Effects of Drugs on the Life of Women - Research Paper Example

?XYZ of the Psychology Women and the Painful Addiction of Drugs: An Overview about the Effects of Drugs on Women’s Life According to comparative studies on both genders concerning the use and harmful effects of drugs; it is observed that women are more responsive on consuming alcohol or drugs on long term basis in comparison to men. They experience severe difficulty in absorbing, in metabolic processes and physically dealing with the consequences upon its consumption. My research is supported by authentic health reports/documents, holding comparative study on the use and effects of drugs and alcohol on men and women. However, I also came across many researches conducted by Organizations; engaged in helping the drug addicts, and also few informative websites concerning the issue. My goal in this paper is to present the physiological and psychological effects of drugs (licit and illicit) on women by connecting the facts based on my research and to examine the success of strong and effective measures to deal with drug addiction. To achieve this goal, I have organized this paper in to three main sections, all of them contain sub-sections. The first section deals with an understanding of pharmacology and an introduction to the term ‘Drugs’ along with its types. The second section comprises of a study on the physiological and neurological effects on a female body in terms of drug abuse or dependence. It also discusses the various diseases a woman can encounter. The third section exhibits a study on the body and mind of a female drug abuser with regard to ‘Addiction’. Later, I would present a statistical date of the usage of licit and illicit drugs by women specifically in The United States of America and concluding the paper by discussing the measures taken by the government and other organizations in the treatment of substance abuse. PHARMOCOLOGY Pharmacology is a branch of medical which is involved in the study of the reaction of drugs on a body’s system and vice versa (“ASPET”). It is also concerned with gathering information on the resources or foundation of drugs, their description, types and effects Drugs It is a substance with chemical properties that has the ability to disrupt or affect the function of a body. Hence it can be used for treatment, diagnosis or even recreationally. Often some of the drugs can affect the nervous system of our body and can prove to be quite dangerous. Types of drugs and related facts There are almost various types of drugs which shall be briefly discussed in this paper. First in the list is Prescription drugs- that are purchased upon written prescription. An estimated figure of over 200 billion a year is incurred on the purchase of about 10,000 prescription drugs. OTC or Over the counter drugs are those that are purchased without a prescription costing 20 billion annually, sold more than 300,000 across the United States of America. Drugs used for relaxation are known as Recreational drugs for example- alcohol, tea, and other beverages. Then there is another category of Herbal preparations under which more than 700 substances are herbal teas and other products that are used for treatment as medicines in various other branch of medical. The most widely used and popular are Commercial drugs which are more than a thousand in the market, for example – products used for cleaning, house keeping goods, various types of dyes, beauty products, cologne or body spray and deodorants. Insect repellent and other chemicals used in automobile services .Finally the drugs that causes great concern globally are Illicit drugs a form of psychoactive drug ("About Psychology"). Psychoactive drug Those substances with chemical properties that can affect or modify the functions of a brain followed by a changed behavior, frame of mind and thought process. They are divided in to three groups – First is Depressants also known as uppers, examples- coffee or tobacco, Second is Stimulants also known as downers, example- sedatives, narcotics and third is Hallucinogens example- LSD, nitrous oxide ("About Psychology"). Physiological affects of licit and illicit drugs on women There may be various reasons why women would be using prescription and illicit drugs. It could be to deal with her past trauma or distressing. Factors influencing women in the use or abuse of substance may include ethnicity and culture, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, homelessness and developmental issues and aging. Likewise there are many health and social inferences linked with the misuse of drugs by women. Their life span may be shortened as they are more biologically vulnerable and exposed to significant sickness, diseases like hepatitis C or HIV. A woman’s menstrual cycles is affected by using drugs and alcohol, which causes sever cramping and either heavy or light periods. Consumption of drugs like heroin can be seriously dangerous for women as their menstrual cycle is disturbed resulting in no periods. Women however start presuming themselves to be infertile and even if they are pregnant, they start misreading early signs their use of substance involves a high level of danger to fetuses or infants who need nursing ("NCBI"). Alcohol for instance is largely responsible for liver and other organ damage while cardiac related conditions are quite commonly associated with women who are problematic and heavy drinker. Breast cancer and Osteoporosis are also causing a difficult life for women consuming alcohol while alcohol being a licit drug ("NCBI"). There are several illicit drugs destroying lives of young girl, college students and that’s the reason why it is one of the issues globally. It is quite commonly used by teenagers and that is very alarming. Women are often found to be using prescription drugs for example - narcotic analgesics a type of pain killer. Many OTC drugs can help in aiding cold and sleep, while OTC drugs are non prescription medicines; yet can be legally attained. A study clearly shows that people who have severe eating disorders tend to get addicted to laxatives, emetics, diuretics and diet pills ("Anti Drug"). Also to be noted that many prescription drugs and OTC are found to be negatively interacting with alcohol and drugs, and they can create complexities in the body like gastrointestinal, neuromuscular and cardiac attacks .Women are also intensely affected by methamphetamine, their thought process is disturbed and they fear to lose control over their own bodies. With the use of stimulant drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine , women experiences nominal effects like clenching of their jaws, dryness in the mouth area and may be lack of appetite or completely losing appetite in many cases ("NCBI"). Neurological disruption In a study it was found that women who suffer from drug dependency particularly on alcohol; their cognitive and motor functions have been continuously declining and getting weaker ("NCBI"). An alcohol dependant women, experiences a remarkable corrosion in planning, reasoning ability, memory losses and even motor mental retardation . Abnormalities of brain function and shrinking of the brain is also bound to happen after a shorter drinking history. Women also experience peculiarly small degree of matter white, gray and lesser memory. They are also significantly at a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease ("NCBI"). ADDICTION Out of control desire for drugs both licit and illicit can be termed as Addiction. A drug abuser can go to any extend to satisfy this yearning and sometimes the consequences are rather dangerous .They can use the substance for long time which may finally ruin their life. It may start as a ‘choice’ to either take or not take the substance and eventually transforms in to 'need' and finally becomes addiction. This addiction comes with a cost of ruining not only relationships, a continuous mental turmoil but also has a very severe impact on the physical well being of the abuser. This effect can be caused by toxins related to drugs and also from the addictive behavior of the abuser. Key Findings AIDS is rising at a high scale as far as women are concerned. One of the top causes of death in women is AIDS, women who are between 25 and 45 years of age. In 1997, more than 80,000 cases women affected by AIDS were recorded in U.S, and approximately seventy percent of these cases were of female drug abusers, out of these almost 60% cases were of patients with a history of injecting drugs(“Women and Addiction Facts”). There were also some cases of heterosexual transmission in which around 80% women had partners who were injecting drug users. 10.3 % in the early 1980’s to almost 26 % in the late 1990’s was a phenomenal rise, recording of cases involving AIDS among adult women in New York. AIDS cases categorized under the form of Pediatric, concerning the transmitted HIV (prenatal) child from mother were registered to be 94%. Women of Asian races were found to be dominating in the transmitted form of HIV (heterosexual), while in most of other ethnicity more cases were record involving injecting drug abuses(“women addiction and facts”). Those children or infants were found to be affected mentally and physically whose mothers were consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Some were also reported to have developed psychological disorders. It is evident in the survey that around 5.5 % women were using illicit drugs during their pregnancy, and 18.8 % consumed alcohol. Approximately 1-3 out of every 1,000 babies are suffering from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and it is the most common cause behind mental retardation. There might be other frequent reporting cases of abortion, mental and physical disability, nervous system breakdowns, and suicidal issues (“women addiction and facts”). Government did take measures to keep a check on it and a warning was also issued by the advisories of the nation in the early 1990’s about alcohol usage by pregnant women. Despite these efforts and spread of information related to health concerns, it proved out to be futile when the number of women addicted to alcohol drinking during pregnancy recorded a high rise from .08% to3.5% i.e. from 1991 - 1995. Women; approx 20,000 suffering from drinking problem were recorded in New York. Women between 15 and 45 with small kids consists half the percentage of women who are using illicit drugs since a long time. Consumption of illicit drugs by pregnant women develops higher risk of bearing addicted babies who may undergo withdrawal upon growing up. Treatment program for women with substance abuse history By studying the harmful effects of drug abuse on a woman's life, we may realize the need of such programs where women are assisted to cope with such addiction. In fact there is no dearth of medical help and rehabilitation centers are all across the nation .The government has been active with regard to help people with drug abuse since the early 1970’s ("Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration").Gradually more strong measures were taken to support and help women in particular, focusing on pregnancy issues and the care their children needed was quite a matter of concern in the early 1980’s ("Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration"). If we talk about the present scenario, the efforts taken by SAMHSA in collaboration with CSAT1 and CHMS2 are applaud able. They are organizing finance support so as to offer residential services for the treatment of the substance abuse like those women who are heavy with child, expecting or taking care of their infants. Conclusion In this research I can conclude by saying that scientific inventions did brought phenomenal advancement in the society but it also introduced the masses with severe heavy punishments of drugs which can be both useful as well as harmful to human beings and particularly to the vulnerable gender of the society ‘women’. The effective guidelines (Sylvester 2007) will help in getting better results and also decreasing the cases of drug abuse violence, depression, suicides and other diseases commonly attributed with a drug abuser. A well educated professional who could counsel such patients with guiding them towards the learning of harmful effects and adapting to healthy existence. All these measures are not only essentially promising but also providing a ‘hope’ for a drug abuser to systematically change her life for a better tomorrow. Honest support and proper guidelines along with frequent health awareness programs through different mediums like television, radio, magazines, journals and the most effective one –Internet could prove to bring about a ‘change’ in the society. We are hopeful for a better tomorrow. Notes 1. CSAT - Center for Substance Abuse Treatment promotes the quality and availability of community-based substance abuse treatment services for individuals and families who need them. 2. CHMS- the Center for Mental Health Services National Advisory Council was established under Section 502 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 290aa-1). It was originally chartered on December 9, 1992 in accordance with P.L. 92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). Works cited "Psychoactive Drugs." About Psychology. About.com, 16 2012. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . "Physiological Effects of Alcohol, Drugs, and Tobacco on Women." The National Center for Biotechnology Information. NCBI, 15 2012. Web. 17 Nov 2012. . "OTC and Prescription Drug Abuse." The Anti Drug. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign USA, 16 2012. Web. 17 Nov 2012. Read More