1. What is meant by the term drug abuse?
Drug abuse is the over consumption or excessive use of an addictive substance. Drug abuse occurs when the user consumes an excessive amount of an addictive substance, such as alcohol, prescription medication, street drugs, etc. for some type of reaction. The consumption of an illicit or prescribed drug becomes compulsive, and eventually leads to the addiction. This type of addiction is also referred to as drug abuse or drug dependency. The body eventually depends on the foreign substance to function, and without it, the body can go through withdrawal. There is not one single type of drug abuser. It cannot be neatly categorized. It is an epidemic throughout our nation, and can be seen in many forms, …show more content…
Although the abuser doesn’t intentionally or directly physically harm another, the impact from their behavior is widespread. As the book states, there is no single drug abuse problem (Lyman, 2014). The abuse is not only related to the individual’s personal health, but public safety as well. An abuser may be more prone to violence, engage in illicit behavior, engage in unprotected sex, or become a hazard not only to their self, but their place of employment as well. Drug abusers put a financial burden on their community as well. Also, there is some level of criminality associated with drug abusers. Theft, prostitution, the sale of drugs, or any other means to get money can cause a financial burden on the community. This behavior may lead to incarceration or rehab, thus costing the tax payers money. Also insurance companies and hospitals may incur more cost due to drug related health issues. For example, babies born addicted to drugs may be exposed to sexual transmitted diseases associated with drug use. Furthermore, drug abusers may overdose, thus causing financial hardships. Drug abuse not only affects the community, but it affects families as well. Drug abuse can destroy a family structure. The abuser may begin to lie and steal from loved one, thus creating a lack of trust, and a barrier in the family structure. The drug abuser can also birth an addicted fetus. The baby may be pre …show more content…
For example, throughout the 1960s drugs were not only tolerated, but also accepted. The media began to glorify the use of drugs. People began to rebel against the Vietnam War as well as challenge mainstream culture. Psychedelic art and rock and roll began to emerge and populate the music scene. Drugs were in your face plastered in the media. Media publicized drug use, drug users and drug proselytizers. A new subculture devoted to free will and drugs emerged into existence. Some groups even looked at drugs in positive terms. Youth were introduced to drugs, and as a result drug use reached an all-time high. It didn’t help that Vietnam soldiers became addicts by the thousands. What image does this present to the youth? They also had readily access to the drugs. Once addicted they had to support their habit. This lead to some of them drug trafficking, thus dumping the drugs into the communities. To curve their addictions, methadone clinics began to emerge. It wasn’t long until methadone clinics became controversial, based on the addictive nature of the drug. Soon after cocaine and methadone emerged, other drugs such as PCP, LSD and MDA began to surface and hit the drug scenes. Cocaine was also on a steady rise. It became glorified in some social circles. Even a popular club in New York advertised a coke spoon on the dance floor (Lyman, 2014). This type of image displayed
Drug abuse is the over consumption or excessive use of an addictive substance. Drug abuse occurs when the user consumes an excessive amount of an addictive substance, such as alcohol, prescription medication, street drugs, etc. for some type of reaction. The consumption of an illicit or prescribed drug becomes compulsive, and eventually leads to the addiction. This type of addiction is also referred to as drug abuse or drug dependency. The body eventually depends on the foreign substance to function, and without it, the body can go through withdrawal. There is not one single type of drug abuser. It cannot be neatly categorized. It is an epidemic throughout our nation, and can be seen in many forms, …show more content…
Although the abuser doesn’t intentionally or directly physically harm another, the impact from their behavior is widespread. As the book states, there is no single drug abuse problem (Lyman, 2014). The abuse is not only related to the individual’s personal health, but public safety as well. An abuser may be more prone to violence, engage in illicit behavior, engage in unprotected sex, or become a hazard not only to their self, but their place of employment as well. Drug abusers put a financial burden on their community as well. Also, there is some level of criminality associated with drug abusers. Theft, prostitution, the sale of drugs, or any other means to get money can cause a financial burden on the community. This behavior may lead to incarceration or rehab, thus costing the tax payers money. Also insurance companies and hospitals may incur more cost due to drug related health issues. For example, babies born addicted to drugs may be exposed to sexual transmitted diseases associated with drug use. Furthermore, drug abusers may overdose, thus causing financial hardships. Drug abuse not only affects the community, but it affects families as well. Drug abuse can destroy a family structure. The abuser may begin to lie and steal from loved one, thus creating a lack of trust, and a barrier in the family structure. The drug abuser can also birth an addicted fetus. The baby may be pre …show more content…
For example, throughout the 1960s drugs were not only tolerated, but also accepted. The media began to glorify the use of drugs. People began to rebel against the Vietnam War as well as challenge mainstream culture. Psychedelic art and rock and roll began to emerge and populate the music scene. Drugs were in your face plastered in the media. Media publicized drug use, drug users and drug proselytizers. A new subculture devoted to free will and drugs emerged into existence. Some groups even looked at drugs in positive terms. Youth were introduced to drugs, and as a result drug use reached an all-time high. It didn’t help that Vietnam soldiers became addicts by the thousands. What image does this present to the youth? They also had readily access to the drugs. Once addicted they had to support their habit. This lead to some of them drug trafficking, thus dumping the drugs into the communities. To curve their addictions, methadone clinics began to emerge. It wasn’t long until methadone clinics became controversial, based on the addictive nature of the drug. Soon after cocaine and methadone emerged, other drugs such as PCP, LSD and MDA began to surface and hit the drug scenes. Cocaine was also on a steady rise. It became glorified in some social circles. Even a popular club in New York advertised a coke spoon on the dance floor (Lyman, 2014). This type of image displayed