Alcohol and Amphetamine Use in Pilbara - Case Study Example

Alcohol and Amphetamine use in Pilbara Name Institution Alcohol and Amphetamine use in Pilbara Drug abuse and addiction are one of the most common problems that any society across the world has to deal with on a daily basis. Drug and alcohol addiction is considered a disease that requires patience, guidance and counselling being shown towards the patients for them to get better (NIH, 2016). Drugs intensify the pleasure that one experiences after taking them. These pleasurable moments serve as a motivation for people to take the drugs continuously. However, upon constant drug or alcohol use, they become hooked on the drugs permanently. Despite the efforts to quit the drugs, they are unable to stop taking the drugs. Drugs and alcohol are in most cases blamed for the community problems that the society experiences. Although drugs and alcohol use contributes to an increase in community harms, they are not the sole source of community harms. State of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants and Alcohol Related Crime in Pilbara The rate of drugs abuse in Australia has changed over the years. The changes vary depending on the particular drug. For example, the change of alcohol use rate is different from that of amphetamine use. It is, therefore, important to address each specific change rate separately so that appropriate solutions can be customized to fit the problem posed by each of the drugs. Failure to do this would lead to generalized solutions that would not be effective in the elimination of most of the drugs. Solving the problems posed by drugs should further be analysed according to a particular region of a country. The use may vary in the different regions based on the preferences of drug abusers and the availability of the drugs. Failure to do this would also lead to a country making generalized decisions that would be effective in few places and epic failures in others. One of the commonly used drugs in Pilbara is alcohol. The Pilbara residents see it as the reason for all the crimes in Pilbara. The Pilbara residents feel that an increase in the rates of alcohol abuse leads to an increase in crimes committed in the district. However, according to the national statistics, the rate of alcohol abuse has decreased over the years. This is the case for both genders. National statistics further suggest that the number of people in Australia that go to rehabs to get treatment for their alcohol addiction has increased over the years thus the reduced numbers in alcohol users (Roxburgh, et al., 2013). The statistics of alcohol use in Pilbara, on the other hand, show that there has been an increase in alcohol consumption (Gately, Ellis & Morris, 2016). There has also been an increase in alcohol-related violence in the region thereby justifying the anger of the residents towards alcohol. 76.8% of the domestic violence in the district is alcohol related (Gately, Ellis & Morris, 2016). Another common drug in Pilbara is amphetamine and its related substances. The residents of Pilbara also believe that the use of this drug has increased over the years and that community harms have increased due to the increase in the drug. Based on the national statistics, however, the trend in use of amphetamine has decreased over the years (Roxburgh, et al., 2013). The different statistics analysis companies have recorded the same pattern at the national level. The number of people arrested for using amphetamine or its related substances has however increased over the years. The change rate of the drug in Pilbara is, however, different from the national statistics. Pilbara based statistics record an increase in the use of amphetamine over the years. Approximately a quarter of the population takes the drug (Gately, Ellis & Morris, 2016). Amphetamine health related issues have also increased over the years. What is it Likely to be in 12 months One of the government initiatives developed to curb the use of drugs and alcohol in Pilbara is funding institutions that provide rehab services (Government of Western Australia, 2017). This is meant to help the citizens addicted to alcohol, and other drugs get the help that they require to stop their addiction by providing the finances that they may not have when in need of rehab services. However, the government did not address the root cause of the problem. The residents of Pilbara district may therefore not want to use the free services offered by the government to overcome their addictions. The rates of alcohol and drug addiction in the region are therefore bound to increase in the next one year. Bamford (2017) explains how Coles gave their customers in Western Australia vouchers that they could use in Liquorland. Although the winners could use the cards in other stores, they are more likely to utilize them in the liquor store than they are likely to use in any other store. These cards make the government’s efforts inferior and unsuccessful. The rates of alcohol, amphetamine, and its related substances use, is therefore bound to increase for the next one year. Community Harms The indigenous groups in Australia face a vast possibility of community harms. One of these community problems is health problems, violence, crimes, behavioural and mental disorder as well as family breakdowns. Although every other community in Western Australia faces these community harms, it is experienced at a higher rate amongst the indigenous groups in Kimberley and Pilbara. The government, therefore, tries to find the solution for this problem in a move to promote equality amongst all races in Australia. Different groups of factors cause these community harms. To eliminate the community harms successfully, the government should identify the various factors that cause them since they are interrelated with drug and alcohol addiction. Political Factors One of the political factors that contribute to the community harms experienced by the indigenous groups in both Kimberley and Pilbara is the generalized laws in the country. The legislation regarding the use of drugs targets at ending the use of drugs across the whole country. They, therefore, fail to be successful in Kimberley and Pilbara because the groups in the two districts have different characteristics from those in other regions in Western Australia. The laws fail to factor in challenges experienced by the people living in the two areas, which makes them ineffective. They further do not consider the reasons for the high drug abuse in the districts. Failure to address these causes renders the laws powerless. The laws further fail to address the issues that cause low education enrolment rates in the communities. These failures contribute to the high levels of community harms. Another political factor is the inability of the government to fund the regions correctly. The government in Australia have a habit of focusing their energies in the more developed areas and neglecting the less developed areas such as Pilbara and Kimberley. Failure to develop the area makes it difficult for the residents to access important amenities such as hospitals or schools. Leaders in the country often consider developing the areas that the indigenous groups live as well as funding these groups as a waste of time. For example, in 2014 Premier Barnett was thinking of stopping the funds given to these groups because he saw it as an unnecessary cost (Kagi, 2014). He only withdrew from seeing this through after people across the whole country protested against the decision. Since then the government has been strategizing ion how it would improve the lives of the indigenous population. However, despite the efforts to rectify this problem, the indigenous groups in the remote areas have been neglected for far too long. Thus, it will take long for the group to recover or the region to be developed into the same standards that other regions in Western Australia have. Social Factors One of the social factors that contribute to the high rates of community harms is poor nutrition. According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2011), many indigenous persons that are obese. The number of individuals that fall under the categories overweight or obese is higher than the number of people categorised as "normal weight" or “underweight." The weight issues contribute to other health problems such as hypertension. Most of the indigenous people in Pilbara and Kimberley eat more servings than is recommended by nutritionists, which leads to a high number of them having more weight than they should. Poor nutrition also contributes to the large number of people with mental and behavioural disorders in Kimberley and Pilbara. One needs to consume a balanced diet especially as a child to ensure that the brain develops correctly and that chances of having mental disorders are eliminated (O’Neil, et al., 2014). The lack of exercise also causes the community harms. According to statistics, most of the indigenous people hardly engage in any physical activities. Most of them do not see the need to be physically active. This contributes to the high rates of poor health amongst them. The chances of getting most of the health conditions are reduced by a high percentage when one engages in physical activities. For example, the weight can be regulated through constant exercise. This, in turn, reduces the chances of getting chronic diseases such as heart conditions. The same is true concerning mental and behavioural disorders. The children and adolescents that record low levels of physical activities have higher chances of having mental and behavioural disorders (Mangeru, et al., 2014). Low rates of physical activities further contribute to the high levels of crime amongst the indigenous people in Western Australia. The physical activities help reduce crime rates by keeping the youths in a region busy. The young people in both Pilbara and Kimberley have a lot of free time in their hands. They, therefore, engage in crime to keep themselves busy. Another social factor that contributes to the high rates of community harms is education. The rates at which the indigenous groups enrol in schools is much lower than the non-indigenous groups. Although the government has made initiatives meant to encourage higher enrolments rates, they remain relatively low. According to statistics, the rates of attendance of indigenous groups is further low, which further reduces the chances of the groups from getting as much knowledge as possible. The attendance rates are 76.3%, which is much lower when compared to the 92.2% of non-indigenous groups (Department of Education, 2016). The dropout rates are also higher amongst the indigenous groups especially after Year 10. Many of the indigenous groups do not see the need for formal education, which is in line with the statistical findings. The low level of education contributes to the high level of crime and violence because most of the people cannot get jobs since most of the jobs require that one have formal education. They engage in crime as a way of solving their financial problems. The lack of education also leads to the groups disregarding the importance and effects of nutrition on the quality of life that one leads. The social factors further include the abuse of drugs amongst the indigenous groups. According to Government of Western Australia Drug and Alcohol Office (2016), some of the most abused drugs in Western Australia are alcohol, heroin, amphetamine, and its substances. The office further identifies the most affected groups as indigenous groups with the youths making the largest group. One of the effects of abuse of drugs is the development of mental health problems. The drugs mess with the ability of the brain to function. Drugs also contribute to behavioural disorders since one's behaviour and mood is negative if he or she has not used the drugs that he or she has an addiction. Consequently, drugs contribute to the increased rates of violence in both Pilbara and Kimberley since most of the drug users can hardly control their attitudes or behaviour. The use of drugs also acts as a major contributor to high crime rates in the Kimberley and Pilbara. Most of the drug abusers do not have jobs to finance their drugs purchases. They, therefore, resort to crime to meet their financial needs. Family setups are also threatened by the high consumption rates of drugs especially alcohol. Parents that engage in substance abuse end up neglecting their children. Intake of drugs, therefore, threatens family set ups. Cultural hindrances are also major contributors to community harms experienced by remote communities in Pilbara and Kimberley. Many of the families in these communities still confine themselves to the traditional roles of wives and husbands in family set ups. The wife is therefore expected to stay at home taking care of the children and doing the house chores. The husband, on the other hand, has a responsibility of meeting the financial needs of the family and providing protection to his family. This restricts many women in these communities from seeking jobs, which explains the fact that approximately 50% of the women are not in labour force (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). This lowers the total income for most of these families. They are therefore unable to meet their financial needs as adequately as they would wish to meet them. This leads to many people resorting to crime to meet the growing financial needs. Financial strain also leads to most of these people being depressed. The depression influences them to make irrational decisions such as using excessive force. Economic Factors The economic factors that cause community harms in Pilbara and Kimberley include high poverty rates in the regions. Most of the families in the districts do not have the financial capability to meet their needs. They, therefore, have to do without most of the things that are vital to their survival. The high poverty rates make it impossible for these families to meet their basic needs adequately. The houses are, therefore, in bad shape. This exposes the family members to extreme weather conditions, which in turn increases the probability of falling sick. The high poverty rates also lead to increased violence rates in the families as well as within the communities. The family members are all under stress from their financial lack. This stress thus influences their decisions. They become violent at the slightest provocation by anyone around them. They may also resort to drug abuse as a way of coping with the stress that they have to deal with on a daily basis. The high unemployment rates further contribute to the community harms that the remote communities in Pilbara and Kimberley face. The unemployment rates amongst the indigenous groups in Western Australia is higher than the unemployment rates of non-indigenous communities. The level of unemployment in aboriginal communities is 17.2%, which is much greater than the 5.5 % unemployment rate of non-indigenous communities (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Most of the people in these communities that are unemployed are the youths of ages 15-24 years (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). The unemployed youths make rushed decisions while trying to solve their financial problems. They, therefore, engage in violent crimes such as robbery with violence. As a result, the dangers that threaten the lives of the members of the communities increase while the death toll rises. Involvement in crime may also lead to family breakdowns since the person that engages does so against the will of most members of the family, thus becomes estranged. Economic factors also include the low wages that the indigenous groups receive from the jobs that they work. Although there has been a recorded increase in the wages earned in each family, the wages are still very low to cater for the needs of every member of the household. The current approximate income per week is $340 (Davidoff and Duh, 2008). The non-indigenous communities as well recorded an increase in their average income. Their current income per household is $618 (Davidoff and Duh, 2008). This disparity contributes to the differences in the ability of the two groups to meet their needs. The financial strain amongst the indigenous families causes tension in the relationship between family members. Some of the people become violent towards their families while others resort to committing suicide or abusing drugs. Demographic Factors The community harms experienced by the indigenous communities in Kimberley and Pilbara are further caused by demographic factors. One of the demographic factors is the number of people in each family. The number of people in each home is very high when compared to the total income that each of the family gets weekly. The little income makes it difficult for these groups to meet their financial needs. They, therefore, feed on food that does not have the nutritional value they need in their bodies, which makes it easy for them to fall sick. The small income is further insufficient for all the family members to get health insurance. Thus, they find it difficult to access proper healthcare services when they require it most. The low income and the many family members it should serve further makes some of the family members pull away because they feel that it would be easier for them if they did not have to share the small salary that they got. The demographic factors also include the fact that the number of unemployed indigenous people is higher than the number of unemployed non-indigenous people. While the rate of unemployment amongst the non-indigenous people is 4%, the rate of unemployment amongst the indigenous people is much higher since it is 13% (Davidoff and Duh, 2008). This contributes to the higher rates of community harms amongst the indigenous communities and the lower rates of community harms in non-indigenous communities. Therefore, the number of people that become involved in crimes and violence in the indigenous communities is, therefore, higher than that of the non-indigenous communities. The higher rates of unemployment also contribute to the higher rate of health related issues amongst the indigenous groups. The demographic factors that the further contribute to the high community harms amongst the remote communities in Kimberley and Pilbara include the ratio of the number of people to the number of hospitals available in the regions. There are approximately 46,730 people in Kimberley. The number of hospitals in the area, on the other hand, is five, which is much lower than is expected for such a big population (Rural Health West, n.d). The population density of these communities will keep growing over the years. Thus, more strain is expected in the available hospitals. The low number of hospitals risks the lives of residents in both Pilbara and Kimberley. In case of an infection outbreak, the hospitals would not meet the needs of the sick successfully. The low number of hospitals in the region also makes going to the hospital seem like an inconvenience to the remote communities since they would have to spend long hours before getting treatment. Thus, there is a high number of people that succumb to diseases that would have been cured easily in a hospital. The low number of students in the two regions further contribute to the high levels of community harms. Many students in the remote areas do not complete school to Year 12. The schools that students in this level of education, therefore, are reduced to match this need. The reduced number of schools that offer Year 11 and 12 forces the students to have to move to other parts of the country (Commissioner for Children and Young People, 2015). Moving away from their homes gives the students an opportunity to experience life away from home. It should therefore not be surprising when these students to choose to stay away from home. This contributes to the high number of estranged indigenous youths in the regions. Most of them may feel that they can get excellent opportunities to improve their lives away from home because other areas are more developed than their home districts. In these regions as well, they can explore and consider many job opportunities that pay fairly. Organizational Factors One of the organizational factors that contributes to community harms in Pilbara and Kimberley are the shortages of teachers in the schools in the two regions. Despite the weak and uneven distribution of government schools in Pilbara and Kimberley, the government fails to employ enough teachers to serve the members of the remote communities. The workload, therefore, overwhelms the teachers that teach in these schools. The shortage of teachers in schools forces the administrators in these schools to hire unqualified people to fill in the vacant positions (ABC, 2007). The teachers’ shortage in the regions makes both the parents and students feel that attending school is a wastage of time. They, therefore, dropout of school and miss gaining knowledge that would be useful to them in future. For example, the families in the region would improve their meal planning ability if they had well-educated persons within the families that would inform them of the contents of a nutritious meal. They would thus reduce the avoidable diseases caused by poor nutrition. The distribution of police stations is an organization factor that contributes to the high rates of communal harms. There are sections of Kimberley and Pilbara that have no police stations whatsoever. One of these sections is the eastern part of Pilbara. The absence of police stations in these areas encourages a consistent rise in the rate of crime. The residents have to travel for miles before they can get any help from the local police. The organizational shortcoming of the police department is not highlighted by the uneven distribution alone but also by the shortage of police officers in the region (Adshead & Taylor, 2017). Consequently, the police stations in the two areas are unable to fulfil their duties effectively. The rate of crime and violence in the regions thereby increase daily since the law offenders are hardly given the justice that they deserve for their actions. The organizational factors that contribute to the criminal harms that are experienced by remote communities in Kimberley and Pilbara further include the shortage of personnel in hospitals. There are hardly enough health professionals in the hospitals in all remote areas in Western Australia (ABC, 2015). The shortage of practitioners in both Kimberley and Pilbara increases the chances of the residents of the two districts losing their lives. In most cases, they have to travel long distances before they can get doctors that can help cure their health conditions. Thus, most of them hesitate to go to hospitals. Their life expectancy is thereby decreased considerably. The fact that there are areas that there are no hospitals further worsens the situation. People in these areas have to rely on the help of volunteers to get the medical assistance they require (ABC, 2015). The organizational factors further include the accessibility of banks and loans. According to Regional Development Australia Pilbara (2015), the most common method of getting loans in in Pilbara is through banks. However, the remote communities in Kimberley and Pilbara complain that it is difficult for them to access any loans. One of the reasons why they think that getting a loan is difficult is because the banks require them to secure loans. Although this practice is common in Australia, approximately 70% of the population find getting security for loans difficult. Thus, they miss the opportunity of using credit to improve their lives or businesses (Regional Development Australia Pilbara, 2015). They also feel that the interest rates are too high for them. This is despite the rates being the same throughout the country. They, therefore, continue to live in poverty and have to deal with consequences such as stress, which leads to violence or withdrawal, poor health, and many others. Conclusion Evidently, a wide range of factors causes community harms in Pilbara and Kimberley. Although the residents of the two districts see drug abuse and alcohol use as the main cause of the rise in community harms, other factors as well contribute to the increase of these community harms. Successful elimination of the use of drugs, alcohol and community harms is, therefore, dependent on the successful identification of factors that contribute to community harms. The factors are economic factors, social factors, political factors, demographic factors and organization factors. The economic factors include low wages, unemployment, and poverty while the social factors include cultural practices, poor nutrition, lack of education, drug abuse and failure to exercise. Organization factors, on the other hand, include uneven distribution of institutions such as schools, hospitals, police stations and the shortage of personnel working in the facilities. The final category of factors is the demographic factors, which includes issues that involve the insufficient resources or the indigenous communities. Most of the problems categorized in these groups of factors are interrelated. Resolving them would have to involve a strategy that would touch on each of these factors. References ABC. (2007). Union says Govt underestimates teacher shortage. Retrieved from http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2007-04-17/union-says-govt-underestimates-teacher-shortage/2243700?pfm=sm ABC. (2015). WA health group keen for commonwealth’s clinical training overhaul to ease regional GP shortage. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-17/hope-for-federal-reforms-to-ease-regional-wa-doctor-shortage/7037496?site=northwestwa Adshead, G. & Taylor, G. (2017). Police union vents fury at Libs, labor. Retrieved from https://thewest.com.au/politics/state-election-2017/police-union-vents-fury-at-libs-labor-ng-b88408058z Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). 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Study on insurance and banking in the Pilbara. Karratha: Regional Development Australia Pilbara. Roxburgh, A. et al. (2013). Trends in drug use and related harms in Australia, 2001-2013. Sydney: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. Rural Health West. (n.d). Kimberley – Population and health status. Retrieved from http://www.ruralhealthwest.com.au/docs/outreach-in-the-outback-docs/kimberley-regional-needs-analysis-060513-final.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Read More