Decision making in Drugs - Research Paper Example

? Decision Making and Drugs Decision Making and Drugs Introduction Drugs come in many shapes and forms. Society often looks to drugs as being recreational or psychological in scope, but there are types of drugs that are equally as dangerous. Common theory dictates that any addictive behavior can be considered a drug and potentially impacting the decisions that an individual makes. Alcohol, sex addiction, and traditional forms of drug abuse all pose a threat to society in one way or another. It is important to understand the reasons that people turn to drugs, the impact that peer have on our decision making ability, and the role that parents and other authority figures play in enabling individuals to turn to drugs in the first place. In so doing, the objective is to understand the power that drugs can have over people, in an effort to minimize their effects moving forward. This paper all examine the biological and psychological factors that drug use plays in an individuals ability to make rational decision, in addition to examining the bad decision making skills represented in the lives of many drug addicts. Reasons People Turn to Drugs Only an individual turning to drugs can truly understand their own motivations for doing so, but researchers have certainly uncovered some commonalities. Drugs do allow people an escape, even if only temporary, from their problems and cares in this world. Others truly like that feeling that they experience when on drugs, thereby heightening the factors leading to drug use, and eventually causing an addiction to be formed in many cases. Others get sucked in by peer groups and, for perhaps unknowingly, become addicted themselves. While the reasons are certainly varied, the reality is that drugs and addictions affect our decision-making ability. Consider the fact that gambling is an addiction, so can be labeled as a drug for this reason. Such individuals will typically make poor decisions about their finances, and will often lie to friends and family members in order to support their habit and addiction. For these reasons, it is imperative that we understand the effect that certain drugs and addictions have on our ability to make decisions in an effort to help others overcome these issues that can affect all of society. Peer Pressure and Decision Making The common prevailing theory when it comes to adolescent drug use is that peer pressure is often a mitigating factor in the influencing of making this decision. Recent studies, however, indicate that this may not be the case. McIntosh, MacDonald, and McKeganey (2005) have found that the older a child gets, the less likely they are to make the decision to become a drug user based on peer influence alone. Their findings state that, “The children’s accounts suggest that the role of peer pressure declines substantially as a component of drug offers as the children get older and that the decision to experiment with drugs is increasingly a matter of personal choice (McIntosh, MacDonald, & McKeganey, 2005, p. 275). As a result of these and other findings, it is important to consider all factors related to the choice of using drugs, rather than zeroing in on peer influence alone. It is equally plausible to consider that peers can be a positive influence on adolescents and children in their efforts to stay away from drugs. Recent studies have indicated that young people who consciously abstain from using drugs have indicated that a primary reason is that their current peer group does not engage in such behavior (Boys, et al., 2001). Many drug prevention programs in Europe and the United States now rely on a system of peer educators to deliver the message to their friends about the reality facing them when they choose to use drugs. While many may consider such programs ineffective, evidence is proving otherwise. On the one hand, we have empirical data demonstrating that peer groups do not have the influencing vote in terms of promoting drug use in young people that we once thought they did. On the other hand, we now understand that a strong peer group who resists drug use is likely to sway a young person towards making positive decisions and staying away from drugs. These two opposing ideas and concepts lead us to the conclusion that there are other influencing factors promoting drug use in young people. Certainly the case can be made that a minor associating with a group of young people is more likely to abuse drugs themselves. This is a logical inference that has withstood the test of time. It is, however, possible for such young people to not only resist drug use when in the presence of drug users, but to still associate with them. In addition, many young people use drugs without peers or other stakeholders in their lives being aware of the fact. This dictates that we must be conscious of other factors relating to such drug use and determine preventative measures that society can put into place to minimize the effects of such poor decisions. The Effect of Parents and Schools Parents and educational institutions can have either a positive or negative influence on the lives of young people. Society well understands the role that parents play in the development of a child. Strong households with both parents present, demonstrating an atmosphere of love and acceptance, is likely (although by no means a guarantee) to contribute to a young person that makes positive life decisions and refrains from abusing drugs. The opposite effect, naturally, can be said to occur when one or more parents are either drug abusers themselves, or shows no genuine interest in the decisions that the child makes (Cuijpers, et al., 2002) . Society, for the most part, understands and accepts this reality. What is not as well understood, however, is the role that schools have to play in this process. Schools, by their very nature, are where children and adolescents spend the majority of their time for much of the year. As a result, a great deal of socialization takes place in such facilities, much of it positive. The propensity for negative influencers, however, still exists and can be a mitigating factor in the eventual drug use perpetrated by young people. Schools have long implemented various campaigns aimed at educating young people about the dangers of drug use. The issue is that many students are only concerned about short-term gratification, and they do not consider the big picture of the harmful effects that long-term drug addiction can have on their future. As such, schools have faced an uphill battle in making much of an impact on these decisions. The commonly held ideal is that most adolescents understand the dangers of drug use, so educational programs aimed at reiterating this notion to students really have little impact. In addition, we have already discussed various studies that demonstrate peer groups play a surprisingly minor role in influencing drug use the older a student gets. As such, we are left to determine that the gratification young people feel when using drugs, or the presence of other psychological and emotional indicators, play more of a role in creating the need to continue using drugs. As such, studies are focusing on ways to not only prevent students from trying drugs in the first place, but also at getting to the root of the factors truly influencing drug use in the first place (Boys, Marsden, Fountain, Griffiths, Stillwell, & Strang, 2001). One recent initiative that has been launched in recent years is the ‘Healthy School and Drugs’ program. This is a program targeted specifically at adolescents aged 12-18 years old. Young people aim this initiative at utilizing Bandura’s social cognitive theory in an effort to intervene early on in the life of students in order to be proactive in minimizing the use of drugs. Various adult figures are utilized throughout the five components of the program including educators, administrators, health department official, community members, and parents. This level of involvement is a new concept in drug prevention efforts as schools have typically focused on using their own resources. It has long been determined, however, that all segments of society must be involved in the efforts to keep young people from using drugs in the first place. In the end, various studies have revealed that the healthy school’s initiative showed few signs of limiting drug, alcohol, and tobacco use among the young people included in the scope of the study. In fact, some factions of the study actually showed an increase in such drug use, which was a bit discouraging. This actually supports earlier findings that many programs simply do not work and that the more a young person is taught about drugs and alcohol, the more likely they appear to want to experiment. The authors of the study noted that, “Unexpectedly, the intervention seemed to result in a somewhat more frequent use of drugs among those use them. This has been in other research studies as well” (Cuijpers, Jonkers, Weerdt, and Jong, 2002, p. 71). The search continues, then, for strategies to reduce drug use and minimize the impact that poor decision making has on society. Effects of Drug Use as seen from a Gambler’s Perspective Certain types and levels of drug use can certainly impair a person’s ability to make wise and proper decisions. We have seen this since the advent of the automobile. Drug use and driving has long been considered both a deadly and illegal combination for decades. The reason behind this is simple: Drug or alcohol use impairs a driver’s ability to make the types of decisions that are needed in order to be safe while behind the wheel. We know and understand, yet we often fail to grasp that this impairment in the making of important decisions affects many other areas of life as well. Let us consider some studies conducted on gamblers to illustrate this point. Studies have consistently shown that most drug users are fully aware of the unintended consequences of long term drug addiction, yet they continue using anyway (Gran, Contoreggi, & London, 2000). Drug use does cause the deterioration, over time, of certain basic cognitive functions. To illustrate this point, one recent study examined the impact that drug use had on certain gambling tasks. Using a control group, it was demonstrated that drug use caused addicts to perform much more poorly on certain gambling tasks, when compared to non-drug users. This indicates some useful information when considering the cognitive dysfunction that can result. The gambling task presented in this study was a simple game to examines the way that participants are able to understand and evaluate immediate gains, as opposed to long term losses. The basic premise is that each ‘gambler’ is presented with four different decks of cards, and the objective of the game is to gain as much play money as is possible. The catch is that the player can pick only one card at a time from any of the four decks. They continue performing that task until they are told to stop. Cards can be taken from the decks in any order, and each play can take as much time as they feel they need in order to make their choice. In the end, each deck contains a certain dollar value, with some providing immediate gains, but others having a long-term gain. It requires thought and precision in order to ‘win’ at this game, and drug use certainly played a factor in the results demonstrated by those respective players. In the end, “The present results support the hypothesis that drug abusers are selectively impaired on the Gambling Task, since they do not differ from controls on another neuropsychological task of higher cognitive function” (Gran, Contoreggi, & London, 2000, p. 1184). This demonstrates the reality that addictive behavior, such as drug addiction, of creates the desire in the individual to realize short-term gains, in exchange for long-term success. The implications of this study are many. As mentioned previously, it is understood that many drug users truly do understand the health risks they are likely to encounter in the future if they continue their addictive behavior for any length of time. They understand this, but they cannot let go of the short-term gratification they experience and the feeling of contentment they express they have when using drugs. This is reflective in the reality that, on the gambling task, drug users tended to go for the cards that gave them the best possible gain in the short term, while non-drug users understood the importance of opting for the long-term. It should be noted that there were some limitations to this study, so more research should certainly be considered to better understand this topic. To begin, the ages and ethnicities of the representative sample of the both the subject and control groups were not truly representative of the respective groups. Future studies should strive to have a more representative sample in order to ascertain if any differences can be seen. In addition, the numbers of tasks covered in the scope of this study were limited to two. As such, noticeable differences between individuals with different IQ scores could not adequately be analyzed. In addition, some individuals with a lower IQ score actually performed on the tasks than those with a higher score, which would not be indicative of the general population (Gran, Contoreggi, & London, 2000). Just as gamblers tend to seek short-term financial gain, irrespective of the consequences that often result, drug addicts represent the same behavior. When we start to understand the reasons behind these poor decisions, we can begin to understand the process by which recreational drug users often become long-term addicts. Conclusion In summary, there are a variety of reasons that people from all walks of life, and all segments of society decide to use drugs. Sure, for some it involves peer pressure and other societal influencers, but for the majority it seems to be a self-motivated and individualized decision that is made. Some will try drugs once, not like it, and refuse to every indulge again. For others, and all too often, what starts out as recreational drug use can quickly turn into a long-term addiction that has potentially disastrous consequences. Reasons for drug use can range from emotional troubles to the simple reality that drug use makes some individuals feel good. What is certain, however, is that decisions are impacted, and long-term success in life is often compromised in exchange for immediate gratification. The gambling study presented in this report demonstrates this case, and upon conducting future studies more will likely be learned about the cognitive decisions and impairment that often result from drug addiction. Drugs do not only affect young people and adults. The consequences are felt throughout society, and the entire global community. It is an issue that deserves even more attention moving forward in order to better understand the factors leading to drug use, in an effort to work towards easing people away from addictive behavior in the future. References Becahara, A. (2005). Decision making, impulse control and loss of willpower to resist drugs: A neurocognitive perspective. Nature Publishing Group, 8(11), 1458-1463. Boys, A., Marsden, J., Fountain, J., Griffiths, Stillwell, G., and Strang, J. (2001). What influence young people’s use of drugs? A qualitative study of decision making. Cuijpers, P., Jonkers, R., Weerdt, I., and Jong, A. (2001). The effects of drug abuse prevention at school: The ‘healthy school and drugs’ project. Society for the Study of Addiction to Alcohol and Other Drugs, 97(1), 67-73. Grant, S., Contoregg, E., and London, E. (2000). Drug abusers show impaired performance in decision making. Neuropsychologia, 38(2000), 1180-1187. McIntosh, F., MacDonald, F., and McKeganey, N. (2006). Why do children experiment with illegal drugs? The declining role of peer pressure with increasing age. Addition Research and Theory, 14(3), 275-287. Read More