IndiaFreeman

Mrs.Sanchez
EnglishIV
2ndApril2015
DrugAbuse:
Thequestionisfrequentlyasked:Whydoesamanbecomeadrugaddict?Theansweris
thatheusuallydoesnotintendtobecomeanaddict.Youdontwakeuponemorninganddecide
tobeadrugaddict.Studiesshowthateachyear2to3percentofnewbornsareexposedto
cocaine,12percentareexposedtomarijuanaand38percenttotobacco(Shniderman9).Drug
useisacontroversialissuewheredifferentpeoplehavedifferentopinions.Addictionisabrain
diseaseexpressedintheformofcompulsivebehaviors(Leshner68).Itvariesfromindividualto
individual,fromsocietytoawayoflife,andfromlegaltoillegal.Inaddition,whenthepeople
arepooranddonotgetmoneytoattendhospitals,theygotodrugstorestobuydrugs.Allthe
abovementionedpointsbringinsanitytothesociety.Thereisindisciplineinthesocietyandthe
socialorderfallsapart.Thesocietycomestoastandstillandthereisnoprogress.Thereis
corruptionandcriminalactivitiesliketheft,armedrobberyandcheating.Ifthecitizensarewell
educatedinthehomes,massmediaandschoolsandreligiousinstitution,thingsmightbeputright.
Disciplinedpeopleshouldbeputinplacesofauthority.thegovernmentshouldestablishtask
forcestotrackdowndrugabusers.Theeconomyshouldbeimprovedsothatthecitizenscould
getjobstooccupythemselvesbecauseanidlebrainisthedevil'sworkshop.Drugsbecome
abusedwhethertheyarerecreational,narcoticsoralcohol.Drugabuseisrifeinmanycountries.
Billionsofdollarsarespentinternationallypreventingdruguse,treatingaddicts,andfighting


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drugrelatedcrime.Iamgoingtoanalysetheeffectsofdrugsontheindividual,thefamily,and
society.
Itsunfairincompetitionsbecausetheyarebasicallycheating,theillicituseof
performanceenhancingsubstancescommonlyreferredtoasdopingisirreconcilablewiththe
spiritofsport.Therearenoshadesofgraywhenitcomestocheating.Eitheryouareplayingfair
oryouarenot.Athleteswhocheatdestroythewholepurposeofwhattheysetouttodo:tosee
howfartheirnaturaltalents...cantakethemincompetitionwithothers,playingbytherules.
Insteadofsomethingthatshouldbeatriumofthehumanspirit,theirachievementsbecomedirty
andmustbehiddenforfearofexposureanddisgrace.Athletesoftentakediureticsinaneffort
tocleansetheirsystembeforehavingtoprovideasample(
NathanJendrick
).Usingsteroidsor
otherdrugswithoutaprescriptionfromalicensedphysicianamountstodrugabuse.Itisillegal.
Mostsociologistandsocialpsychologistsagreethatdruguseisalearnedbehaviorthatspreads
throughthegroupsofpeerswhoinfluencedoneanother.Congressfirsttookactionagainst
steroidsbypassingTheAnabolicSteroidsControlActof1990(JimSensenbrenner).Theeffects
ofsteroidscanboostconfidenceandstrength,leadingabuserstooverlookthepotentialserious
andlongtermdamagethatthesesubstancescancause.Thiseffectispermanentthereisnoway
toreversethiseffectofsteroiduse.Naturaltalentsandtheirperfectionarethepointofsports.
Theeffectsofsubstanceabusefrequentlyextendbeyondthenuclearfamily.Illegaldrugs
cancausedepression,moodswings,andotherseriousphysicalandpsychologicalproblems.
Yourbehaviorduetoaddictionmaycauseseparation,divorce,and/orisolationfromotherfamily
members,particularlychildren,eitherbecausethey'vebeentakenfromyouorbecausetheydon't
wanttobearoundyou.Fathers,mothers,singleparents,couplesstraightorgay,regardlessof


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ethnicityorsocialgroup,richorpoor.drugandalcoholabusecandestroyrelationships.An
addicttrulybelievesthattheycanuseasubstanceonthemostbasicleveltofulfillthedesirefor
happinessandcontroltheinnerdemonsofunnaturallifecyclesthattheyexperienceonadaily
basis.First,parentswhoareondrugsareafraidtoseekhelpinfeartheirchildrenwillbetaken
away.Drinkingwhilepregnantcancausefetalalcoholsyndromedamagetothebaby'sbrain.
Whenourparentssmokearoundus,andwhenImeanus,Imeanournowgeneration,teensand
toddlers,babiesandinfantsnotevenborn.Whenourparentssmoke,theyarecontaminatingus,
ourbodies,ourheads,ourlife.Thesmokeofthattobaccohurtsusnowandthosenotevenready
tobebornyet.Smokinginthehouseholdcancausehealthproblemsforfamilymembersfrom
secondhandsmoke,includinglungcancer.AccordingtoCraigNakkeninhisbook,
The
AddictivePersonality:UnderstandingtheAddictiveProcessandCompulsiveBehavior
,we
mustfirstunderstandwhatalladdictionsandaddictiveprocesseshaveincommon:the
outofcontrolandaimlesssearchingforwholeness,happiness,andpeacethrougharelationship
withanobjectorevent.Nomatterwhattheaddictionis,
every
addictengagesinarelationship
withanobjectoreventinordertoproduceadesiredmoodchangeorstateofintoxication.[1]
Beingundertheinfluenceofdrugsandalcoholwilloverallimpairyourjudgmentandcanleadto
neglectorharm.Theyoftenblameotherswhenthingsgowrong.
Differentdrugs,becauseoftheirchemicalstructures,canaffectthebodyindifferent
ways.Marijuanadirectlyaffectsthebrain.Itimpairstheabilityofyoungpeopleto
concentratetheretaininformationduringtheirpeaklearningyears(Walters18).Marijuana
causesshorttermproblemsincludingmemoryloss,learningproblems,difficultythinkingand
solvingproblems,distortedperception,lossofcoordinationandincreasedheartrate.Whata


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personfeels,hears,smells,tastes,thinks,andseesdependsonwhatthebrainiscommunicating
totheindividual'sbody.Thebrainandbodyhavenormalfunctioningpatternsandoperate
accordingtoveryspecificpatternswhenapersondoesnotconsumesubstancesthatcauseany
typeofchemicaldisruption.Cocainecandestroyyournasalpassages,leadingtodiscomfortand
serioussinusproblems.However,afterlongperiodsofcontinueduse,themajorityofindividuals
whotakebothprescriptionandrecreationaldrugshaveahighlikelihoodofbecomingaddicted.
Mostimportantly,though,everytimethatyouusecocaine,youruntheriskofhavingaheart
attackandkillingyourself.Drugabusehascausedmanydifferentproblemssuchaspoverty,
sicknessandhealthissues,unwantedpregnancy,andfamilybreakups.Alcoholrelated
automobileaccidentsaretheleadingcauseofdeathamongAmericanteens.Illicitdrugusers
makeover527,000costlyemergencyroomvisitseachyearfordrugrelatedproblems(Gateway
TreatmentCenters).
However,havingmoredrugsavailableforselftreatmentmayencouragepatientsto
believethatthereisadrugtreatmentforeveryailment.Prescriptionopioidpainmedications
suchasOxycontinandVicodincanhaveeffectssimilartoheroinwhentakenindosesorinways
otherthanprescribed,andresearchnowsuggeststhatabuseofthesedrugsmayactuallyopenthe
doortoheroinabuse.Itiswellknowntheseillegaldrugsaresomeoftheworstthingsforyouon
theplanet.Meth,forexample,haslongtermeffectsofseveredentalproblemsandAIDS/HIVfor
injectionusers.The1914HarrisonActwasthefirstmajorantidruglegislation,thisbillleadtoa
largedeclineinnarcoticusers.Thereisadrugprobleminthissociety,andasIhavestated
legalizationwouldincreaseusers.Iflegalizationwouldincreaseusers,thenwhylegalizeitand
makethedrugproblemworse?In1880,manydrugs,includingopiumandcocaine,werelegal


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and,likesomedrugstoday,seenasbenignmedicinenotrequiringadoctor'scareandoversight.
Addictionskyrocketed(ByDrugEnforcementAdministration).Despiteincreasedarrestsofdrug
sellers,communitysafetyintheinnercityhassubstantiallydeclinedinrecentyears.Theeffects
ofdrugabuseintheinnercityhavesignificantlycontributedtoadeclineintheeconomic
wellbeingofmostusersandsellers,anenvironmentofpoorhealthandriskofdeathatanearly
age,andaweakeningoffamilyrelationships.Adolescentswhousedrugsseekoutpeerswho
alsouseand,inturn,areinfluencedbythosepeers(Berndt,1992).
Yourfamily'sstrengthsandresourcescanhelpyoufindwaystolivewithoutalcoholand
drugaddiction.Althoughtheproblemofdrugsmayseemimpossibletoeliminate,thereare
concretestepsthatcanbetakentoweakentheholdofdrugsonsociety.Thedangerfromdrugsis
toogreattoignoreforusandourchildren.Theyfeelliketheirdrugofchoiceistheonlything
thatwillmakelifetolerableandhavelittlemotivationtoquit.Itcanbewrongfullyassumedthat
drugabuserslackmoralprinciplesorwillpowerandthattheycouldstopusingdrugssimplyby
choosingtochangetheirbehavior.Inreality,drugaddictionisacomplexdisease,andquitting
takesmorethangoodintentions.Mostpeoplethinkofadrugasmarijuanaorcrackcocaine.
Peopleoftenforgetthatdrugsareallaroundus.Theyarefoundinourcoffee,ourdrinks,andour
medicine.Adrugisanythingthatchangesthewayyourbodywouldnormallyfunctionandcan
belegalorillegal.ThemostuseddrugintheUnitedStatesisinsomethingmostpeopledrink
everyday.Caffeine,yescaffeineisadrugandcanbefoundinmanydrinkslikesodasandenergy
drinks.Caffeineisadrugthatstimulatesyourheartandmakesitbeatfaster.Medicineslike
TylenolandAdvilarealsodrugs.Drugscanbeokayaslongastheyareusedproperly.When
peoplewithpoorjudgmentliketeenagersgettheirhandsonthesedrugstheycanbeharmfuland


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evenlethal.Infact,becausedrugschangethebraininwaysthatfostercompulsivedrugabuse,
quittingisdifficult,evenforthosewhoarereadytodoso.Inmanycountriesthesituationis
simplycatastrophic,aspeoplediefromdrugabuseandpsychotropicsubstancesonadailybasis.
Drugaddictionislargelyaconsequenceofpoorsocialconditions:unemployment,uncertaintyin
future,dailystress,severeneuropsychiatricstates.Allthisgivesreasontoescapefromreality
intotheworldofillusionswiththehelpofdrugintoxication.