Reasons for Starting Substance Abuse - Essay Example

Introduction In the world today substance abuse has become very common, people might think that children start it as they are unaware of the serious consequences and it shapes up to be their habit in the future but facts show substance abuse and addiction know no class, age and sex boundaries. Anyone who has watched a family member struggle with substance abuse or addiction whether to tobacco, alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs--knows how painful and disruptive it can be to family life. Addiction does not begin and end with the abuser; it sends shock waves through an entire family unit. The reach of substance abuse also extends to schools, communities, health and welfare agencies, the justice systems and to society at large. We all shoulder the costs (Beverly Conyers, 2003). Children of substance abusers suffer the most, from direct effects on their physical and mental health to influences on their own use of tobacco, alcohol or drugs. The family's role in the development and results of substance abuse is unique: it suffers some of the direst consequences and holds the potential of the most powerful protective influences against it. A focus on families is critical to understanding and preventing the destructive intergenerational cycle of substance abuse and addiction. Alcoholism and drug abuse often are referred to as family diseases because the serious negative consequences of addiction and the importance of recovery affect not only the substance abuser but also all members of the family. There are certain reasons as to why people start substance abuse (Pauline G. Boss, 2001). Parents and family members can have an enormous positive impact on children's substance-use decisions and behavior. No protection is absolute, but parents hold the greatest number of tools and have the greatest opportunity to shape children's choices when it comes to trying and continuing to use cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. Reasons for starting substance abuse The major reasons for the increasing number of substance abuse are the following: Decline in marriage rates People are spending more years unmarried. Research indicates that marriage is connected with a inferior risk of substance abuse. Married women are less likely than those who have never been married, have divorced or have lived with an unmarried partner to smoke, binge drink or use drugs. Increase in divorce The recent trend shows that the number of divorce have increased over time. Parental divorce can have an important impact on a child's risk for substance use. For example, teens with divorced parents are 50 percent likelier to drink alcohol than teens with married parents. Increase in single parent families Children who grow up in two-parent homes are at lower risk for any kind of drug abuse than children who grow up in single parent homes. Families today are equally likely or more likely to be comprised of childless couples with two careers, single parent families or cohabiting couples with children than they are of the 'typical' family of years past. Increase in Economic disadvantage The financial condition of a family can lead a person to substance abuse. The increase in single-parent families has served to broaden the economic inequality across households, often with single-mothers comprising the poorer end of this spectrum. However its still not clear that the relationship between substance abuse and economic condition is very strong. To fit in a group of friends Children or teens when moving around places and cities due to the professional life of a parent or due to any other reason, make new friends everywhere. The new friends might be doing substance abuse hence to fit in with them the children have to be like them that is to do substance abuse otherwise they are not included in the group. Peer pressure Peer pressure is a major reason for children doing substance abuse. The peers call children names and tease them about not doing substance abuse. The children usually don't like being called names and being teased by others. Hence to prove the others of how good they are they also involve in activities like substance abuse and drug abuse. Tension Tension and worrying about problems that are not in a person's hand to solve often lead to substance abuse. Often financial problems or relationship problems lead to severe tension, to relax and feel good people start substance or drug abuse. Curiosity to try something This is the case with children, often children are curious to find out about something and how it feels, this leads to the first time substance abuse by a child although there is not much to prove that curiosity leads to a habit but still the first time use of a drug is not less dangerous than making it a habit and carrying on with substance abuse. For feeling good As mentioned earlier people do substance abuse to feel good, increase stamina, to relieve them from tension and to forget about things. Substance abuse often helps but for a certain time period and proves more dangerous rather than being helpful. As people continue doing substance abuse the same feeling comes with a much greater amount as body starts resisting it, hence making substance abuse a habit and increasing the intake of the drug as well. (Kendall J. Bryant, Michael T. Windle & Stephen G. West, 1997). Effects on family The effects of substance abuse are disastrous for the family to which the person belongs. Family members of substance abusers often live in constant fear that their brittle environments could crumple. Families affected by substance abuse tend to be characterized by financial problems, marital problems, shifting family roles, increased exposure to sickness, family violence, child abuse or neglect, children's academic problems, inconsistent childcare, social isolation and exposure to crime (Patrick C. McKenry & Sharon J. Price, 2005). All of these reasons also increase the risk that children growing up in these families will turn to tobacco, alcohol or drugs. Children who grow up in substance-abusing households may never learn how a healthy family functions and may end up repeating the intergenerational cycle of addiction and its consequences. The partner or spouse of a substance abuser can become mutually dependent. The codependent person focuses on or is preoccupied with the feelings and actions of the substance abuser to such an extent that the person neglects his or her own wants. The co-dependent tends to compensate for the user/abuser. In the case of parents, the spouse of the person abusing substances is likely to protect the children and assume all parenting duties. The parent abusing substances has trouble parenting or parents inconsistently. This proves that a substance abuser neglects his duties and can't cope up with a healthy daily routine apart from this the abuser creates a negative impact on his spouse and children. Members of families in which one or both parents abuse substances are at high danger for both neglect and physical abuse. When a child starts substance abuse the family faces problems. Siblings in the family of a teenage substance abuser are often ignored while the parents react to the continuous crises related to underage drinking and drugging. In this case the parents have to act intelligently and handle the situation carefully making sure the other children in the family are not neglected due to one person's problems (Vickie Kropenske & Judy Howard, 2004). Substance abusers are at greater risk for job insecurity, long-term unemployment and accidents or injuries at work, often putting their families under great financial pressure. Substance abuse in the family increases the chances of unhappy marriages and divorce; in turn divorce increases children's risk of substance abuse. Divorce or separation might make a child more vulnerable to substance use in several ways. The stress of a divorce on the family can reduce the bond between children and parents, making children more vulnerable to peer influence, but not all divorces will lead to a child's smoking, drinking or drug use. Some research supports the idea that childhood substance use is affected more by family affection and relationships than by family structure. Children may better be able to keep away from substance use when in a fostering single-parent home than when in a dysfunctional intact home. In all if a person of a family is doing substance abuse it affects the family in many negative ways that can be harmful for both the members' health and structure of the family. How to Prevent Substance Abuse After the above discussion it would be obvious to all of the readers that how dangerous is substance abuse not only for the abuser but for his family as well. The side effects are disastrous, apart from this the short and long term effects are also hazardous. In light of all these facts lets study the ways to prevent substance abuse. The first step in planning a drug abuse prevention program is to review the type of drug problem and determine the level of risk factors affecting the problem. The results of this evaluation can be used to raise awareness of the nature and seriousness of the problem and direct selection of the best avoidance programs to address the problem. All this requires emphatic support from the community, as without their help it's impossible or very difficult to carry out these tasks. There have been different strategies devised by researches in the previous 30 years for substance abuse prevention. These range from conventional methods to using modern technology to reduce substance abuse. The conventional methods were based on human rationality, for example by telling a person the harmful effects of substance abuse to prevent him doing so. Another model emphasized that people start substance abuse due to psychological deficits hence the prevention program focused on these (Vickie Kropenske & Judy Howard, 2004). In the mid-1970s, prevention as a field of scholarly study entered a period of rapid development. The most recent evolution stresses the importance of addressing both individuals and their environments to achieve lasting behavior change. Hence experts say that prevention programs should focus the educational institutes. Educational institutes based prevention programmers have the opportunity to address and potentially to affect a relatively comprehensive slice of students' lives. For parents to keep their children away from substance abuse it is really necessary that they should keep a good check on their child. They should devise certain rules for the child and make sure he abides them. The parents should give their child ample time and understand his problems. This not only helps the child but also fosters a better relationship among the parents resulting in a happy and healthy family. Religion and Cultural heritage brings a lot of difference in the life a person lives. Ones attachment to his religion and culture makes sure that he does not indulge in activities like substance abuse as no culture supports this (Jeanette Valentine, Judith Ann De Jong & Nancy J. Kennedy, 1998). One important part of preventing substance abuse is to learn to recognize the symptoms. Following are the symptoms of substance abuse in children: Changes in Behavior: 1. Missing school, declining grades or discipline problems 2. Dropping old friends and getting new ones 3. Dropping activities such as sports 4. Increased secrecy 5. Unusual borrowing of money Following are the symptoms of substance abuse in adults: Changes in Behavior: 1. Abrupt changes in work attendance, quality of work, work output; 2. Association with known substance abusers; 3. Withdrawal from responsibility; 4. Increased secrecy; 5. Unusual flare-ups or outbreaks of temper; 6. Deterioration of physical appearance and grooming; 7. Fatigue, repeated health complaints; 8. Being argumentative, withdrawing from the family; 9. Stealing small items from employer, home or friends (Eric E. McCollum & Terry S. Trepper, May 2001) Conclusion Substance abuse has been a problem for the human society for a very long time. Its roots are deep inside the human race. The person doing substance abuse is not only harming himself but is a menace to the society and his or her family as well. As we discussed in this report that how substance abuse destroys a person is a really important thing to understand, as avoiding it can be a major win for the humankind. The role of the family is very important in this case, rather taking a substance abusing person in a family to be a liability the people of the family should make sure they help him in every way to release him from the clutches of this habit. In order to do that bringing awareness among the people is the most simplest and accomplishing task that everyone should do. Bibliography Pauline G. Boss. (December 15, 2001). Family Stress Management. Sage Publications, Inc; 2 edition. Patrick C. McKenry, Sharon J. Price. (May 5, 2005). Families and Change: Coping With Stressful Events and Transitions. Sage Publications, Inc; 3 edition. Eric E. McCollum, Terry S. Trepper. (May 2001). Family Solutions for Substance Abuse: Clinical and Counseling Approaches. Haworth Press. Vickie Kropenske, Judy Howard. (August 30, 2004). Protecting Children In Substance-abusing Families: User Manual Series. Diane Pub Co. Beverly Conyers. (August 26, 2003). Addict In The Family: Stories of Loss, Hope, and Recovery. Hazelden. Kendall J. Bryant, Michael T. Windle, Stephen G. West. (June 1997). The Science of Prevention: Methodological Advances from Alcohol and Substance Abuse Research. American Psychological Association (APA). Jeanette Valentine, Judith Ann De Jong, Nancy J. Kennedy. (January 1998). Substance Abuse Prevention in Multicultural Communities. Haworth Press. Read More