refers to drug usage which causes “social, psychological, physical or legal difficulties as a result of an excessive compulsion to continue taking drug (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001).” Drug abuse is a commonly prevalent problem in throughout the world which has several detrimental effects on not only the individual involved in abuse, but also on the society also poses a significant burden on the economy. In Ireland, the lifetime prevalence of drug abuse has been shown to be as high as 38% (National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) & Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB), 2008) and the most common drug of abuse in Ireland has been found to be Cannabis (National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) & Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB), 2008). It has been found that the prevalence of drug abuse is highest amongst young adults and there is a greater prevalence of drug abuse amongst males as compared to females in Ireland (National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) & Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB), 2008). Surveys have found that alcohol abuse costs about 2.65 billion Euros to the government of Ireland each year and the health care related costs of alcohol abuse only amounts to 433 million Euros (Smyth, 2004). Moreover, alcohol abuse also results in significant morbidity and mortality, causing the death of one in every four individuals involved in its abuse (Smyth, 2004). Judging from the burden imposed by alcohol abuse only, the magnitude of the burden imposed by the problem of drug abuse from all other substances can be gauged. The Government of Ireland has undertaken several measures to combat this problem of drug abuse in the country, and one such measure is the launch of the National Drug Strategy. The National Drug Strategy was formulated in 2001 with the aim of reducing the ill effects of the use of illicit drugs on the individuals, their families and the society as a whole. There were four main domains of focus of this strategy, viz. supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). Prevention issues in the National Drugs strategy 2001-2008 With regard to prevention, the main issues that need to be addressed include education and creating awareness regarding drug abuse. While formulating strategies to improve education and awareness regarding drug abuse, a vital issue that has been identified as being a key-player in promoting drug abuse is the early school leaving age, which needs to be countered by providing effective measures. Early school leaving age thrusts vulnerable young adults into areas that they are not fully equipped to deal with, which results in bad decisions (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). Individuals who drop out of school at an early age generally lack any particular goals and objectives in life and are vulnerable to fall in the company of peers with deviant behaviors which predisposes them to undertake substance abuse (Smyth, 2004). A proposed solution for this problem is the development and implementation of “stay in school” programs which promote the completion of school amongst individuals predisposed to leave school at an early age and underscore the importance of preventing school dropouts (Smyth, 2004). Role of schools in the prevention of substance abuse It has been found that school programs to create awareness regarding substance abuse and the available preventive measures are an effective strategy to decrease the rates of substance abuse amongst youth. After the implementation of the National Drugs Strategy, several school based programs have been introduced in Ireland. The two programs implemented in school ‘Walk Tall’ and ‘On my Own Two Feet’ have received positive feedback from schools, however in the current environment these programs are no longer as culturally relevant as before. These programs require review and improvements to analyze their relevance and age appropriateness. An important measure missing from the strategy is the involvement of the Department of Education and Science in guiding schools in developing drugs policies. (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). Although, it is difficult to enlist parents of the most susceptible students in school drug education programs, it is imperative that parents are an active part of these programs. Moreover, it has also been elucidated that preschool programs are required to support students that are likely to drop out of school and thus are unable to derive any benefits from current programs (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). Community issues: Studies have revealed that there is a strong link between the disadvantaged communities and drug problems. Individuals from disadvantages communities are more predisposed to being involved in problems such as drug abuse. In Ireland, the main areas which have been found to have the highest rates of drug abuse include Ballyfermot, Ballymun, Blanchardstown, the Canal Communities, Clondalkin, Dublin North Inner City, Dublin South Inner City, Dublin 12, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, FinglasCabra, Cork City, North East Dublin and Tallaght (National Crime Council, 2001) There are several determinants of drug abuse amongst people belonging to disadvantaged communities. These include unemployment and homelessness amongst other factors. Studies have elucidated that the lifetime prevalence of illicit drug abuse amongst homeless individuals in Ireland is around 27% (O’Gorman, 2002). Moreover, research has revealed that the relationship between homelessness and drug abuse is two-pronged. While homelessness predisposes an individual to take up drug abuse, it has also been found that about a quarter of homeless people, in particular the young generation, in Ireland report that the reason behind them being homelessness is drug/alcohol abuse (O’Gorman, 2002). Thus, there is a great need for integrated measures that address drug misuse in disadvantaged communities which do not receive adequate support to address the disadvantages and thus consequently lessen the problem. Family issues in prevention re targeting vulnerable/disadvantaged families: The role of families in the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse is also a very crucial factor as family acceptance and adult misuse greatly affects the attitude and habits of the children. The connection between the level of alcohol consumption and drug misuse was found outside Dublin. Parents were found to be unaware of drug misuse issues and unable to deal with them. Many parents were unable to devote sufficient time to their children and thus unable to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. This calls for the development of programs and support systems geared to helping parents by promoting awareness and measures that will enable them to better supervise their children and prevent the development of drug abuse in their families. These programs need to be specialized towards children that are at risk (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). Any counseling in this regard should thus focus on promoting positive and protective family factors such as parental supervision, parent-offspring attachment and having a confiding relationship with parents, and the formulation and implementation of rules and regulations on the part of the parents (Smyth, 2004). Another important measure that can be undertaken to decrease the prevalence of drug abuse amongst adolescents is the promotion of sports and recreation. These avenues provide children with healthy distraction away from drugs. (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). Moreover, in order to create awareness regarding drug abuse, several different programs have been introduced, Till date, the programs that gathered support are a national media awareness campaign using influential figures such as celebrities to spread awareness about drug misuse in Ireland (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001). There is a need to develop support systems for users that allow individuals involved in drug abuse to reach out for help instead of being stigmatized and ostracized. A database providing all relevant information to stakeholders should be established, and the media line should be streamlined to address the problem in an unbiased and responsible manner. The corporate sector in Ireland has remained relatively uninvolved and can play an integral part in awareness and prevention campaigns through sponsorship and development of programs in corporations. (Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation, 2001) Differences between 2001-2008 and 2009-2016 National Drugs Strategy: Conclusion: The National drug strategy is a comprehensive strategy which is based on four basic pillars. They are supply reduction, prevention, treatment and research to eradicate the complex issue of drugs in the society. The strategy also lays emphasis on the fact that schools should have substance abuse measures at hand as they can play a vital role. the main measure used by the Government of Ireland is the National Drug Strategy which aims to reduce the effects of drugs. This strategy integrates schools, communities and family efforts to prevent and treat drug abuse. References Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation. (2001). Building on Experience: National Drugs strategy 2001-2008. Dublin: Government Publications. National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) & Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB). (2008). Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland 2006/2007 Drug Prevalence Survey: Cannabis Results. NACD AND PHIRB. National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) & Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB). (2008). Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland 2006/2007 Drug Prevalence Survey: Regional Drugs Task Force (Ireland) & Health and Social Services Board (Northern Ireland) Results . NACD and PHIRB. National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) & Public Health Information and Research Branch (PHIRB). (2008). Drug Use in Ireland and Northern Ireland: First Results from the 2006/2007 Drug Prevalence Survey. NACD and PHIRB. National Crime Council. (2001). National Drugs strategy 2001-2008. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from National Crime Council: http://www.crimecouncil.gov.ie/national_drugs_strategy.html O’Gorman, A. (2002). Overview of Research on Drug Misuse among the homeless in Ireland. Homelessness and Problem Drug Use . Smyth, B. (2004). Adolescent Substance Misuse in Ireland: From an Ireland of Craic to an Island of Crack? The Drug Treatment Centre Board . Read More