The Issues of Alcohol and Drug Abuse - Essay Example

Alcohol and Other Drugs Table of Contents Introduction 3 Statistics and Facts 3 4 Influence of Social Determinants 5 Conclusion 8 References 9 Alcohol and Other Drugs Introduction The issues of alcohol and drug abuse have puzzled the global community for a long time. The most shocking is the trend that is evidenced especially among young users who have been increasing in numbers despite the many steps and antidotes that various governments and organizations have employed in the past few decades. According to Connolly (2007), alcohol and drug abuse is a major impediment to both social and economic development. It influences almost every sector in the economy either directly or indirectly. Australia is one of the countries that has been largely challenged by alcohol and drug use. The many cartels that keep the inflow of illicit drugs have made it possible for a larger portion of the Australian youths to get access to the drugs. The abuse is equally common such that the users have integrated it as a norm that is socially accepted. The impacts of this are far-reaching as it has caused a general disruption in the societal functioning and normal operation. Kuntsche, Dietze & Jenkinson (2014) define a drug as any substance that can interrupt and alter the natural functioning of the body system. For example, marijuana use changes the way a person’s cognitive system is wired to operate. An example is the hallucinations and delusions that come about are abnormal and unnatural. This essay seeks to explore expansively the topic of drugs and alcohol use and holistically evaluate its nuances. Alcohol and Drug Use Statistics and Facts According to Connolly (2007), in several cases, drugs and alcohol use begin at early adolescents or the onset of teenage years. More than 58% percent of the users report having tasted alcohol or substance of choice (SOC) during their teenage days. Studies have also revealed that men are more likely to be influenced at an early age to abuse drugs that women. This implies that the length of usage over lifespan for men is higher than that of women. In the United States alone, more that 9 % of teenage children are reported to be abusing alcohol and drugs annually. This is despite the stringent laws and regulations that prohibit the underage consumption of alcohol and drugs. Also, the most abused drug in the US is marijuana although others like cocaine and heroin are still extensively used. In Australia, drug use is normalized especially among the youth. It is construed as the ‘culture trend’ that almost all youths are expected to embrace. Factually, an approximately eighty-four percent of Australian youth have at least tasted the alcohol. About a third of the Australian teenagers drink alcohol every week. This is a clear indication that alcohol and drug abuse is a major concern in Australia and the entire world (Klein, 2013). Description of Alcohol and Other Drugs First, alcohol is a substance that is compounded by three components. Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen are the elements that are pooled through chemical processes to come up with alcohol (Todhri, 2014). While in has numerous ‘benefits’ that the users attribute it to, it has been found by researchers to have profound effects on diverse aspects of the abuser. Alcohol abuse is a term used to describe a situation when one overwhelmingly and inconsiderately consumes high amounts of alcohol than that which is recommended. There are many cases where people end up abusing alcohol despite the likely health problems that are probable. Physiologically, much of its health effects are on the liver although it also grossly affects the nervous system (Myers & Isralowitz, 2011). Consequently, other drugs that people abuse include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, sleeping pills, and prescription drugs among others. The principal idea behind the drugs is their ability to change the natural body responses. Whenever these drugs are consumed, individuals’ way of thinking and behavior change in response to the abused drug making them develop problems with their health, as well as the social functioning. As the statistics show, the most abused drug is marijuana. Influence of Social Determinants in Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs According to Jung (2010), drug and alcohol use do not ineludibly ‘attack’ someone. There are myriad issues that are likely to place individuals at higher risks of using. It has been demonstrated by the statistics that teenage is the phase of human life when people are likely to initiate drug and alcohol use. However, the question that many people ask is, what exactly causes an individual to start using drugs and alcohol? This question can be holistically be determined when a number of social determinants are evaluated. Socialization The path a children’s life will follow is, to a greater extent, dictated by the kind of socialization that they receive. The environmental factors and their contributions in molding a child’s behavior cannot be overlooked. The family is essentially the most fundamental unit of socialization. The kind of parenting that a child gets as they grow up will influence the life they embrace and the kind of behaviors they are likely to exhibit. Parents who adopt good and effective parenting styles will definitely raise children who are morally upright. Children who are empowered early enough to know how to make right decisions will not fall for the peers’ persuasion to take drugs even when they hit the teenage. However, those who were never cared for effectively may rebel and find solace in drugs and alcohol as well as other irresponsible deviant behaviors such as careless sexual intercourse (Wilson, Bryant, Holt, & Treloar, 2010). Significantly, the role other socialization agents play in the life of a child is great. Right from teachers to the general environment, children identify what is good or bad from the people they associate with. Teachers have the role of enlightening the students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol failure to which the child might not see the need for not using. Similarly, the peers are more likely to convince and influence fellow children especially children into abusing drugs. The report by Gwinnell & Adamec (2008) explains that above 85% of teenage users were influenced by their peers into using. It is, therefore, apparent that the social interactions that children have within their environments have direct influence in shaping their behaviors. Notably, it is not only children who get persuaded by their peers. There are numerous cases when older persons have tasted their first drink or puff and eventually developed addiction having been lured by their colleagues and friends. This indicates the extent to which socialization contributes to alcohol and other drugs’ use (Staff, Patrick, Loken, & Maggs, 2008). Education The interplay of lack of education and other factors in defining the behavior of an individual is worth consideration especially when evaluating alcohol and other drugs use. In the contemporary society, lack of education is a direct ticket to the world of poverty, distress, unemployment, poor health among others. Individuals who lack this generally rate low in the social assessments. They, therefore, resort to desperate behaviors such as excessive alcohol intake and drug abuse to compensate for the losses and probably bring some ‘temporary peace’ (Stevenson & Sommers, 2006). This happens mostly with the youth whose parents wallowed in abject poverty and could not afford their education or those who dropped due to personal reasons. Drug use becomes the solution to their problems. In a different perspective, lack of education can be seen as lack of information and the drug users are abusing because they do not understand the damage the drugs can cause them (Lynskey, Agrawal, Henders, Nelson, Madden & Martin, 2012). Other Social Problems There are a number of social problems that can happen in a life of someone that compel them into using. For example, discrimination, prejudices, low self-esteem, racial abuse, rape among other are some of the social problems that may push someone into using drugs and alcohol to evade their realities. Death, war, work stress, poor living conditions and others have seen several people engaging in binge drinking and excessive drug abuse. As Isralowitz & Myers (2011) put it, it human nature to protect their ego and finding something can take one away from the reality of that unfavorable condition becomes almost inevitable. For example, street children are observably abusing drugs because they cannot stand the cold nights and several days without food on the streets. Taking some drugs would make them easy with the life they are going through and the traumatic experiences they encounter. These social problems haunt psychologically and finding something that can counter this is seen as a viable solution that can help solve the problems (Gray & Wilkes, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, the issue of alcohol and drug abuse is a global disaster that has been in existence for quite a long time. The have been several attempts made to find a solution but it seems like it is not ending. It is highly prevalent among the young people as statistical reports indicate teenage years are the prime times when drug experimentation is done. Identifiably, socialization, lack of education, and social problems among other are some the major facilitators of alcohol and drug use. This means the governments stand a high chance of eradicating the menace if these social determinants are addressed effectively. References Connolly, S. (2007). Alcohol. North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media. Gray, D., & Wilkes, E. (2010). Reducing Alcohol and other drug related harm. Retrieved 11 May 2015, from http://www.aihw.gov.au/uploadedFiles/ClosingTheGap/Content/Publications/2010/ctgc-rs03.rtf Gwinnell, E., & Adamec, C. (2008). The encyclopedia of drug abuse. New York NY: Facts On File. Isralowitz, R., & Myers, P. (2011). Illicit drugs. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood. Jung, J. (2010). Alcohol, other drugs, and behavior. Los Angeles: Sage. Klein, A. (2013). Drugs, alcohol and other vices. Drugs And Alcohol Today, 13(4). doi:10.1108/dat-09-2013-0039 Kuntsche, E., Dietze, P., & Jenkinson, R. (2014). Understanding alcohol and other drug use during the event. Drug Alcohol Rev, 33(4), 335-337. doi:10.1111/dar.12171 Lynskey, M.T., Agrawal, A., Henders, A., Nelson, E.C., Madden, P.A.F & Martin, N.G. (2012). An Australian Twin Study of Cannabis and other illicit drug use and misuse, and other psychopathology. Journal Of The International Society For Twin Studies, 15 (5), 631-641. Myers, P., & Isralowitz, R. (2011). Alcohol. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood. Staff, J., Patrick, M., Loken, E., & Maggs, J. (2008). Teenage Alcohol Use and Educational Attainment. J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 69(6), 848-858. doi:10.15288/jsad.2008.69.848 Stevenson, J., & Sommers, M. (2006). Alcohol use, misuse, abuse and dependence. New York: Springer. Todhri, F. (2014). The Prevalence of Illegal Drug Use. Academic Journal Of Interdisciplinary Studies. doi:10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n3p530 Wilson, H., Bryant, J., Holt, M., & Treloar, C. (2010). Normalisation of recreational drug use among young people: Evidence about accessibility, use and contact with other drug users. Health Sociology Review, 19(2), 164-175. doi:10.5172/hesr.2010.19.2.164 Read More