Substance abuse is currently a rampant social problem that has affected our society a great deal. It involves abuse of illegal, legal, and medicinal drugs. In this case, I am going to focus on legal and unlawful drugs. Alcohol abuse takes the lead, followed by the illegal hard drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, among others. Smoking is the last, though not least (Galanter, & Kleber, 2004). According to National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug abuse costs the United States more than 484 billion dollars annually. In a more detailed breakdown, smoking costs 138 billion dollars, illegal hard drugs cost 161 billion dollars, and alcohol attributes 185 billion dollars a year. The opportunistic diseases related to the drugs also cost the users a lot. For instance, diabetes cost the society approximately 131.7 billion dollars annually, and cancer costs171.6 billio
...n dollars (Galanter, & Kleber, 2004). The costs include health care expenditures; costs associated with crimes and accidents by persons under the influence of the drugs, and lost earnings due to the incompetence of the users. $787.3 billion is a tremendous amount of economic power misused annually in the U.S.
Drug abuse ranks the first in a 60-entry list of views of people of the U.S, on the seriousness of health problems according to a survey by Harvard School of Public Health. The seriousness attributed to the other many diseases attached to it that threatens the lives of the consumers. Cancer: tobacco is responsible for 11-30% of cancer deaths. Heart disease: health research personnel have found a connection between abuse of tobacco, cocaine, and steroids among others. It also leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Tobacco is also responsible
for 30% of all heart disease deaths. Sharing of injection drug needles is very unsafe in the sense that it can transmit HIV/AIDS. One-third of HIV/AIDS annually is attributed to this art of sharing the steroids injection needles (Self, & Staley, 2010).
The National Highway Traffic Administration gives an estimate of 11-22% 0f drivers involved in crashes are usually under the influence of drugs, mainly alcohol, or a combination of alcohol and other drugs. More than two-thirds of patients in substance abuse treatment centers claim that persons under the influence of drugs sexually assaulted them. Most of the rape and domestic violence cases reported worldwide involve persons under the influence of narcotics. The cases caused by drug addicts range from the murder of family members, setting homes ablaze, rape cases of a father to child, among other social, domestic abuses. Drug abuse is a pandemic and a threat to the whole society. The problems in our society include homelessness, crime, school dropouts, and joblessness among others. Adolescents should take cognizance of the dangers of drug abuse. The introduction of awareness on the effects of drug abuse lessons in schools can play a significant role in saving the adolescents from the fangs of drug abuse (Boyd, & Metcalf, 2012).
There should be strict restrictive measures in place, Operating interaction of youths in popular areas, which may make drugs conveniently available to them. It will make sure that youths have no access to drugs. In addition, youth gathering like house parties must not be tolerated, and any parents allowing their children to host such events should be punished. There should also be put in place programs that provide guidance and counseling
to young couples and newlyweds on family life, so as to avoid stressful moments during marriage especially to men, who are ten most vulnerable to abusing drugs to manage stress. Alcohol, being the drug that has affected most people should have most restrictions such as raising the prices to a level that only the employed can afford but not schoolchildren.
In addition, purchase of alcoholic products should be after presenting a national identity card to the seller, and it should have a limited amount of purchase. Alcoholics can try the following steps to reduce their levels of alcohol consumption, and maybe stop the habit in the end. The addicts can resolve their addiction by ensuring responsible use of alcohol, preferably lower amounts every day, spend more time with family members, make a habit of coming home early after work, and spend the time you spend drinking on some other activities like watching and reading books.
The above measures may be hard to implement, but they are worth it. For instance, increasing the prices of alcohol can create a very great commotion between the government and the vendors. Equally, changing company is not an easy transition (Boyd, & Metcalf, 2012). Trust is not something you transfer from one person to another, so changing friends can be challenging. Drug abuse affects a broad spectrum of society negatively in varied effects. The financial resources when directed to buying drugs and paying for medical bills because of diseases caused by the use of narcotics, development retardation, and visions of the affected families remain to be dreams. The death of loved ones affects family, friends, everybody. The duty of everyone to hold
hands and stop drug abuse is a candid prerogative to combat the dangers posed by drug addiction (Self, & Staley, 2010). The society should collectively come together in unison to encourage the youth and the old trapped to the tragedy of constant substance abuse.
References
- Boyd, J. W., & Metcalf, E. (2012). Almost addicted: Is my (or my loved one's) drug use a problem? Center City, MN: Hazelden.
- Galanter, M., & Kleber, H. D. (2004). The American Psychiatric Publishing textbook of substance abuse treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.
- Self, D. W., & Staley, J. K. (2010). Behavioral neuroscience of drug addiction. Heidelberg: Springer.
