Why Do Americans Use So Many Legal Drugs (For Example, Alcohol, Tobacco, and OTC Drugs) - Research Paper Example

Why do Americans use so many legal drugs (for example, alcohol, tobacco, and OTC drugs)? What aspects of our society promote extensive drug use? One of the reasons that legal drugs are used to the extent that they are indulged is that the culture of the United States is defined by its show of both wealth and indulgence. Most of those that indulge in the use of legal drugs first come from families where legal drug use is a part of the daily function of their parents. According to Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein (2009) “everyday consumption of legal drugs – caffeine, prescription and OTC drugs, and alcohol – is fueled by the pace of modern lifestyles and greatly accelerated by the influence of today’s sophisticated mass media” (p. 32). The belief within society is that if it is allowed into the consumer world, it must be safe. Therefore, consuming pills that are available without a prescription, consuming food products with altering substances in them, must be safe because the media advertises their benefits. This also appeals to the general immediate gratification need that the American public engages in for their needs and desires. 2. Many professional athletes both male and female report that they have used anabolic steroids to build muscle mass. Most recently some professional baseball players have shared that they have used HGF (Human Growth Factor) to accomplish the same goal since it is not tested for by routine drug screens. What are some of the long term risks associated with anabolic steroid and HGF use (peek ahead to chapter 16) and what impact do you feel it has had on both youth and professional sports. Androgens are the hormones that participate in producing muscle tissue and the use of anabolic steroids and HGF are with the intent of stimulated the enhanced growth of muscle in order to create better performance in athletics. One of the effects of using this type of enhancement is that there is an increase in tears and damage done to those muscles. The most apparent effects of the use of steroids and HGF is that there is an increase of aggression from users who also may experience a delusion of superiority based upon enhanced strength and performance. Headaches, anxiety, and paranoia can also be a part of the experience. In the long term, changes in the reproductive system, changes in skin and hair, bad breath, swelling of the limbs, and stunted growth can occur from long term use. 3. What dangers are associated with treating individuals who are severely dependent on CNS depressants? Why is it important for human services workers to be aware of these concerns? Central Nervous System depressants or CNS depressants have been the cause of the deaths of several people in the public sphere, thus creating an understanding of the dangers of mixing certain types of drugs, as well as the problems associated with CNS depressants. One of the primary concerns is the changes in personality that can occur, leading to other behaviors that can cause even worse consequences. Two of the more common types of these drugs are barbiturates and benzodiazepine which can cause a series of consequences which include sedation for the treatment of anxiety, hypnosis for insomnia, anesthesia for surgical purposes, coma from overdose and death from a fatal overdose (Hanson, Venturelli, and Fleckenstein 2009). Human services workers need to be aware of the signs of problems associated with the use of these drugs, both through prescription use and through the addition of illicit drugs, in order to assess the mental status of those who are under their care. Personality changes, changes in awareness, and changes in behaviors can all signal an unbalanced use of these drugs, leading to problems within the family setting and creating environments where intervention may be necessary. 4. Why does heroin addiction contribute to criminal activity? What are the advantages and disadvantages to treating heroin addicts verses just locking them up? The level of desperation that is developed by addicts who are using heroin is the main cause of the increases in criminal activity that can be observed of heroin users. The desire for heroin occurs during its first use, that first high never again achievable but the lack of the substance in the body causing a series of pain and consequences that lead to drug seeking behaviors. The addict will do anything to get heroin back in their system, not feeling right without it in their body. Incarcerating a heroin addict does not solve the problem and as soon as they are released it is highly likely that they will seek the drug once again, leading to the consequences of not having the drug worse than the consequences of illegal behavior. Treating a heroin addict can help to put their life back on track, managing their need for the drug and creating a productive framework rather than a destructive framework from which to continue forward in their life. 5. Why does the method of cocaine administration make a difference in how a user is affected by this drug? Use examples to substantiate your conclusions. The way in which the drug cocaine is administered into the body will change the intensity and the experience with which the user creates an effect. Crack cocaine, as an example, is heated and smoked and the intensity of the experience is such that personality changes are noted and the addiction becomes similar to that of heroin in that the chase for the high is more important than any other part of one’s life. Snorting cocaine is the use of choice for corporate level workers and was popular in the 1980s as a way to increase performance through heightened awareness and energy. The drug can also heighten feelings of euphoria with self-esteem rising to a powerful level. Intravenous use, on the other hand, is so intense that the high incapacitates the user from the benefits of the performance enhancement. Often, cocaine is a self-medicating drug of choice for those with psychiatric disorders that have gone undetected. 6. Why has MDMA become so popular? MDMA is also known as Ecstasy, XTC and Adam. This drug is popular because of the euphoria that is experience, the sense heightened and he need for touch enhanced to the point that certain props are popular and needed for those who use the drugs. In a club atmosphere, the driving music and the sexuality of the experience becomes more intense when the drug is used. A rave where lots of bottled water is present, pacifiers are being sucked on, and mitts with soft surfaces such as fur or velvet are being used on bodies as they dance and undulate to the music is likely to have users of the drug ‘rolling’ as they experiences are intense and sensually satisfying. The drug allows for the release of inhibitions so that a false sense of deep intimacy can be created. 7. Why inhalants are widely abused? What items do you have in your house right now which could be abused as an inhalant? One of the reasons that inhalants are abused is because the use of them through ‘huffing’ can create a high that is legal to obtain, even though not legal to use, and easy to attain from the household. Inhalants such as glue, nail polish remover, paint thinner, spray paint, and even markers can create a high that is cheap and easily attained. Children are especially vulnerable to the use of these substances in order to get a high as they items are not restricted and parents often have no idea that their children are doing such a dangerous activity. The use of inhalants is increased through peer pressure as the methods of creating the high are shared and the influences of others to do an activity in order to experience something new can be an enticing draw to the activity. At this moment, if someone near or in my household wanted to ‘huff’ they could do so through the spray paint, the airplane glue, and the nail polish remover that is readily available in my home. 8. In what way are drugs of abuse associated with juvenile gang activity? Gang activity and drug abuse are associated through a number of factors. The initial attraction of the drug trade to gangs is that gangs provide a readily available labor force for the distribution of drugs. The sex trade that is often associated with gangs is lubricated by the use of drugs to get women to perform as sex workers through lowering their sense of right and wrong and creating a dependence through which they will do whatever is necessary to get their addiction of choice satisfied. Using drugs as a way to grant maturity, belonging, and a sense of community to new members is also a way in which children are drawn into the drug lifestyle through gang associations. In the end, however, it is the economic uses of the gangs through labor and the use of the drugs to create dependent resources of income that associates the drug industry to the gangs. Resources Hanson, G., Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2009). Drugs and society. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Read More