The Effects Of Substance Abuse Amongst Youth - Essay Example

1.0 Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2006), drug abuse is referred to as the act of using a substance for a purpose not consistent with legal or medical advice. Thus drug abuse will negatively impact the health of an individual and may as well result in problematic or harmful behavior. WHO (2006), argues that once an individual becomes a drug abuser, he or she may take the form of a drug dependence, whereby they are driven with a strong desire or sense of compulsion to use the drug. Therefore drug abuse is a problem that will result in an individual experiencing social, psychological, physical, or legal problems due to intoxication or dependence (Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2007). Drug abuse has been a subject of concern for many countries in the recent past. Quite worrying is the current trend where the numbers of young people engaging in drug use are continually increasing. This has been attributed to the change of perception of drug use. Changes have occurred in the nature of drug abuse from what it used to be initially. According to many researchers, drug use is currently regarded as a 'normal' undertaking (Price, 2011). Several studies including the normalization principle try to unearth these changing trends where drug use is changing from how it was viewed earlier. The normalization aspect explains how drug use has currently been accommodated in the social lives of people in our societies today (Parker et al., 1998).

Globally, a recent survey done by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) showed that 3.5 percent to 5.7 percent of people aged between 15 and 64 years had used a drug in the previous year (UNODC, 2011). Of all the drugs surveyed, cannabis is the most abused drug with over 129 million users globally. In Europe, the United Kingdom is among those countries with the highest drug problem among the 15-64-year-olds. A study by EMCDDA (2009) reveals that the United Kingdom has the highest prevalence rate of 9.0 for every 1000 people. The same study by EMCDDA (2012) also indicates the same prevalence rates but the United Kingdom had been overtaken by Italy and Latvia. According to Roe and Man (2006), in the United Kingdom alone, an estimated 4 million people participate in the illicit use of drugs annually with cannabis being the most popular among users followed by cocaine and ecstasy. Several other regional surveys have also been conducted to estimate the extent of the problem. The extent of drug abuse varies for different regions with each region having a different prevalence rate. A report filed by UNODC (2011), ranked Scotland as one of the countries in the UK with the highest number of drug users. Statistics showed that in 2010 alone, 3.9% of the respondents had used cocaine (UNODC, 2011).

Studies have also shown that currently, young people begin experimenting on drugs at a very young age of 11 years (McIntosh et al., 2003). In Scotland, 7% of 13-year-olds attested to having used drugs at least once a year while 14% of 15-17-year-olds admitted to abusing an illicit drug at least once a week (SALSUS, 2006). According to McIntosh et al., (2006), the late pre-teen and early teenage years are a crucial point of transition with regards to drug abuse. It is at this age when children begin to experiment on drugs and if they find the experience being good, they choose to continue with it. According to the survey by SALSUS, (2006), the use of illegal drugs among teens in Scotland is an indication of more frequent recreational drug use.

A secondary method of research comes along with numerous advantages such as cost-effectiveness (Elizabeth & Jonathan, 2013). A lot of information is obtained from past research studies on the same topic. The project will however start with a rationale that explains why the subject was chosen, the location, and the age group.