Drug abuse is the excessive use of increasing amount of illicit drugs willingly with the purpose and intense of getting addicted as a way of recreation or any perceived reaction. Drug abuse is not only a social issue but also a family problem that has raised a lot of concerns in the public health system. Apart from public health, drug abuse is a criminal issue especially when the drug use is against the law. It refers to the situation I which an individual develops the desire to obtain the drug and use it excessively. Study o drug abuse is necessary as it enables the researcher to develop the strategies that they can use to reduce the rate of drug abuse in the community ( Di Chiara et al., 2004). The commonly abused drugs include the inhalants, stimulants, hallucinogens and some legal drugs like alcohol and cigarettes. The research does not define the causes of drug abuse, but many studies have related it to genetics and the environmental forces. This report is going to analyze drug abuse as a social issue of my concern by looking at the causes and effects of the problem.
Commonly Abused Drugs
Marijuana is one of the widely abused drugs that has caused adverse effects on the addicts (Segal et al., 2018) . Although the drug has is illegal, many people are still using the drug because of the lack of awareness of the health effects of the drugs. For this reason, they end up indulging in the excessive use until they become addicted to it. Apart from addiction, Marijuana has some psychological effects on the users that can affect the body as the victims continue with the action. The second drug that has been highly abused is alcohol. Just like marijuana, alcohol consumption is typical behavior in the society that has resulted in many consequences to those using them, the community and the nation. Many of the alcohol abusers usually proceed to addiction or alcoholism (Di Chiara et al., 2004). Cocaine is another commonly abused drug that has led to the adverse impacts of death or other severe health problems. Other commonly abused drugs in today's society that has raised a lot of concerns include the use of heroin, prescription drug abuse, and valium abuse among others.
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The major cause of drug abuse is the parental influence on the children. In many cases, drug abuse runs in the family, and as the children interact with their parents, they tend to imitate what their parents are doing. For instance, a school youth whose parent is taking alcohol may start drinking just because it is a common behavior in their family. Besides, this may not be directly related to genetics since some follow what their parents are doing. Another thing is that children from low-income families tend to get involved in destructive behaviors like drug abuse. This is because they receive less attention and teachings from their parents and caregivers at the younger age. When the children are not given the good parenting at a younger age, it becomes easier for them to abuse drugs. However, when they are given the excess pocket money children from wealthy families can also start abusing drugs because of the availability of money to purchase. It is essential that parents be role models to their children to avoid putting them into the risks of getting involved in drug abuse at the younger age. Another factor that is related to the occurrence of drug abuse is mental illness (Polosa et al., 2017) . Mental illness does not necessarily cause one to abuse the drug, but the two can go hand in hand with each other. For instance, one may be forced to take drugs for reasons like managing the underlying symptoms of mental illness. Mental illness, for example, can lead to the effects of depression that can make one take drugs for them to remain "high."
Drug abuse is also caused by the environmental factors like parental abuse or neglect from the family. Families are supposed to provide the environment where people understand and support each other. However, when there are a lot of conflicts and aggression, children tend to turn to drug abuse as a stress management solution. People who are undergoing the domestic violence and abuse have the high chances of using drugs that those living peaceful lives. Children can also start abusing drugs because of lack of restrictions from the parents. When the parents are not strict with their children about the use of drugs, it becomes easy for them to start abusing drugs. Parents should, therefore, prevent the drug abuse at home by avoiding a lot of quarrels and negotiating to come up with the right solutions to the problems. They should also remain role models and teach their school going children to stop associating with the drugs.
Another cause of drug abuse is peer pressure. Adolescence drug users are usually introduced to the use of drugs by their peers. There is a strong link between drug abuse and peer pressure especially in school going peers. The motive that drives the non-drug users to start using drugs is a strong will and desire to fit in (Di Chiara et al., 2004) . Drug users tend to see the act as normal, and they will usually spend time with the nonuser, share with them the information about the drug and eventually drug them into the act. Finally, one becomes an addict. The influence of peer pressure in the drug abuse is stable because the parties give each other the emotional support and provide each other with the information about supply. The influence of peer pressure can be avoided by associating with the positive peer that support the recovery process. The school going peers should ensure that they avoid the bad groups that support the destructive behaviors. The adolescence should as well listen to their parents and always consult them before making some critical decisions that can lead to destruction.
Making some drugs legal is another factor that increases the rate of drug use. When the drug users are aware that the use of the drug is not against any law, they will tend to use more of it. For instance, the use of alcohol is on the rise today and is being sold everywhere as it is legal. Today, alcohol kills approximately 88,000 people per year in America. Some of the drugs are not abused publicly because they are against the law. Such drugs cannot be found in the market efficiently hence minimizing the use (Segal et al., 2018) . Apart from the federal law, schools and families who have no policies put in place to prevent the drug use encourage at and home. This can be done by setting heavy punishments to those involved in the drug abuse or those found with drugs. The government should play an essential role in shunning the sale of drugs in the market.
Drug abuse is also caused by the use of the drugs prescribed by the doctor. Doctors can be forced to give out the drugs that have some components of opiate. As they keep taking these drugs, they become addicted and start yearning for more of the drugs like Heroin. When a patient receives these drugs for long, they can turn to be the potential users. Prescription drugs are also readily available hence can be easily acquired. Marijuana can also be prescribed for medical purposes, and when one keeps using it for long, they get addicted. The doctors should provide alternative drugs to the patients rather than giving the ones that can lead to drug use. The use of marijuana for medical purposes should be minimized since long-term use can also lead to addiction.
Moreover, drug abuse is caused by stress and inability to cope with the situation. This is usually common in women because they don’t externalize their stress with aggression like men. Instead, women typically keep their stress to themselves, and it reaches a point when they become overwhelmed with the situation. When women are unable to cope with their stress, they do feel withdrawn and depressed (Segal et al., 2018) .A good percentage of women has been reported according to research that they start using drugs when they are faced with such situations. Some of the stressful situations can be because of death, or changes in relationships or the chaotic environment at home. Another issue can be because of the history of trauma. Those who have experienced traumatic situations in their lives tend to take alcohol and abuse drugs more than those who have no history of trauma. Academic pressures are also being associated with drug abuse. Lack of communication between the parents and children can also be the main reason why adolescence and some youth get involved in drug abuse. From the research, parents who usually talk to their children about their social lives create a good relationship and high transparency such that they can share any alarming issue. Lack of communication often leads to the early initiation of the use of drugs with the purpose of reducing tension or relieving some social pressures.
Effects of drug abuse on the individual, community, and families
Drug abuse leads to the strain in the available health care resources. Addiction is currently being treated as the chronic disease in the hospitals. Effects of drug abuse like brain damage have led to the high increase in the number of casualties in the hospitals. The brain damage and illnesses can lead to long-term diseases that can result in the high cost of care. The government is spending a lot of money for the treatments of the addicts hence leaving the society to suffer from inadequacy of the healthcare services (Polosa et al., 2017) . Drug abuse is also the primary cause of family conflicts and breakups. Addiction can lead to poverty because the individual becomes less productive at work and spends a lot in purchasing the drugs.
Besides, the drug addicts can lose their jobs, drop out of schools and results to losses in the companies they are working at (Segal et al., 2018) . The effects of drug abuse on the individual can be the increased risks of mental disorders, chronic diseases, and the burden of the cost of medical care. One can also get involved in undesirable behaviors like crimes that can result in lawsuits. A drug addict is associated with the low productivity and increased rate of injuries at work. Children whose parents are addicts are usually at risks of becoming addicts because they tend to imitate what their parents are doing. Such families are associated with a lot of quarrels and violence, and lack of communication.
Families that are strictly related to the drug addicts face criticism and negative perceptions of others. The spouse has to cope with the inconsistency of relationship and family dysfunction. Such families are characterized by the fight over the use of the drug. Children in such families feel denied and start taking the parental roles at their younger age. They grow I an impoverished environment that is characterized by lack of the necessities of food, shelter, and healthcare (Possi, 2018) . They grow up with less parental care and guidance. The society is also affected in that, the increased number addicts in the society always lead to the increased cases of crime like theft, rape.
Conclusion
The young users of the drug are exposed to some life circumstances that can either directly or indirectly motivate them to use the drugs. Among the users in the society, the youths and adolescences make up the highest percentage of the population abusing drugs. For this reason, the main audience of this report included majorly the school youths, dropouts, the adolescence, and the parents. The report also targeted other vulnerable groups like the low-income families and the jobless as they are also associated with the high rate of drug abuse. The causal analysis of drug abuse as a social concern calls for the identification of some of the commonly abused drugs. They include the marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, Heroin, and Nicotine among others. Some of the major causes of drug abuse are peer pressure, legalization of drugs, environmental factors, and influence from parents among others. Parents play essential roles in shaping the lives of their children especially by being role models and teaching them on the desirable behaviors. If the parents are addicts, their children tend to imitate their characteristics. It is recommended that the government should come up with the policies that prohibit the use of drugs and minimizes medications using such drugs to prevent people from becoming addicted. Among the other causes of drug abuse, the most prominent reason among women is the stress and difficulty in dealing with the hard situations. From the causal analysis, it is evident that these factors affect the individual, community and family members in various ways. Drug abuse can result to; unemployment, bribery, family breakups and school dropouts. For this reason, I can conclude that drug abuse is a social/family issue that has raised many concerns worldwide and hence, should be given close attention.
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