Drug and alcohol abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse refer to the maladaptive use of substances that can be harmful for the user. Although drug abuse may not refer to drug dependency, the term suggests that drug dependence is included in its essence. Drug and alcohol abuse has huge variety of definitions depending on the institution that tackles the issue. Or the purpose of simplicity, we will refer to the definition drug abuse as the dangerous use of psychoactive substances such as illicit drugs and alcohol.
According to drug abuse statistics, it is esteemed that approximately 76.3 million people around the world struggle with alcohol and drug use disorders that plays a big part to 1.8 million mortalities each year. Like other global issues, there is a certain disparity with the representation of drug abuse. The communities which are more vulnerable to such problems are identified to be the marginalized sectors, developing countries and indigenous communities. A good example is a report from the United Nations – by the end of the 20th century, more or less 185 million people around the globe at about the age of 15 take drugs. Few of the common substances mentioned in this report are cocaine, Amphetamine, alcohol, solvents and marijuana.
Teenage Drug Abuse
The use of alcohol and drugs is initiated during adolescence. Moreover, experimentation on other substances is common among adolescents with significant age. In the United States, it is reported that almost 50% of 12th graders have used illegal drugs sometime in their lives. Substances that were used include alcohol and tobacco. Moving on, 21% of high school students in the US took prescriptive medicine without prescription. Later on, if not given proper attention, this leads to drug and alcohol abuse.
The case of Drug and alcohol abuse is known to be huge in figures. Statistics show that there are 11 million cases of teenage drug abuse in the United States. This puts the parents of teenage drug users into anxiety, shame, anger or depression. In most of the drug abuse cases, parents are clueless on what to do so the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and other non-government, non-profit organization launched programs that fight against drug abuse. Such programs provide education about drug and alcohol abuse for victims and their families. They also conduct information campaigns to increase awareness about this harmful activity.
Parents are able to gain better understanding about the causes and effects of drug and alcohol abuse through these courses of actions. They get advice from experts as well as from parents who have triumphantly overcame the same predicament. While treatment for drug and alcohol abuse victims begins in treatment facilities, freeing teenagers or all drug abuse victims from addiction is not confined within a drug abuse treatment center. Drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs involve local communities and actual collectives such as the local neighborhood or schools.
Drug Abuse in Other Prominent Communities
Drug abuse facts indicate that most people who use drugs use it to escape from reality. It is also reported that people use drugs not because of their social status because even wealthy people resort to drug and alcohol abuse too. In fact, some argue that more rich people are suffering from this type of crisis. Although they might be able to buy more expensive substances – commonly associated with prescription drug abuse – they still arrive at the same end as the poor people, who can only afford to buy cheaper drugs.
Drug and alcohol abuse is prominently known to be a part of show business. Many celebrities are reported to use and abuse drugs. In the music industry, it is undeniable that many artists died because of drug abuse. Substance abuse is also a notorious issue in the sports community. Drug abuse in the world of sports is also called doping. In 1999, an international collective effort led to the establishment of WADA, or the World Anti-Doping Agency. It aims to coordinate, promote and track the battle against all forms of drug abuse in the sports domain.
A Closer Look at Alcohol
Alcohol abuse is often associated with drug abuse. In extreme cases though, alcohol abuse or dependency may not involve the use of other substance. This huge problem does not only cause 2.5 million mortalities every year but also hampers both social and individual advancement. It is the world’s third biggest factor for early death, harm in health and disability as well as numerous social problems such as violence, child abuse or neglect, and unprofessional work habits such as absenteeism.
Alcohol does not only affect the mental and physical health of the drinker, it causes negative effects to the people around the drinker too. An intoxicated individual put others in to risks such as vehicular accidents (if the drinker is driving), erratic behavior, and violence. Having this said, the impact of alcohol dents the society deep. The detrimental effects of alcohol are comparable to the repercussions of drug abuse.
Excessive drinking is the primary cause of neuropsychiatric sickness such as epilepsy. Other commonly known illnesses caused by alcohol abuse are different types of cancer, heart diseases, tuberculosis and liver cirrhosis. Alcohol consumption impairs the immune system, making the drinker’s body unresponsive to antiretroviral treatments. And because the immune system of a drinker is weak, he/she becomes more susceptible to infectious diseases such as AIDS/HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). It is also important to note that fatality that is attributed to alcohol is high within the younger age groups. Drug and alcohol abuse affects both adults and teenagers.
A Few Important Numbers on Drug and Alcohol Abuse
According to the drug abuse statistics presented by the World Health Organization, alcohol drinkers dominate the number of psychoactive substances users, with a number of 2 billion, around the globe. Next to it are smokers, which consists 1.3 billion individuals. According to UNDCP, on the other hand, there are 185 million users or illicit drugs. The number of drug and alcohol abuse seems unabated after all these years.
Stopping Drug and Alcohol Abuse
We can certainly do something to save our loved ones from drug and alcohol abuse or addiction and it starts from education. We can ask help from organizations that advocates freedom from drug and alcohol abuse through treatment, awareness programs and prevention. Drug control and prevention programs are highly organized and are often subdivided into several steps. These steps include knowing more about drug and alcohol abuse, – read a lot of materials about how we can intercept and get the right assistance to save them from drug abuse – planning the course of action, acquiring new information such as news and latest research, and getting involved. Always remember that we can make a difference, and we can start making changes within our community. Freeing our local environment from drug and alcohol abuse is big enough.