2012, p.39). The number is expected to grow if the government is not able to create intervention measures that will help reduce the number of youth introduced to the abuse of drugs. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs data shows that drug and substance abuse start at a tender age with the highest number of children learning to abuse drug substances during their teenage years. Health care providers, law enforcement officers and education practitioners in the UK all create strategies that will help to identify illegal drug users easily. Healthcare providers conduct health education programs to make students aware of the negative impacts of abusing drugs. Health promotion activities are replicated in the community where a large number of youths are struggling to stop the abuse of drugs; substance abuse not only will endanger the health of the youth but will also initiate a conflict between the youth and the law enforcement officers. Youth in the UK engage in substance abuse due to both personal and environmental factors which consequently has a negative impact on their mental health.

The use of the substance such as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs in young people is a crucial issue for the United Kingdom public health sector. In this regard, statistics show how regular smoking, drinking, and drunkenness, as well as the use of marijuana among both boys and girls in the UK, are highest compared to all European nations. The use of substance abuse has notable health risk or implications. For instance, the association of substance abuse has bigger impact on society extension to health care costs, crime and antisocial, infectious diseases all of which needs prevention strategies

at all cost. Alternatively, policies regulating and controlling the use of substance abuse continues to be largely focused on smoking, drinking and drug use as a separate issue, although according to research they are all often inter-related (Blackman, 2004, p.104).

Problem Statement

Substance abuse among the young people or youth in various parts of U.K has become a matter of serious concern. The problem under investigation in the study concerns the cause and effect that substance abuse has on the young people of the United Kingdom. Additionally, the study investigates the reason for substance abuse among the young people in the UK.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study is to professionally illustrate the use of substance abuse among the youths in the United Kingdom, identifying the causes or reasons why young people in the UK engage in substance abuse. This study also explores the general impacts of substance abuse and the intervention measures by the health care agencies in dealing with youths who are suffering from the substance abuse in the UK.

Significance of the study

This study targets all stakeholders both in bodies fighting drugs and substance abuse agencies as well as the parents, teachers, among other, who will better understand the current situations and take appropriate measures in addressing the causes and effects of substance abuse among youths in the UK. Alternatively, this study plays a crucial role in educating the public and specifically the youths while helping them take precautions towards the current menace getting involved in substance abuse.

Literature Review

Adolescence, a time which a large number of teenagers are associated with intensive brain and cognitive development (Ormrod, 2006,p.23) The use of drugs will not only impair

or inhibit the normal functioning of the brain cells but will, also have a negative impact on their psychosocial skills. Consequently, the youths find it difficult to relate well with their friends and family members. The mental health of the child abusing is negatively affected leading to the generation of negative grades. The personality of an individual abusing drug substances changes considerably. Some drugs will change the normal body functioning affecting the ways through which an individual will effectively communicate with others. Researchers attribute substance abuse to a large number of causes. They consider appropriate intervention as those through which can help to restore the normal health of those individuals introduced or addicted to drugs.

Substance abuse is a major cause of mental health problems among the youth. Youths will use drugs in an attempt to escape the reality of their problems. The health implications associated with substance abuse depend on the type and extent of drug usage (Organizacio?n Mundial de la Salud, 2006, P.78). A large number of accidents in the US result from misjudgment of drunken drivers who in most cases are youths in the UK. Alcohol is also associated with both kidney and liver diseases. Alcohol is also a major cause of heart-related diseases among the youth in the UK and hence contributes significantly to the number of deaths. Drug dependence is not only a challenge to the addicts but also the parents that will take the responsibility of trying to rehabilitate a particular youth. The European youths are more likely to abuse bhang and alcohol to the ease with which they can access the substances.

Individuals abusing drugs get an intense desire to

abuse drugs in the future (Linton, 2015, p.1339). They become drug dependent in the daily living which affects the day to day duties. With drugs from a person that for a long time used a particular drug have negative physical and psychological effects on an individual. Drug dependent youths have challenges coping in an environment where there they cannot access drugs they are addicted to (Farenga & Ness, 2015, p.872).

Substance abuse in the UK is associated with low self-esteem, anxiety and depression among youths (Kohen, 2010, p.45) Individuals with a low self-esteem may tend to abuse drugs to abuse drugs to gain confidence when interacting with others within the community. Parents suffering from depression due to prolonged use of drugs are likely to use harsh punitive measures for their children. They will also take a shorter time monitoring the behaviors of their children.

Much of the resources are used to acquire substances at the expenses of improving the livelihood of all the other members of the family. Children growing up in families with parent abusing drugs are likely to encounter traumatic childhood experiences (Royse, 2015, p.90). Substance abuse causes a psychological effect on parent’s young parents in the UK who face the challenge of trying to raise their children well. It is associated with a large number of risk factors that include association with domestic violence. Substance abusing parents and guardians are less likely to provide adequate parenting to children. They will take less time with their children and can act as role models to their children.

Research Methodology and Design

The study made use of qualitative design approach to obtain data. Interviews and open questionnaires were the

two methods used to obtain data from a population of 200 parents whose children were victims of drug and substance abuse. The group was randomly selected from various hospitals where it was easy to meet such people after their children were taken there to recover. It was easy to meet them and get answers to the questions. Those who were literate were given the questionnaires to fill while short interviews were conducted to the less literate.

Data Analysis and Discussion

The questionnaires were filled and the data analyzed through simple tables. From the answers that were collected, it was concluded that the aspect of substance abuse is very high among the youth and children in the UK. This fact was backed up by the many youth and young victims undergoing treatment in hospitals. The reasons that make the youth and young people to be abusers vary significantly as follows

Enjoyment

Young people are so experimental and want to try almost everything in their life. Sometimes they tend to copy peers, parents, relatives or people as they see in the media who abuse drugs. They tend to like what they see, and through experimenting they end up hooked in the behavior without the urge to adopt such behavior. They normally find it pleasurable rather than damaging and seem to just enjoy doing it.

Environment

Most of the youth especially in their late years may suffer from unemployment, housing that is low quality, deprivation, live in poorly resourced and fractured infrastructure. These places seem to harbor very many drug and substance abusers. In such areas supply of drugs and substances in the form of economic reasons controlled by gangs is imminent. Young people

who are bored with life and especially who lack good prospects of jobs see it as an income earning strategy and with time they engage in the business while they end up becoming abusers themselves (Anda, et al. 2003, p. 568).

Curiosity

The fact that young people want to explore new things and are curious of new experiences sends them to drugs and substance abusing. They typically feel that this stuff are good to talk about and through that they also want to experience about them.

Natural Rebellion

Some part of any subset of the youth, these people wants to exclusively rebellious, own something or provoke their elders or adults and this mostly may be in the form of drug and substance abuse.

Defense Mechanism

Most people tend to go to substance abuse after failed relationships, traumatic and painful events or experiences. Abuse that emotional or physical coming from the family and home lives lead young people into drug and substance abuse.

Cost

Most drugs and substances are cheap, and the youth can afford them. Just like any other selling commodity whose price is affected by demand, these substances go as cheap as $3 towards $4 for pints and the price depends on the time of effect on the body(Anda, et al. 2003, p. 568).

Easy Availability and Promotions

Pressure amounts in the young to indulge in substance abuse when they see such substances as alcohol and some other pain relievers being advertised through the media. Though such things as tobacco are banned, research shows that the mere fact of advertising tobacco sends people and especially the young into its use and abuse. They get encouraged to use the same and any other form of

drugs and substances regardless of them being depicted as risky for health (Anda et al. 2003, p. 568).

Irrespective of their legislation, teenagers and children are getting access to drugs and substances that they end up abusing. Some youth can afford and normally buy them from shops.

Friends play an impact in introducing others to substance abuse. Groups of friends have norms that in most cases bind them. A newly recruited member is forced or trained on how to use illegal drugs. It initially y is a fun exercise until an individual is addicted to the habit. Individuals that do not conform to the rules of the group are threatened through intimidation or secluded from the activities of the group. Individuals in a group can also motivate each other to try new drugs without considering the negative implications associated with the use of such drugs.

Stress is a cause of substance abuse among youths in the UK. A large number of youths facing financial challenges, for instance, abuse drugs. Others unable to secure meaningful unemployment will use drugs both as a defense mechanism and a way to manage their psychological stress levels. Individuals seeking for employment opportunities have much idle time that increases their risk of abusing drugs. Whereas poor youths will consider using affordable drug substances youths from relatively rich families will go for more expensive and more addictive drug substances.

New drugs are not classified to be illegal under the constitution. The youth have a way to create new drugs that the government may have no information about. Some youths will stop using drugs considered illegal. The legalization of certain drugs makes them appear acceptable to a

large number of youths. Making friendly laws encourages the youth more people to abuse drugs. The low age limit for individuals that can legally purchase and use alcohol contributes significantly to abuse. Children are only able to abuse drugs that they access.
Measures of intervention by healthcare agencies

Both the healthcare personnel and organizations for healthcare in the UK are putting a lot measures that aim at helping the substance abusing youth in the country. Some of these strategies include motivational interviews and information that has helped reduce the level of cocaine, ecstasy and binge drinking among the use. This comes after a sympathetic and conducted history on the substance use, knowledgeable interpreting of the results and the avoidance of arguing and lecturing. The systems also carry out the FRAME motivational process on the youth. The process includes giving them a personalized and structured feedback on the harms and risks involved (Vardakou, Pistos, & Spiliopoulou, 2011, p.193). It involves emphasizing the personal responsibility of the patient to change. Offering advice that is clear enough makes the victims change their habits of abusing substances. Offer them a menu that contains strategies that help them to achieve a change in their behavior. Deliver the plans in a manner that is non-judgmental and emphatic. Help in increasing confidence in the victims to change their behavior.

Counseling that is sympathetic, supportive and informed by health care physicians is a form of a behavior therapy that effectively the youth to stop abusing substances. It has been confirmed that the offering of weekly support that is supervised for some time makes the substance abusers to make improvements from self-harm, danger, anxiety and depression. Healthcare

staff can also practice sustained community outreach that is flexible on the victims. This is done through making home visits, text messages, meet in cafes, remind victims of appointments through telephone calls and help by offering transport (Paglia, & Room, 1999, p. 35). All these types of assistance are very important towards those who are most vulnerable; lack of structure and external routine, substance abuse may be due to the poor organization and motivation.

Another strategy that is applied to help the substances abusers is to disassociate the drug abusers from their peer and lifestyle. This is achieved through tackling the obstacles of life that these youth face including career absence, homelessness, continued mistreatment, exclusion in education and risk incarceration. All these need remedies that have been mixed with other local services. The other form of intervention from health care organizations involves taking away strain that is long term. For the youth, such networks include education, mental health, health, non-governmental agencies, criminal justice and social work (Anda, et al. 2003, p. 568). All these packaged with other multisystem and multidimensional interventions lead to effects that are positive.

The application of contingency management, motivational enhancement, and pharmacotherapy seem to work well on substance abusers. Though the intervention is yet to become fully integrated in the system as an intervention for young substances abusers, it has proofed to work. There has been identified some psychosocial interventions that seem to work well with youth abusers of substances. These include; therapies on cognitive behaviors, contingency management, therapy on motivational enhancement and the 12 step approaches (Vardakou, Pistos, & Spiliopoulou, 2011, p.193). Interventions that are family based including the multisystem therapy and

therapy that is family multidimensional are also recommended to be effective to those abusers having needs that are complex. Opportunistic screening o alcohol and other intervention in emergency departments are good when applied to the youth. Early intervention on the youth or children who turn to substance abuse can be an effective intervention. This one requires that the healthcare practitioners work together with parental interventions as parents are closer to their children and have the highest chance to note that their children are already abusing substances.

Starting the intervention on someone when the behavior has not yet become developed can make them drop the abuse easily unlike when the abuse is involved with a person for long.

Impact Substance Abuse Among Youth in the UK

Some of the common impacts associated with the use of substance abuse in the UK broadly categorize them into health problems, crime, and death issues. However, the distribution of impacts of the subsurface is throughout the United Kingdom society. Some people and neighborhoods are more vulnerable to drug-related harm or impacts than others; these most of the time are societies that tend to suffer social exclusion (Connolly, 2006, p.24). Different studies indicate that the socially excluded groups of young people like the offenders, school truants and excludes, children under the childcare of local authorities, and parents who abuse drugs are mostly reported to use and abuse at a higher rate than the other young people.

Recreational drug use among the adults is necessary, not prevalent amid the socially excluded groups. Additionally, the unemployed, unqualified, homeless or living in rented houses or unstable accommodation and financial difficulty report a harmful pattern of substance abuse which

also translates to a significant impact in influencing the youths into abusing drugs. Therefore, concluding that social economic deprivation seems to associate to or contribute to drug dependence and not drug use. Social problems such as burglary and robbery, victimization by murder, road traffic accident, and poor health tend to occur and concentrate in deprived areas.

The use of substance abuse can result in death from a variety of causes, for instance, an overdose of drugs related with opiates the user can stop breathing, cocaine overdose often lead to fatal heart or respiratory failure. Drugs overdose can overlay serious toxic effects on users’ medical conditions such as epilepsy, asthma, or liver cirrhosis. Alternatively, the use of substance abuse methods may transmit life-threatening infectious diseases as well as drug intoxication which also contribute to deaths road traffic accidents. Apparently, there are no official estimates of the mortality rate for drug users, but from the study conducted in three English cities, the results illustrate the annual opioid mortality rate to be between 0.8% and 2.1% among injecting drug users. Besides the mortality rate for heroin users is 17 times higher than non-heroin users. Although the majority of drug users die of an overdose and not from other causes of death such as chronic diseases and accidents, their death has a negative social impact on the immediate family, the society and the government as a whole.

The use of Substance abuse has severe implications not only for individuals but also those close to them and the society as a whole. In the UK alone, substance addictions have continuously cost the government millions annually. Mostly, these costs are attributed to diseases,

crimes, accidents, abuse, domestic violence, homelessness and job loss. The use of substance abuse at the end results to individual’s mental and physical wellbeing, results in loss of employment, family and receiving support from the society.

Families of those caught in the bondage of addiction go through a lot of challenges frequently, subjected to abuse, domestic violence, and financial struggles. Many children in this type of family setup are at risk separation from their home and placed into a state custody which is also expensive for the government. The use of alcohol is a major cause of violence among families in the UK. Partners in a relationship are more likely to engage in a conflict if either of the partners engages in substance abuse.

The over packed public health systems are accelerated by the substance abuse and addiction of patients who spend much of their money on medical care. On the other hand, the prisons are also over packed with incarcerated prisoners who committed drug-related offenses, hence enhancing the overpopulation problems in the prisons. Youth involved in the use of substance abuse may suffer from peer related issues; these youths may be alienated from their peers and sometimes stigmatized. In community and school set up, they often tend to disengage from activities because of the influence of substance abuse.

A Large amount of crime cases in the UK is attributed to the use of drugs and substance abuse. Many addicts find themselves in stressful situations when they run out of their substance, therefore, trying to obtain money to purchase their substance of choice by all means. During these situations, when purchasing goes wrong then often need more money

sometimes resulting in violence, or other serious crimes (Connolly, 2006, p.24). More than a half of all individuals arrested for serious crimes such as assault, robbery and murder were under the influence of the usually illegal substance or an addictive substance. Nevertheless, society picks up the cost for the whole process of law enforcement, judiciary or court and incarceration.

Many students who under addiction or using substance abuse experience absenteeism, declining grades and other activities from school, conversely this increases their potential of dropping out school coupled with complications associated with adolescent drug and substance abuse. The student who abuses drugs has low commitment levels to their education, among the adolescents their higher truancy rates is often related to substance abuse. Additionally, these youths experience cognitive and behavioral disorders or problems associated with substance abuse which gradually interferes with their academic performance, by also presenting learning obstacles to classmates.
The problem of inability to sustain and support oneself is a common problem among the youths, which is as a result of monetary expenditures and emotional distress which is related drug and substance abuse. Furthermore, youth engage in drugs and substance abuse increase their needs for treatment of drug and substance abuse as well as medical conditions.

The UK government has incorporated the public service agreement on drugs and substance policy by coming up with strategies that reduce its impact on the health care sector. Drug–related health problems that have grabbed the attention of policy makers include infectious diseases such as HIV and Viral Hepatitis, possibly because of its scope of passing the disease from injecting drug users to the larger population. Other health related problems entail cannabis and

mental health problems such as depressions, apathy, developmental lags, withdrawal along with psychosocial dysfunctions.

Recommendations

Education is a good means of making young people engaged in school without having time to think about drugs and substance abuse. The parents should encourage their children to go to school and make them like education. Parents should take good care of children such that they will never want or feel deprived, depressed or uncomfortable to the extent or thinking about substance abuse (Paglia, & Room, 1999, p. 35). Parents are closer to their children and should detect any form of bad behavior that seems to develop among their children. They are able to note drug abuse behavior and thus come up with an immediate strategy to combat it before it gets worse than ever. Drug, alcohol and substance manufacturing companies need to reduce the use of media as platforms to market their products such tobacco and alcohol. This fact will stop the youth from having the urge to have a test. Parents should work close with the administration to ensure that the neighborhood has no gangs that sell drugs and other substances to the young people.

The government should take much control of the supply of drug substances used for healthcare purposes. They should create laws that make it difficult for teenagers to access or purchase illegal drugs. As such providing, better security methods to illegal drugs and increasing taxes on substances that have a negative impact on health makes it challenging for individual to access drugs. Creating new laws that make organizations more accountable to the negative impact of the substance they produce is an important step towards reducing substance

abuse. Organizations should clearly inform the public about the negative impacts associated with using particular drug substances.

Conclusion

Health promotion is important in educating the public on the negative impact associated with substance abuse. A large number of youths lack information on the alternatives to substance abuse that will help to improve their livelihoods. Health care providers, in this case, will move from institution to institution unearthing existing stereotypes associated with substance abuse and providing alternative ways that will help to improve their health. Such health promotion activities that include drug testing and counseling services should be conducted on a regular basis to check on the progress made towards stopping substance abuse among the youths in the UK. The government should provide opportunities that improve the livelihood of youths in the UK. It should engage the youths in more productive activities. Youths engaged in more productive and rewarding activities are less likely to engage in risk activities like substance abuse. All stakeholders of health have a role to stop substance abuse among youths in the UK.

References

1. Blackman, S., 2004. Chilling out: The cultural politics of substance consumption, youth and drug policy. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
   Connolly, J., 2006. Drugs and crime in Ireland: Overview 3.
2. Dube, S.R., Felitti, V.J., Dong, M., Chapman, D.P., Giles, W.H. and Anda, R.F., 2003. Childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction and the risk of illicit drug use: the adverse childhood experiences study. Pediatrics, 111(3), pp.564-572.
3. Farenga, S.J. and Ness, I., 2015. Encyclopedia of education and human development. Routledge
4. Gentilello, L.M., Ebel, B.E., Wickizer, T.M., Salkever, D.S. and Rivara, F.P., 2005. Alcohol interventions for trauma patients treated in emergency departments and hospitals: a cost benefit analysis. Annals of surgery, 241(4),
   

pp.541-550.