Drug Abuse as a Pandemic in the Contemporary Society - Essay Example

Drug Abuse The WHO asserts that drug abuse is a pandemic in the contemporary society. Drug abuse relates to an intense desire to obtain increasing amounts of a particular prohibited substance in the body system (Bowser, Word & Seddon, 2014). Drug abuse destroys the individual lives of the victims as well as those who surround them. The problem affects the victim in numerous ways because they are not good for the body, that is, they are harmful to the body. Drug abuse can harm the body system of an individual in numerous ways, such as the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys and also the brain. These organs can be heavily damaged by the introduction of the harmful drugs into the body system (Bowser, Word & Seddon, 2014). The organs as we know are very significant to the standard or required functioning of the body. The United States is the leading in terms of illegal drug use globally. The objective of this essay is to discuss comprehensively on how drug abuse has influenced the society, my personal life as well as its significance of handling the issue. Men, women and teenagers within the United States are widely experiencing the effects of drug abuse and have become addicted victims. Drugs such as Alcohol, cocaine, heroin and meth. Marijuana is among the drugs that are often abused, although, it is not technically addictive. All these drugs fall under the prohibited drugs in the American Law. However, Marijuana has been legalized in other places. Some other states are still in a discussion regarding the legalization of marijuana. These drugs are by all mean destructive as they lead to loss of job, families as well as homes. Drug abuse is a problem that has been relevant in the public domain for several decades (Bowser, Word & Seddon, 2014). Some drugs such as cocaine, are rather expensive and used by individuals from wealthier families. The drug has physical and psychological effects on the victim. Methamphetamine is another seriously effective drugs and among the fastest growing in the United States. The effects are relatively harsh to the user and can be awfully concerning. Addicts experience a decline in appetite, high blood pressure, high body temperature, and violent behavior. The users can become irritable and paranoid. Unfortunately, meth can lead to permanent damage of the brain or cause ailments such as Parkinson’s. Heroin, on the other hand, has destroyed several families in the United States (Orford, Velleman, Copello, Templeton & Ibanga, 2010). Individuals who abuse the drug become psychologically and physically addicted (Arcidiancono, Velleman & Procentese, 2009). Alcohol is another drug that has become a pandemic in the United States. There is a likelihood whereby the alcohol drinkers abuse other drugs. Alcohol has affected the American society heavily. It causes the highest number of road accidents, which is the leading cause of deaths in the U.S. Violence also feature in the picture that may also lead to injury or even homicide cases. Alcohol and drug abuse are the leading agents forcing students to drop out of school. The only reasonable way of handling addiction and drug abuse is by completely stopping or refraining from using it. One has to set personal goals and objectives and remain persistent and self-driven. It is also wise and productive to obtain professional assistance. It is significant towards handling addiction to admit the problem. From that point, it will be easy to handle the problem. I have personally experienced effects of addiction. My father had a tendency of stealing from every member of the family several times. With respect to all the stealing done by my Dad, the home became an uncomfortable place during bedtime. Trust issues begun as my father was no longer trustworthy. He had his own construction business in which he generated a good revenue when he was out of prison. Nonetheless, the fruits of his effort were never seen by my instant family because his revenue was quickly spent on drugs and occasionally alcohol. The inability to depend on my father’s income to help with the bills and all the other contemporary expenses about running a home and rearing children was a financial burden on my mother. Those periods were an utter economic pressure on my mum, but then she handled the situation in the best way she could. There was massive arguing amid my mom and dad as well as my siblings. We completely sided with my mother, because our father did not play a role in our lives when he was out of jail. Through this whole journey of witnessing my father’s drug addiction, I begin to dislike my dad strongly, because he wouldn’t do right by stopping his excessive use of drugs. My Dad didn’t know how to communicate with my siblings and me without coming off as if he was chastising us for something. I never expressed to him how his actions were affecting me, and I almost didn’t feel the need to. This is because I felt that he should be aware or should be able to recognize how he was making me feel by my mean actions towards him, nonetheless, he paid no attention. Living or having a drug or alcohol addicted family members made non-addictive household members strive with trusting the drug and alcohol addicted family, members. It brought about the feeling of hatred, bitterness, constant worry strains on non-addicted family members. There are many different perceptions that drug and alcohol addict family members’ experience when being in close quarters with drug and alcohol addicts. Family members who live with a family member who misuses drugs and alcohol say that it is very stressful. They say that the diminishing expected relationship that should be between the family and the drug and alcohol drug user is the primary cause of the stress they experience. The level of love and trust that should be there tends to diminish or hides. Most family members of misusers invest a lot of time and effort into helping the drug user overcome their addiction, and they get abused themselves making no progress (Orford, et al. 2010). In interactions between the drug and alcohol drug user and his or her family members, the addict is said to be the one that sets themselves apart from the rest of the family. Addicts have been reported to engage in aggressive behavior such as verbal abuse, bad temper, discourtesy, negatively judging, tyrannizing, being baleful and being destructive (Orford, et al., 2010). Family members have to deal with being unknowledgeable about the drug user in regards to the inconsistency of the addict being in the home and playing the role he/she needs to play in the home. The family atmosphere tends to be threatened when a drug and alcohol addict is part of the family, mainly because of the many disagreements. The planned upbringing of children can be interrupted by the relative’s addiction, as well as, children witnessing the aggressiveness of the relative. The home of the drug and alcohol relatives tends to lose it’s up keeping and safety, due to the addict destructing things within the home and bringing other drug/alcohol misusers into the home. AFMs are reluctant to leave their home for extended trips and leaving the abusing relative in their home, in fear of what may happen within the home or to the home and what valuable things may go missing. More personally, family members have to worry about how the stress they experience could be affecting their physical and mental health, knowing that stress can cause other health issues (Orford, et al. 2010). The concern of how drug or alcohol addict’s actions affect their families is very significant to the scope of family therapy since the focus is on supporting the family rather than the drug and alcohol addict. The “family” is a very crucial part of society; providing communicating skills, expectations of living, self-worth, and links us to society (Csiernik, 2002). The family appears as being a secondary unit, with the substance addict relative being the primary unit (Csiernik, 2002). Very rarely, affected family members receive positive social support, because the majority of the time they do not access the support they expect to receive. Most affected family members prefer emotional support; just having someone who is non-judgmental and accepting to vent to (Orford, Velleman, Copello, Templeton & Ibanga, 2010). Studies have proven that the actions of alcohol or drug addicts can negatively affect the family members of the drug and alcohol addict (Arcidiancono, Velleman & Procentese, 2009). This issue is a growing epidemic; globally there are about fifteen million people that misuse drugs and seventy-six million people who misuse alcohol. Where there was one family member for every drug and alcohol addict affected by the actions of the drug or alcohol addict, we would be looking at ninety-one million impacted family members. Studies have portrayed that the lives of four to six people are affected by substance addicts relatives (Csiernik, 2002). There is no known number of family members that may feel the effects from their drug and alcohol addict family members (Copello, Templeton, & Powell, 2010). References Arcidiacono, C., Velleman, R. & Procentese, F. (2009). A synergy between action research and mixed methods design for improving services and treatment for family members of heavy alcohol and drug users. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 20, 95-109. Bowser, B., Word, C., & Seddon, T. (2014). Understanding drug use and abuse. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Csiernik, R. (2002). Counseling for the family: The neglected aspect of addiction treatment in Canada. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 2(1), 79-90. Orford, J., Velleman, R., Copello, A., Templeton, L. & Ibanga, A. (2010). The experiences of affected family members: A summary of two decades of qualitative research. Drugs: education, prevention and policy, 17(S1), 44-62. Read More