Drug Abuse and Addiction - Essay Example

? Drug Abuse and Addiction ID number Psychology 101 Abusing drugs causes many undesirable effects and for particularly developing adolescents. Of all cases of drug abuse, alcohol, yes it’s a drug too, is the most extensively abused by both adults and minors but illegal drugs are taken by a considerable number of people as well who come from all social circumstances and represent most all age groups. Drug abuse has been linked to greater propensities for violent behaviors. Drug abuse also increases the odds that people will catch a socially transmitted disease, commit crimes, attempt suicide and perform inadequately in school as this paper will examine. It is well known that American schools are the best source to obtain illegal drugs of all types. Both teachers and parents are either oblivious to the problem or simply do not understand how to effectively control the situation. “American schools are decidedly not alcohol and drug-free,” according to a six-year study scrutinizing middle and high school students by Joseph A. Califano, Jr., president of the Columbia University’s National Center on Addiction and Substance. (“Youth Knowledge”, 2002). The study found that many American youths go to schools where illegal drugs can be easily obtained including high schools. Drugs are regularly stored, used and sold at middle and high schools across the nation. One of the first things adolescents learn in school is that they can quickly obtain marijuana in addition to other, more exotic, harder types of illegal drugs. Drug abuse is especially damaging to adolescents in many emotional, mental and physical ways in addition to being costly to U.S. taxpayers by more than $40 billion each year for extra school related expenses alone. This exorbitant amount of money is used to pay for individual tutoring sessions, drug abuse education classes and assistance curriculums in addition to the reimbursement required for greater instances of teacher turnover in part because of problems in the classroom that can be directly associated with drug abuse issues. Drug sales and use in schools bring about problems not just for the students but instructors and administrators as well. Students that use and abuse illegal drugs are much more liable to perform inadequately in school, skip classes or leave school altogether. “Students at schools where drugs are kept, used and sold are twice as likely to smoke, drink and use drugs than students who perceive their schools to be drug-free” (Ault, 2001). While it is difficult to associate the relative influence among diverse mental health issues with the possibility of suicide, alcohol and drug abuse have been proven to be solidly related to risks of suicide. Persons diagnosed with a substance use disorder are nearly six times more likely during their lifetime to report a suicide attempt than persons not diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Various studies of people undergoing drug and alcohol abuse treatment demonstrate that current suicidal thoughts and past suicide attempts are common. “Recent evidence from veterans indicates that men with a substance use disorder are approximately 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide than those who are not substance abusers. Among women, a substance use disorder increases the risk of suicide 6.5-fold.” (Ilgen, Kleinberg, 2007) Illegal substances most commonly associated with drug-related fatalities are opiates such as heroin, amphetamines, barbiturates and cocaine. Heroin, as well as other types of drugs which are injected into the bloodstream is repeatedly connected with the fatal disease HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is the precursor of AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In addition being spread by illegal drug use, from sharing contaminated syringes, AIDS is also spread by sexual contact, a conduct which is widely acknowledged as riskier among persons involved in the drug culture. In the year 2006 alone, an estimated 6,795 cases of AIDS were directly linked to intravenous drug use. Nearly one-quarter of a million cases of AIDS have been linked to intravenous drug use since the early 1980’s. Research conducted by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) discovered that “among young adults in 3 inner-city areas, those who smoked crack cocaine were 3 times more likely to be HIV-positive than non-users.” (CDC, 2006) Numerous studies have also revealed that methamphetamine abuse is linked with increased risk of contracting HIV. “Among men who have sex with men, methamphetamine users are 5 times more likely to become HIV positive than non-users.” (CDC, 2006) Additional drug treatment facilities along with needle exchange programs are essential components in the ultimate decline of disease transmission resulting from drug abuse. Punishing drug users without offering suitable treatment options is generally considered counterproductive. Research has revealed that effective treatment does change behavior patterns for intravenous drug users. Although all of society pays in various ways for increased occurrences of socially transmitted diseases, the debate concerning who or what entity is responsible for treatment facilities, the private or public sector continues in many states and countries. The majority of drug abusers cannot pay for expensive treatment facilities themselves nor have enough insurance which means if a solution to the drug abuse problem is to be found, then the governments of all cities, states and countries will have to accept the financial obligation of more health care facilities for abusers, a publicly funded answer to a public issue. The second matter that the governments should deal with is preventive care. As with treatment, prevention is an essential aspect of reducing the numbers of persons transmitting drug-related diseases. Again, drug addicts normally do not have the money or access to drug abuse prevention facilities. In countries where universal health care coverage exists, such as Britain, these kinds of facilities are being provided for persons who would otherwise have no access to them. In countries such as the U.S. that do not the debate over funding continues while the problem does too. In either circumstance, the countries of the world confront a growing problem regarding drug abuse and the spread of contagious disease. Studies in addition to common sense dictate that the money used to fight the problem would save many lives and much money in the long-term. “Allocation of scarce resources may be determined not only by costs associated with morbidity, mortality and associated social problems but also by other factors such as public perceptions of safety and security” (“Social Impact”, 1995). The impact of illegal drugs on instances and types of crime attracts more attention from the media than does the impact of alcohol but the connection is actually more complicated. Most people who perpetrate crimes also consume illegal drugs. However, unlike alcohol, there is little evidence available that shows drugs such as cocaine and heroin apply any express pharmacological effect on a person’s tendency to commit crimes. On the other hand, a person’s involvement in a crime is usually preceded by consuming illegal drugs which has led many to claim that taking illegal drug and crime are simply different expressions of deviant behavior instead of being causally related. The fact that various early predictors of a person’s likelihood to be involved in crime match those which predict illegal drug use gives credence to this argument. Illegal drug consumption probably does have a connection with crime but not by influencing huge numbers of otherwise law-abiding citizens into committing crimes. The influence of illegal drug consumption emanates from two sources. “Many individuals already involved in crime commit far more offences once they become drug dependent. This is because offenders addicted to expensive illicit drugs usually commit higher rates of property crime to fund their addiction. Secondly, there is some evidence that competition among drug suppliers for control of illicit drug markets occasionally prompts them to engage in violence toward each other.”(Weatherburn, 2001. p.5) Neither drug abuse nor crime is going to mysteriously vanish from society because both are sewn deeply into the fabric of civilization. Therefore, both issues, separately and together can be managed and controlled in a more rational manner than today. There are people who propose that the crime rate would actually decrease if drug use was decriminalized and it would, by at least one-quarter, because 25 percent of those in prison are there for drug use offenses which would not be valid anymore. Because of the overpopulated prison system, violent criminals are paroled early to make room for new prisoners at least 25 percent of which include non-violent offenders incarcerated for drug crimes. Releasing violent criminals early is a much greater danger to the general public than the non-violent drug user. If violent criminals served their entire prison sentence crime most undoubtedly would be reduced. The use of law enforcement alone has demonstrated not to be a successful deterrence in reducing drug abuse and has made the war on drugs less effective. The evidence illustrates that stringent drug laws leads the availability of increasingly more potent types of drugs which creates more cases of abuse. Higher rates of drug arrests have overfilled prisons. The early release of violent offenders, allowing them back in the public arena, causes more problems and increases monetary costs for the public both in judicial expenses and on personal terms. Drug dealers have opted to use juvenile as street dealers because they face lesser sentences. The adverse psychological, emotional, mental and physical conditions created by drug abuse is a great liability to the overall prosperity of cities, states and countries in addition to the social makeup of society including the destruction of family relationships as well as personal devastation. All addictive substances including opiates, cocaine, alcohol, and inhalants (glue, paint, etc,) alter brain function and have a negative impact on behavior. They are used extensively in every country and are a burden to society. The governments of the world can offer many solutions to combat the problem of drug abuse but government cannot alone end the social despair caused by abuse. Unfortunately, society’s priorities do not presently include the many far-reaching damages caused by the abuse of drugs. Works Cited Ault, Alicia. “Students Get Drugs at School, Study Shows.” Prevent Disease. Reuters Health. 2001. Web. November 14, 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, 2006. Vol. 18.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2006. Web. November 14, 2011 Ilgen, Mark, PhD., Kleinberg, Felicia, MSW. “The Link Between Substance Abuse, Violence, and Suicide” The Psychiatric Times January 20, 2011. Web. November 14, 2011 < http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/suicide/content/article/10168/1780669> “(The) Social Impact of Drug Abuse.” The United Nations International Drug Control Program United Nations. March 1995. Weatherburn, Don February. “What Causes Crime?” NSW Bureau of Crime Statistic and Research 2001. No. 54 Web. November 14, 2011 “Youth Knowledge and Attitudes on Sexual Health: A National Survey of Adolescents and Young Adults.” Dangerous Liaisons: Substance Abuse and Sexual Behavior. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. February 2002. Read More