...Drug abuse is probably one of the most relevant social problems faced by the United States considering that a study recently published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that one fourth of the American citizens consume illicit drugs on a regular basis (NIDA, 2013). After alcohol, the most commonly consumed drugs are marijuana, pain relievers like morphine or vicodine, cocaine, heroin, stimulants, tranquilizers, hallucinogens, inhalants and sedatives. In this regard, the data reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse point towards more than 4 million American citizens meeting the criteria of marijuana abuse, 1.9 million inappropriately using pain relievers and 0.9 million Americans abusing of cocaine (Figure 1, NIDA, 2015)...
Words: 1094 - Pages: 5
...LAW AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE MOTHERS 4 THEORIES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE 6 Biological Theories 6 Genetic Factors 6 Metabolic Imbalance 7 THEORECTICAL PERSPECTIVE 8 MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT 10 SOLUTION TO PROBLEM 11 EXPECTED RESULTS/TIMEFRAME 12 CONCLUSION 13 REFERENCES 14 PICTURES ILLUSTRATING PREGNANT SUBSTANCE ABUSE WOMEN AND FETUS 15 INTRODUCTION Social problems exist at the door step of every community it has been in existence decades ago and still lives on today. Social problems can be defined as an issue that relates to society’s perception of an individual’s personal life and their behaviour is considered to be out of the norm. Substance abuse has vast becoming an epidemic in today’s society and it is considered as a social problem. Substance abuse is one thing but to see pregnant women abusing these endangering substances is another issue. People use drugs for many different reasons but for a pregnant woman to use drugs she may be mentally ill or depressed. Substance abuse may not have a serious or long-lasting effect on you but the same is not always true for a foetus. Mothers that abuse substances give birth to "drug babies." These children have serious developmental problems. Researches show that using substances legal or illegal during pregnancy has a direct impact on the foetus, whether smoking, consumption of alcohol, or ingesting caffeine. If you use marijuana or cocaine, your foetus also feels the impact of these dangerous drugs. If you are addicted...
Words: 2375 - Pages: 10
...Drug Treatment for Offenders Nicole Myers 20700 CRIJ 1304 Probation and Parole Abstract The addiction to drugs is a difficult thing for any individual to deal with. Often, addiction leads to the decline of a person’s well-being, financial security, and health. Drug addicts have a hard time keeping a job, their families suffer the consequences, and sometimes the addicts find themselves either in trouble with the law, or homeless on the street. There is an epidemic of almost epic proportions in this wonderful nation called the United States. However, this epidemic is not only national; it is worldwide. And because of this epidemic there are other problems in society such as an increase in crime and prison overcrowding. The epidemic is that of Substance Abuse and Addiction. The penal systems of each state house more prisoners due to drug related crimes than any other. Treatment instead of incarceration would be beneficial to the addict himself and to society as a whole. Evidence shows treatment would lower the amount of criminal activity due to substance abuse and addiction. Logic shows that if a problem is cured then the consequences of the problem disappear. There are different points of view on the subject of treatment or incarceration for those criminals who are substance abusers. And there are valid points in either argument. The viewpoint in favor of incarceration is supported by the deterrence and incapacitation theory. This theory promotes increased arrests, prosecutions...
Words: 677 - Pages: 3
...Sports and Substance Abuse By Amanpreet Sekhon Under the Direction of Natasha Sessoms, MA At Unitek College Introduction Sports are becoming more relevant as a major influence in the life of a human. The relationship between drug abuse in sports and society adds a different perspective on how sports effects individuals, and perhaps even society as a whole. Unfortunately, society seems to view ‘winning’ as something which is more important than the game itself. Success in sports brings fame, popularity, and may even impact scholarships and university entrance for many individuals. The societies’ demands and expectations from sports are rising over time. Society seems to view ‘winning’ as something which is more important than the game itself; consequently, the influence of drugs in competitive sports is becoming more relevant. Overview The urge to win or watch your favorite team win is becoming a societal expectation and norm. Athletes feel that they need to take drugs to help them to perform and win in the respective sport they are competing in. Whether you are watching, playing it, or talking about it, sports are becoming a major entertainment and a major part of the life of a human. Data from Lloyd D. Johnston (May 2007), reveals that 2.7% of twelfth graders utilized steroids, while 1.8% and 1.6% for the tenth and eighth graders respectively. Youths can easily be influenced into using steroids from peer pressure or the need...
Words: 1653 - Pages: 7
...Drugs in AMerica | From Sea to Shining Sea | Patricia Diaz | 000348122 | GLT 1 111.6.2 | 2/5/2014 | | “Drugs in America from sea to shining sea” Drug use in the United States has been on a steady rise. This is largely due to the increasing popularity of Marijuana. Marijuana was on the decline from the 1990s to mid to late 2000s but has been on a steady increase since then. This is due to the changing perception and attitudes towards marijuana. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2013, 7.0 percent of 8th graders, and 22.7 percent of 12th graders used marijuana in the last month. Why this sharp increase? This is related to state’s passing of legislation for the legalization of marijuana. This cannot help in the war on drugs. The use of marijuana has been shown to be the gateway to other more illicit drugs. Medical Marijuana has been in use for many years in the United States. It has been touted as the new miracle drug. While there are benefits to this drug the long term effects are still being analyzed. It has been said to help prevent blindness from Glaucoma; an appetite stimulant in Aids patients; and helps controls muscle spasms in Multiple Sclerosis patients. It can also have negative side effects such as paranoia, feeling of panic, hallucinations, and anxiety. People also have complained to short term memory loss, mood swings, perceptions and information processing. Why are there two different spectrum of the “miracle...
Words: 1808 - Pages: 8
...The Social Problem of Substance Abuse Donna S. West WGU GLT1 Task 2 The Social Problem of Substance Abuse Substance abuse and addiction issues impact individuals, families, and communities in many ways and can be directly connected to costly social, physical, mental, and public health problems. In addition, substance abuse related issues have an overwhelming impact on the criminal justice system. Describe the social problem of Substance Abuse The way substance abuse is defined or understood can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the person or situation it may be related to. In simple terms, abuse is determined when there is a level of dysfunction related to the person's use of drugs or alcohol. One standard definition, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [HHS/SAMHSA], 1994, describes abuse as "the use of a psychoactive drug to such an extent that its effects seriously interfere with health or occupational and social functioning." The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) is standard in the medical and mental health fields for diagnosing both substance abuse and behavioral health disorders. According to the DSM-IV, substance abuse is "a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by" a variety of possible symptoms of impairment (American Psychiatric Association...
Words: 1813 - Pages: 8
...GLT Task 2 Substance abuse is defined as “a pattern of harmful use of any substance for mood altering purposes” (Medline encyclopedia, 2014). This includes over the counter and prescription medications. Substance abuse leads to many problems from homelessness, jail, and even death. Many people abuse substances because they have some kind of stress in their life and see drugs as a symbol for a way out (More, 2008). I will be discussing how prescription drugs have an effect on the United States economy and how social theory relates to substance abuse dependency (More, 2008). Prescription drug abuse is one of many social problems in the United States. This problem is becoming an epidemic. In most instances, people are using controlled substance that were not prescribed to them or uses a legitimate prescription that does not match the label instructions (Davis, 2011). People think that since it was prescribed by a physician it is safe. This problem has been growing over the past few years and has cost the economy billions of dollars (Davis, 2011). Prescription drug abuse may come as a surprise to people but since physicians easily prescribe medications now days, they can be accessed very easily. Most drugs that are abused are opiates, which people also illegally sell on the streets for money (Davis, 2011). These drugs can be ingested, snorted, and smoked which is a misuse of how the medication is prescribed and is considered a felony (Davis, 2011). A wide...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3
...Substance Abuse on Children 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background and Problem Definition It is beyond debаte thаt the use or misuse of substаnce hаs severe impаct on the well being of children. The term substаnce refers to both the illicit аnd non illicit forms of drugs. The use of substаnce by а pаrent becomes misuse when the pаrent in question uses it to the level where the usаge becomes hаzаrdous for both the behаviour аnd heаlth of the pаrent аs well аs the life of the children involved. The hаrmful behаviour in the pаrent hinders the pаrent’s аbility to tаke good cаre of their children which is the children’s fundаmentаl right (Forrester 2011, p. 4). The pаrentаl substаnce misuse hаs physicаl, behаviourаl, sociаl аnd emotionаl or mentаl consequences for the children. Parental substance Misuse is a major issue that has captured the attention of social worker and professional as well as policy makers with regard to wellbeing and needs of a child (Murphy & Harbin, 2003, p.354). The National Treatment Agency (2012, p.3) notes that over 50% of the total adults undergoing drug treatment in 2012 were parents of which a third (66,193) were living with children under the age of 18. Out of these, those who live with their children are 40,852 while those who live with children who are not theirs are 25,341. While not all parents with substance misuse problems harm their children, past research evidence has indicated that there is a solid relationship amid parental drug abuse...
Words: 9637 - Pages: 39
...Conceptualizing Addiction Conceptualizing Addiction McNeece and DiNitto (2010) agree that defining addiction is not an easy task. Jaffe (1980) defines addiction as "a behavioral pattern of drug use, characterized by overwhelming involvement with the use of a drug (compulsive use), the securing of its supply and a high tendency to relapse after withdrawal. In addition, it is characterized by craving, withdrawal and tolerance." Schuckit (1992, p. 182) believes addiction involves the “continued, self-administered use of a substance despite substance-related problems, and it results in tolerance for the substance, withdrawal from the substance, and compulsive drug-taking behavior due to cravings.” The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V), combined the DSM-IV categories of Substance Abuse and Substance Dependence into a single category of Substance Use Disorder (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). The DSM-V covers 11 criteria for Substance Use Disorder: 1) taking the substance in larger amounts or for longer than the you meant to; 2) wanting to cut down or stop using the substance but not managing to; 3) spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from use of the substance; 4) cravings and urges to use the substance; 5) not managing to do what you should at work, home or school, because of substance use; 6) continuing to use, even when it causes problems in relationships; 7) giving up important social, occupational or recreational...
Words: 1120 - Pages: 5
...harmful use/abuse, dependence, withdrawal, and psychoses or amnesia associated with the use of the substance) associated with substance abuse, often involving maladaptive behaviors over a long period of time. In order to be diagnosed with substance dependence an individual must display at least three of the following for a 12 month period: development of tolerance to the substance, withdrawal symptoms, persistent desire/unsuccessful attempts to stop using the substance, ingestion of larger amounts of substance, declined life functioning, and persistent use of substance. Substance intoxication, substance withdrawal, substance abuse and substance dependence are the four substance-related conditions that are present in the DSM-IV-TR. Substance intoxication is a type of substance-induced disorder, consisting of reversible, substance-specific, maladaptive behavioral or psychological changes directly resulting from the physiologic effects on the central nervous system of recent ingestion of or exposure to a drug of abuse, medication, or toxin. Specific cases are named on the basis of etiology, e.g., alcohol intoxication. Substance withdrawal is physiologic and psychological readjustments made during discontinuation of use of a substance previously employed to induce intoxication. Substance abuse is a patterned use of a substance (drug) in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with methods neither approved nor advised by medical professionals. Substance abuse/drug abuse...
Words: 2213 - Pages: 9
...Substance Abuse Kris Krumwiede PSY/270 – Abnormal Psychology: Abuse, Addiction, and Disorders Vicki Koenig 10/6/2013 The first cause and treatment that I read about was the sociocultural perspective. People who live in poverty and stressful situations are more likely to abuse drugs. This is the theory behind sociocultural perspective. Depending on our lifestyle and our surroundings that we live in can be a major factor in whether we abuse drugs or not. When people are surrounded by drug problems in their community, and their friends and family use as well, they have a higher chance of becoming a user themselves. This does not mean that it can be avoided. Depending on your lifestyle and choice of friends, drug abuse does not have to happen just because a person lives in poverty. The first point is how much willpower the individual has. I know of several people who chose not to use or abuse drugs and they lived in or below the poverty level. Drugs are in every level of income. It does not matter if you’re rich or poor; it depends on how the individual wants to deal with his/her life situations. There are many self-help groups, support groups, friends, family, pastors and other people in our communities that are willing to help someone who are having problems with drugs. They will also help with the problems that lead the individual to drug usage. The second cause and treatment I read about is the Psychodynamic perspective. The theory behind this perspective...
Words: 1176 - Pages: 5
...Suppositions I have chosen to examine the following two suppositions: trauma as a major cause of addiction and the War on Drugs as an abject failure. I decided to discuss these suppositions because I have worked with several clients diagnosed with substance use disorders that report extensive histories of primary and secondary trauma. Many of the clients had similar stories to that of some of the Edgewater homeless that they grew up in environments where drugs, alcohol, and sex work were present on a daily basis. I decided to discuss the War on Drugs an an abject failure because as an African American, I see how the War on Drugs has disproportionately impacted the African American population in such a negative way. I am also eager to gain...
Words: 2336 - Pages: 10
...| The Addiction of America | The Abuse of Prescription Drugs in the United States | Sean Barnes | Western Governors University | 12/19/2014 | The abuse of prescription drugs in the United States has reached epidemic proportions and continues to get worse. Most people, however, do not realize how big the problem really is. It continues to get worse every year and it demands our attention. In 2011, just three short years ago, an estimated 52 million people in the United States over the age of 12 had used prescription drugs for a non-medical reason (National survey on drug use, 2011). The most commonly abused prescription drugs are pain relievers. Why are people abusing these drugs and where do they get them? This paper will attempt to answer those questions as well as pose a possible solution on how it can be corrected. Analyzing the Problem To begin, we must first take a look at why so many American citizens are abusing prescription drugs. Most will probably tell us that they became addicted to pain relievers after some sort of horrible accident or surgery. They were prescribed these medications by their Primary Care Provider and told to take them in the correct manner, which are usually one or two tablets/pills every four to six hours apart, as needed for pain. What they were probably not told by their Primary Care Provider is that they should not take them sooner than directed, nor should they take them whenever they are not experiencing pain. The directions on...
Words: 1762 - Pages: 8
...Gateway Drug The gateway theory is a hypothesis which states that the use of gateway drugs (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana) lead to the use of more illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. “Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.” Marijuana is thus considered by the U.S. government to be more dangerous than cocaine and opium - both Schedule II drugs, and at the same time a gateway to these harder and more addictive drugs. The government’s position is not only paradoxical, but should be a reason for debate as to the credibility of the gateway theory. A detailed look is warranted because of the magnitude it has on affecting U.S. drug policy. According to the “Reassessing the marijuana gateway effect” article, there are three phenomena which represent the evidence for a marijuana gateway effect. The first is “the relative risk of hard drug initiation for adolescent marijuana users vs. non-users. In one U.S. study, the risk of drug progression for a marijuana user was 85 times that of a non-user” (Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse 1994). The figure makes apparent sense because as will be seen an individual who uses marijuana is further up the drug escalation...
Words: 2222 - Pages: 9
...CDEV 461: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TOPIC: THE EMERGING TREND OF DRUG ABUSE AND PEDDLING IN EGERTON UNIVERSITY SUBMITED TO: DR. KAMURU MAKAL DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STUDIES. DATE OF SUBMISSION ABSTRACT Drug abuse is one of the top problems confronting the nation today especially among the youth. Incidences of drug and alcohol abuse and related antisocial behavior have tremendously increased in the resent years this has become matter of concern to the government, parents, NGOs and other relevant agencies. The need of drugs and alcohol in universities has birthed entrepreneurs in drug peddling. As a result many of these students want money badly and they are ready to venture in whatever business just so they can make ends meet. Alcohol is the most frequently abused drug followed by bang’ Miraa, tobacco and shisha. Egerton University In access to alcoholic drinks has been made easy due to the close proximity of bars and entertainment joints to the university gates. The factors that contribute to drug abuse and drug peddling include; the gap, association with drug using peers, source of quick cash, parental drug abuse, and antisocial behavior among others. Disadvantages of drug abuse and peddling include; imprisonment, addiction, lack of concentration, death, violence among others. TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents ABSTRACT ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iii 1.0INTRODUCTION 1 Background information 1 Trends 2 Statement of the problem 2 Significance...
Words: 2533 - Pages: 11
