Recreational Drug Use Negatively Affects Society - Research Paper Example

Recreational Drug Use Negatively Affects Society Introduction: Recreational drugs are commonly used nowadays for pleasure. They are chemical substances that are taken for enjoyment and not for medical reasons. These drugs are used by people to make them feel relaxed, to get rid of depression, or for leisure purposes. The usage of these drugs is mostly to stimulate positive feelings and not for illegal purposes. However, the drugs which include alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, heroin, ketamine, or others are mostly illegal, so their usage can have severe consequences of breaking the law. Moreover, even though these drugs are not taken for illegal purposes or to cause a negative impact on society, there are several consequences of using recreational drugs that eventually cause economic, social, and psychological problems to society. The use of recreational drugs is likely to result in the increase in crime rate as drug users get addicted very easily. Addiction is one of the most common consequences and the highest risk of taking recreational drugs. People may intend to take it for enjoyment, to relieve stress, to overcome depression, or for pleasure, but the overdose and the addiction of drugs can lead to severe consequences, including an increase in the crime rate. This is because the use of drugs can lead a person to lose his senses and have mental problems, and addiction can lead a person to act aggressively in society and at home, resulting in possible chances of domestic violence, robbery, murder, and other crimes (Siegel 185). Violence takes place due to frustration and aggressiveness which can release at home or through illegal activities that provide undue benefit. Economic Effects of Drug Use: Recreational drugs include many kinds of drugs which can be legal or illegal. The use of recreational drugs in a society can cause several economic effects as people commonly start spending about one-fourth of their income in drugs, and utilize their savings, thus lowering their standards of living. In recent years, the overall economy of the American society has tremendously lowered as there is an increase in the usage of recreational drugs (Hanson 236). The drugs industry is making high profits and it surely benefits their market as some drugs are highly expensive and once people are addicted to them, they buy them excessively to fulfill their needs (Hanson 526). The more profits the drugs industry makes, the more risks of drugs smuggling, illegal selling and possession of drugs, and access use of controlled drugs will increase causing social, economic, and psychological problems (Hanson 466). People often start taking recreational drugs to divert their minds from their life problems or to gain some pleasure. Drugs are often successful in providing peace to the disturbed person and allowing him to forget all his worries for a while. This attracts people to use them more often, hence creating an addiction. Most people first get addicted to this feeling, then physically addicted, as it becomes a need for the body to calm down and feel good (Moore 124). However, these drugs can also be expensive. Once the users are addicted, they would do anything to buy powerful drugs such a cocaine, heroin, or cannabis, as a result of which they start practicing stealing and robbery. Drug addicts are fifty percent more likely to commit crimes such as robbery and stealing, only for the purpose of buying more drugs (Moore 172). Addiction leads the users to commit crimes that they otherwise would never have thought about, for example, any person belonging to an educated and ethical family committing robbery to fulfill his mental and physical needs for drugs. Recreational drugs cause economic issues as people start spending more on drugs and when they are out of money, they are forced to commit crimes and get money from illegal sources to entertain their bodies’ needs. It has been observed by researchers such as Moore that even the people from the most respected family backgrounds end up committing crimes under the influence of drugs that they started as an enjoyment only (Moore 28). It was also reported that most crimes related to drugs involve theft of private property. Prostitution has also become very common as it fulfills women’s desires for more drugs and pleasure (Hanson 41). Women who otherwise would never compromise their dignity often end up in prostitution to support their drug addictions (Bennett 2). Drug users not only cause this economic harm to society by mugging and stealing, but they also tend to lose their legitimate jobs. Recreational drugs are highly used by people who have decent jobs and who belong to middle class families as these people are often under pressure and frustrated from the life of a struggling class. The figure amounts to 14 percent of the total drug users as found by the United States Department of Labor. Their family and financial problems lead them to enter the world of recreational drugs where they feel secure and relieved. Moore writes that about 40 percent of men and women who used drugs tend to leave or lose their potential jobs (Moore 114). People are at high risk of losing their jobs due to overdose and addiction. Drug addicts are not able to hold up on their regular jobs for long as they stay under the influence of drugs which distracts them and makes them feel energized just for a temporary time period, and for a longer period results in laziness, dizziness, and lack of a healthy working brain. Forty percent of drug addicts, around 25 million people in U.S, leave their jobs and get involved in criminal activities. This causes economic pressure on society as people leave their jobs and are involved in more criminal activities (Miron 12). When crime increases in a society, it not only affects the economy, but also the social order, legal system, and the life of each individual, which means, the society is highly affected negatively when people are more involved in criminal activities. Moreover, the increased spending on drugs leads people to lose their savings. When drugs become a habit, it gets very difficult to spend a day without taking them and it also influences people to act upon lousy decisions. Around 2.5 percent of drug users are seen giving away all their life savings to the drug addiction which causes economic and social problems. Not only does the person lose his job and get involved in criminal activities, but he is highly likely to lose his savings (Bennett 4). This also economically affects the society and the standards of living of people. Drugs can lead people to come under the wrong influence and fail to use their decision-making powers efficiently (Bean 197). Drug addicts ruin their lives and their family lives when it comes to their pleasure and drug habits. Once the job and savings are gone, they don’t hesitate in entering the world of crime thus ruining the complete economic structure of society. As one thing leads to another, unemployment and crime rate will increase, causing lesser consumption, lesser production, and eventually a weaker economy of the society (Allen 61). Social Effects of Drug Use: The usage of recreational drugs also causes the social breakdown of the society. There are several social problems that occur which only affect the individuals, but the structure of the society and the society as a whole shatters. The consumption of more illegal drugs also increases the chances of being caught under law and getting involved in severe legal cases involving smuggling and illegal possession of drugs. Moreover, the influence of drugs can make a person do anything which he would probably fail to remember later as drugs overdose can make a person incapable of controlling his emotions. The use of recreational drugs can also lead to an increase in social problems such as family break downs, children becoming homeless, students being expelled, and the rate of illegal activities rising (Allen 34). The usage of recreational drugs affects the society and the economy of a person, but it also tends to cause many social problems such as family break-downs. Many people are aware of the consequences and risks involved in the usage of drugs, and thus many drug addicts face pressure from their families to leave their habits. Caring wives, parents, or siblings would insist the drug addict leave their habit and return to the normal life. However, this causes unwanted pressure on the drug addicts because of which they keep a distance from their families (Boys 143). Moreover, the involvement in criminal activities disturbs families as people often want to stay away from the world of crime. Drug addicts are not supported by their families (Allen 48). Their lack of decision making, loss of job, and the drug habit tend to create conflicts in families quite often and eventually families break down. It has been reported by Hanson that the children of drug addicted parents often end up being alone and homeless (Hanson 250). Women who end up compromising themselves through prostitution for family income eventually leave their families and live alone to respect the standards in the society (Allen 33). Families break down due to the excessive usage of recreational drugs, and it also increases the rate of domestic violence. More than 60% of domestic violence cases since 2000 are the result of high drug usage (Allen 105). The usage of recreational drugs often results in depression and anxiety, lack of decision making, and inability to control emotions. People may also become more rebellious and careless under the influence of drugs and thus they lose control over their minds (Allen 105). Domestic violence has become a very common problem with people who are drug addicts and it causes families to break disrupting the social phenomenon on which the society stands. Drug addicts are highly likely to become more aggressive and out of control which cause them to act criminally or brutally. Just like they are involved in criminal activities without thinking about the consequences, drug usage increases their chances of practicing domestic violence. They get more rebellious and that could result in the loss of control or may cause anger and resentment even on the smallest of things. This is also one of the reasons why families are broken down; as rate of domestic violence increases, conflicts increase, and thus families’ breakdown more often (Matheson 3). High school and college students tend to come under the influence of recreational drugs more often. They are either forced into taking them due to peer pressure or they want some enjoyment in their lives. Use of drugs has increased to about 9.2% in the recent years, especially among high school and college level students. This trend has caused much social destruction as it can cause students to drop out of their schools figuring approximately 27 percent. Being a drug addict in student life can be a very severe problem for the family, school, and the individual himself (Moore 91). Students who are involved in drugs often drop out of school due to their lack of concentration, lack of interest, and bad performance. Drugs affect the students in severe ways as they seem to be enjoying the drug habit over their tough, studious life. Drugs attract the youth more closely and they tend to become drug addicts in no time. Their bad grades, failures, and decline in performance can result in their expulsion from school. Other than that, 90 percent of the times the schools and colleges’ management expels the students who are involved in drugs. This is because they understand that drug addicts can cause severe harm to themselves and the people and things around them. Drug addicts in college can lead to unsafe sex, drunk driving, academic problems, property damage, and suicide attempts. Thus, in order to save the education system and the name of the institute, many schools expel the students who are involved in drug habits (Stevenson 3). Psychological Effects of Drug Use: The use of recreational drugs not only affects the psychology of a single person but also the psychology of the society as a whole. The people who are using the drugs are affected as well as the ones who are around them and associated to them physically and mentally. Recreational drugs have an adverse affect on the behavior and attitude of people who are more likely to act in unexpected ways and have a tough time in controlling their emotions. The access of drugs weakens the brain functions and leads to a poorer decision making ability. People often end up getting withdrawal symptoms even if they quit or reduce their usage, they would suffer hallucinations if their usage is access, or they would affect the psychology of the people around as they get more apathetic and aggressive. It makes life difficult for the individual and also his family and friends to cope up with the person. Thus, it leads to more social breakdowns. Recreational drugs tend to be playing with the psychology of the people in the name of pleasure and enjoyment. There are many recreational drugs that are especially designed as hallucinogenic; they allow the person to forget their problems and think and experience another feeling which is their subconscious and it can be positive or negative. Ketamine and LSD are drugs that lead to hallucinations as they are strong painkillers which divert the mind and make it unconscious until the pain and worries are forgotten. These drugs can increase the blood pressure, cause people to be frightened or confused, they can harm themselves, lose control, and can cause several health issues. Hallucinations can be about good or bad things but it leads the person to lose control on his mind and can often be painful (Paul 31). Hallucinations also have an adverse effect on the brain hence causing psychological problems. If hallucinations become regular due to the overdose of drugs, it can cause the need of a psychiatrist. Recreational drugs and their overuse can be very dangerous for the psychology of the person. Drugs tend to make the brain numb and incapable of thinking or remembering anything. These are chemicals which are used to control the emotions and feelings of the brain. These strong drugs affect the brain adversely psychologically as they have several side effects. They relieve stress and worries temporarily, but in the long term, these drugs finish a person’s ability to think, make decisions, and control emotions. Thus, one of the major side effects is that these drugs make a person more aggressive. The aggressiveness of a drug addict is a side effect of the strong chemicals that the person is taking to forget the temporary worries. A person becomes more aggressive, because of which problems occur in the family, society, and also psychologically. Most drug addicts end up in rehabilitation centers where they receive their treatment. They need to learn patience, control, peace, and relaxation which are not in their lives anymore. Drug overdose often has adverse effects on mood swings and depression. Thus, aggression also leads the person to be unwanted, feared of, and someone from whom people would want to stay away which also affects the person psychologically (Inciardi 117). Drugs also cause apathetic behavior in people. People start being aimless, soulless, passionless, dull, senseless, and indifferent. These feelings lead the person to cut off from the normal lifestyle, the family, society, school, office and every other social institution. People become isolated and unloved which cause psychological problems. Their behavior makes them stand out in the society and people look at them with criminal eyes. They are treated differently and people start staying away from such people. Thus, this indifference leads to psychological issues and more aggression which then leads to involvement in criminal activities (Goode 43). Poverty and Lack of Education: This part of the research focuses on how the use of recreational drugs and increase in criminal activities is not associated with the poverty and lack of education in a society. Even though these are two of the major factors that lead to criminal activities, drugs can hit anyone even the wealthiest and most educated. Under the influence of drugs, even the wealthiest and educated people can carry out criminal activities. Drug usage is not the only reason why people get involved in criminal activities. Being a drug addict is one of the reasons why people are involved in crimes; other reasons include the poverty and lack of education in the society. Poverty leads people to be frustrated and desperate for survival. They carry out robberies, murders, and other crimes through which they make money and feed their families and fulfill their needs. Poverty forces people to get into criminal activities to earn. Moreover, the lack of education allows the people to believe that criminal activities are not something harmful or do not affect the society (Tonry 26). Educated people understand the importance of a secure society and how crime can destroy the society completely. Thus, the societies where crime rate is the highest are often the ones which have lack of education and high poverty levels. However, it can also be observed that drug usage increases the rate of crime in the society. This means that poverty and lack of education are not the only two reasons why a society suffers a high crime rate. Drug addicts contribute to major crimes that occur in a society and it has increased over the years (Hanson 60). Moreover, not only the poor people or the ones with lack of education, but drugs also affect the people with good educational backgrounds and wealthy families. Drugs can turn the thinking processes of a person and can lead him to do things that he could otherwise never do. It is not because of their need but it becomes an addiction and a mental problem as drugs force the person to do things out of their control. People under the influence of drugs can be misused by gangs or other masterminds in getting crimes done. They are easily influenced and used as their minds are weak and unconscious (Windle 54). Thus, in a society, drugs can tend to increase the crime rate much more than poverty and lack of education. Drugs can make the situation worse as it comes with economic, social, and psychological problems. It does not only affect the crime rate but the society and individual as a whole. Drug usage makes the criminal world even more dangerous as drug addicts can act very violently and aggressively under the influence of drugs or even without it. Drug addicts do not only harm themselves but they harm the whole society and cause adverse effects on the people around them (Hanson, 62). Poverty and lack of education are not the only factors that increase crime rate, but also the wealthy societies and educated societies can have a high crime rate due to the drug addicts. Conclusion: In conclusion, recreational drugs are used widely by people in order to reduce stress and depression but they are tong chemicals which have adverse effects on the brain. Recreational drugs thus increase the crime rate in the society as it causes economical problems, social problems, and psychological problems which contribute to criminal activities. When people don’t have enough finances they tend to commit crimes, when they are socially isolated and their families and jobs are left they get involved in criminal activities, and when they are indifferent and treated harshly they are psychologically disturbed causing them to act violently and brutally. Hence, it is true that the use of recreational drugs increases the crime rate despite the education and wealthy backgrounds of people. Recreational drugs can affect any person and can lead people to do crimes that they would have never even thought of. References Allen, Chris. Crime, Drugs, and Social Theory: A Phenomenological Approach. UK: Ashgate Publishing, 2007 Inciardi, James, The War on Drugs: Heroin, Cocaine and Public Policy. USA: Mayfield Publishing, 1988 Bean, Phillip. Drugs and Crime. UK: Routledge, 2014 Bennett, Trevor. Understanding Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime. NY: McGraw-Hill International, 2005 Boys, Annabel. 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USA: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2003 Read More