Drug Abuse Prevention - Coursework Sample

Drug addiction is a chronic condition that forces one to regularly use drugs despite the harmful consequences they cause to the brain and their bodies. Drug addiction begins when one voluntarily takes drugs but persists until they can no longer choose when not to consume the drugs. Other than impacting the brain, drugs affect the bodily organs of an individual. Because of the several negative impacts of drug abuse on the individual and the society, the research addresses the resources and structures needed to help and safeguard the health of drugs to normalcy. The paper also traverses the barriers that might limit the implementation of drug rehabilitation programs to individuals in the community.

Community Demographics

Data obtained from National Survey on Drug Use and Health illustrated that at least 21.5 million adults in the USA aged 12 and above-suffered drug abuse related problems. According to Edelfield, and Moosa, (2012), early 80% of the individuals that suffered substance abuse associated cases involved alcohol use, (43). At least one in eight drug addicts suffered both drug use and alcohol abuse related problems. At least 8 million Americans faced mental disorder and drug abuse problems, or the occurrence of two addictions to the individual. The study identified that alcohol and drug consumption that starts before full brain development leads to addiction. The drugs cause changes in the brain, whose long-term impact become severe with time. The most affected category includes individuals in the age bracket of 16 to 24.

Meaning of Demographic Data

The data reveals that teenagers are the most affected by drug addiction and they are the future of the world. According to Edelfield, and Moosa, (2012), the demographics of drug addiction reveal that teenagers require preventative educational programs inculcated in them at an early age. Most teenagers become addicted out of curiosity; therefore, proper education reduces their curiosity about drugs. Peer pressure might also be the reason for teenagers being the highest group affected by addiction.

Population at Risk

Teenagers from 16 years onwards into adulthood become the most vulnerable population with drug abuse and addiction being a significant challenge. Sloboda and Bukoski, (2013) demonstrated that drug abuse awareness must focus on the group and start with explaining to them the meaning of the substance abuse. The group involves teenagers in their college life that begin living alone and experiment everything they come across, other than peer pressure. The experiments make the children become tolerant, dependent and eventually addicted to drugs and substances.

Structural and Institutional Support

The best method is targeting children at an early age and administering drug awareness campaigns so that they interact with the knowledge at an early age. Sloboda and Bukoski, (2013) argued that teenagers ought to understand the kinds of drugs, impacts, and dangers to an individual, (22). Teens must get informed about the risks of drugs and the steps one undergoes until they become addicted. Teenagers need awareness on the identification of addiction warning signs and the consequences of the same. The knowledge must extend things to do and how to help friends and family members that become addicted.

Substance abuse education is recommended for all groups that could become addicts otherwise drug abuse awareness education at an early age reduces the ability of the person to involve themselves in drugs later in life. It is presumed that if teens get informed adeptly about the impact of drug use they would reduce addiction risks. Teens might also share the information with family and friends.

The primary goal of substance abuse education is to create awareness amongst the population. Wilson and Kolander, (2011) argued that parents must first educate their children from home before passing the button to the school curriculum. Teenagers would have a thorough education from the school curriculum.

Teens must get informed about all the possible drugs, irrespective of the background information they could have about drugs. Teenagers might think that drugs that meth, cocaine, and heroin create more addictive, while in reality, any form of a drug like marijuana might lead to severe addiction (Wilson & Kolander, 2011). The knowledge must get spread through schools, non-governmental agencies and mass media whose goal is to ensure all people get informed. The media must illustrate the impact of drugs on the body and the mind of a person.

Other than giving the basic knowledge about drugs and substance addiction, schools must teach children how they could offer support if their friends and relatives undergo rehabilitation. Wilson and Kolander, (2011) argued that the non-governmental agencies must provide proper information that regards the treatment of addiction, its features and the outcomes that one anticipates in the recovery phase of the rehab process.

Barriers to Change Efforts

Insufficient availability of information might make teenagers not get informed about the latest developments that occur in drug abuse awareness. The internet could be a rich source of knowledge and facts, but government sites offer the most accurate information. Lack of proper funding might limit some of the programs from getting implemented like ads that run on social media and mass media. Parents have busy schedules with their careers and jobs making it relatively difficult to create time and talk about drugs. Some parents feel their children are too young to be taught information about drugs.

References

Edelfield, B., & Moosa, T. J. (2012). Drug abuse. New York: Rosen Pub.

Sloboda, Z., & Bukoski, W. J. (2013). Handbook of drug abuse prevention: Theory, science, and practice. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Pub.

Wilson, R. W., & Kolander, C. A. (2011). Drug abuse prevention: A school and community partnership. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.