The use and use of illegal drugs have continued to remain a major social problem not only in U.S.A but globally. It is estimated that close to 6% of the global population use and abuse drugs. The social problem of illegal drug abuse varies from one region to another depending on the drug laws and various penalties imposed for using an illegal drug. According to the U.S Health report, 10% of the Americans admit using and abusing drugs ( Abuse, 2013 ). The same report further states that close to 20 million Americans admit to having used marijuana; which is the most abused drug in America. The reports by the National Survey on Drugs Use and Health states that close to 21 million Americans aged between 12 and more years are were involved in substance abuse in the year 2014. NSUDH further states that 80% of the individuals who suffered from substance disorder reported having used excessive alcohol or marijuana. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than 8 million Americans battled with mental health disorder as well as substance disorder ( Abuse , 2013). Substance abuse in the United States of America has become a major social problem that requires quick resolution. Many people die from illnesses as a result of drug use. Many others miss work or even get sacked for getting to work when intoxicated. Substance abuse has become a major social challenge which leads many negative effects in the society and unless right policies are put in place to manage the situation, the future generation risks being seriously affected by the problem.
Overview of Substance Abuse and Impacts on Workplace
Substance abuse has become a pervasive problem in the United States cutting across geographic, racial and socioeconomic boundaries. The effects of drug abuse are being felt in every part of the economy. This moves from effects on straining healthcare resources, a judicial system for those presented to the court for abusing illegal drugs and the ever increasing deaths as a result of drug abuse which has even gone higher passed the deaths caused by traffic ( Dart et al., 2015 ). The number of children born in the United States of America with opiate drug withdrawal has gone up four times compared to the last ten years. According to the report by the Center for Disease Prevention (CDC), the number of deaths due to drug abuse has gone up to 2 million. This has called for a clear need to have substance prevention despite the many challenges that have been faced in attempts to prevent substance abuse.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
More than 80% of those who abuse drugs have been reported to miss work, cause domestic violence and fails to provide for their families. Marijuana remains the most abused drug in the United States of America. Out of the people reported to have abused drug, 87% were reported to have used marijuana ( Redonnet et al., 2012 ). In other reports, nearly 830000 adults were reported to be using heroin in the year 2015. The number almost doubled in 2016. The use of marijuana increased by around 8% between the year 2013 and 2014. Further reports show that nearly 10 million adults aged between 18 years and over, developed serious mental illness as a result of drug use which led to serious interference with their major economic activities. Some were reported to have missed work while others went to work when intoxicated and got sacked losing their jobs as a result.
According to Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, more than 50% of the substance abuse has been reported to be heritable. Genetics and environmental factors have been considered to cause addiction. The use of the drug at an early age before the brain is fully developed may encourage addiction in the future. The worrying trend about drug addiction is that majority of those who abuse substance are youths aged between 18 and 30. Lauer, Lauer, Abramson, & Auger, (1998) asserted that this is the most productive portion of the population, and when they get adducted into drugs, the productivity of the economy may be at risk. It is common to see many young people get to work when intoxicated with drugs making them unable to work. Overuse of drugs also leads to loss of lives at an early age thus robbing the nation of young people who would otherwise be productive (301). Reports by the Health Department have shown that drugs have had serious impacts on youth, and have resulted in premature mortality and high economic costs of treatment of the addicts. The concerns about criminal involvement and erosion of moral values have also been a major issue of substance abuse. Despite the priority that has been given by the public, media as well as political leaders, drug abuse remain a major social problem in the United States of America that requires serious and immediate measures to get the solution.
The workplace is one of the major places that face the negative impact of drug abuse. Many employees are reported to miss work for being intoxicated. Others have also been reported to come to work when under the influence of a drug which results in accidents at the workplace as well as low productivity ( Frone, 2013 ). An intoxicated employee is more likely to cause accidents at work, cause an error or even injure other employees resulting in severe loss to the employer. Some talented employees also develop health complications forcing them to skip work and seek medical attention. During this period, the employers experience low productivity which can affect their profitability. Lauer et al . (1998) illustrated that many other talented employees have lost their lives as a result of complications generated by drug abuse. This resulted in loss of skilled employees forcing the employers to look for replacements (444). Addicted employees have also been reported to develop mental illnesses which make them unable to continue working. As a result, the family who relied on that person for survival will be subjected to stress and inability to access basic needs. Addicts have also been reported to undergo psychological stress which makes them emotionally unstable and unable to continue being productive members of the community. Substance abuse is real problems which can hinder the development of a country while at the same time expose many other people to psychological and mental stress leading to mental illnesses.
Strategies to Solve the Issue of Substance Abuse
Teaching Drug Prevention
Drug addiction and substance abuse start at a youth age. School can play a significant role in shaping the behavior of youths by teaching them the importance of avoiding drugs. This can be done by early detection of possible symptoms of drug abuse which can include declining school performance. Implementing effective school programs aimed at teaching youths to resist drug use and abuse can be useful in nurturing them for the future. These programs can include developing personal and social skills and improving stress management tactics because substance abuse has been associated with an inability to manage stress ( Frone, 2013 ). Prevention strategies should, therefore, begin early at school age and even continue as one gets into adolescence stage so that youth grow up knowing the negative impacts of drug abuse. At school age, youths are always under peer pressure to get into drinking and smoking, and if not monitored then it marks the stage under which one starts to get addicted which can continue into adulthood. It requires reinforcement of anti-drug norms among the youths so that they grow with a positive attitude and a rebellious attitude towards drugs.
According to the reports by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, any year a child spends avoiding alcohol significantly useful in avoiding future addiction and dependence on drugs. If children are taught to avoid alcohol at a young age by being made aware of the negative impacts of drug abuse, they are less likely to abuse drugs in future when they become adults. Youthful age is, therefore, the right stage to start teaching children to resist drug use so that they don’t develop addiction behavior in the future. The prevention efforts in schools are designated to serve the general population, those identified to be at great risks as well as those already indicating signs of drug addiction. This method when used can help build a society in which drug use is minimal thus promoting development.
Mass Media Campaign
Conducting a mass media campaign that aims at changing the norms of the society by demonstrating the negative impacts of drug use as well as showing the positive impacts for nonuse can help change the attitude of people towards drugs ( Shoemaker , 2012). Social media campaign can be an essential tool in changing the opinions and attitude of people towards drugs. This can be done by using experts to explain what negative impacts can result from drug addiction and possible risks involved. The media campaign messages can be built to directly target those at risks and those who are already involved in the use of the drug.
Lauer et al . (1998) pointed out that using media campaign can involve the use of billboards, newspapers, radios, and televisions which are mainly seen or watched by the majority of the people especially the youths who are at great risk (398). Because the population at the highest risk of being involved in addiction is the youths, the entertainment industry can also be used to display the message because most youths are known to fans of entertainment. These can include music videos and interactive media. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can also be useful sites in delivering campaign messages to the targeted audience because such media platforms are widely used by almost all categories of groups ( Abuse, 2013) . The campaign can also be organized by having a group of people moving from one region to another to preach youth anti-drug campaigns aimed at teaching youths to change their attitude and avoid drugs. Those who can be used to lead the campaign can include survivors of drug addicts who almost got lost in the substance abuse but got reformed due to rehabilitation. Such people may deliver useful messages that may be understood by the population at risk and make them understand that drug addiction is a major social problem in the society.
Building Family Bonds
Parents can be useful figures in shaping the behavior of their adolescent youths as they go. By the words of mouth and actions, families can provide guidance and counseling to members of the family who are at risk of using drugs or those who are already using drugs. Family members, especially the parents have a key role to play in building the future habits of their children. Studies have shown that the more frequent the family members talk with their members who are into substance abuse, the higher the chances that these people will change from the habit by avoiding alcohol and other drug abuse. The family has ties with their loved ones and is at greater chance of being understood. When family members, especially parents offer advice about dangers of alcohol and drugs, the chances that their advice will be effective are high. Increasingly, prevention programs are being developed to enhance family communication with drug addicts among other family skills. Studies have also shown that parental advice and discouragement of their adolescence children against drugs can counteract the peer pressure and make them change their attitude.
According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, family-based prevention can be useful in preventing drug abuse and addiction among family members especially the youths. Programs such as open discussion sessions where family members sit together and discuss various life challenges and stressors can lead to an understanding of certain life stressors that can make one get into drug addiction. Reports have shown that majority of men who get into alcohol addiction do so because of certain life stressing situations such as hard economic times or even work-related stress. Sitting together with family can help provide comfort by offering social and emotional support which makes one feel part of the community. NIDA has also reported that most of those who get into drug addiction at an old age start when they are at their adolescence stage. Therefore, family advice and guidance at this young age can help one avoid drugs at a young age which will obviously go even at an adult age ( Abuse, 2013).
Rehabilitation
Alcohol and other illegal drug users form the common denominator for most of the criminal offenders in the criminal justice system. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, illegal drug users and addicts constitute a bigger percentage of the prison population in America. While there has been a heated debate over the continued imprisonment of drug users in America, the trend has continued as many people get jailed day by day for involvement in the use of the drug. However, rehabilitation has proved to be most effective in reforming drug users as compared to jailing. Imprisonment emphasizes on punishing the offenders with little efforts to reform their behaviors and help them get back to their normal healthy lives. Lauer et al. (1998) asserted that studies have shown that prison is the most ineffective method of helping drug addicts reform and get out of the addict, with many reports of continued use of substance after finishing jail term being witnessed (501).
Rehabilitation focuses on helping the victim change behavior and gets back to their normal lives. It involves guidance and counseling as well as therapy that is aimed at positive behavior change. During the rehabilitation process, one is assessed to understand the major cause of the addiction before they can be given therapy. Abuse (2013) believe that the victims are trained how to live a positive life away from drugs, which can be useful in taking them back to their earlier healthy lifestyle. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, therapeutic society treatment of the drug victims has been found to be more effective in developing a positive behavior change. Many victims of drug addiction often get back to their normal healthy life and even continue with their economic activities after rehabilitation. This is unlike imprisonment where most offenders get back to drug addiction after their jail term meaning they have not undergone any positive behavior change.
Guidance and Counseling Programs at the Workplace
A workplace can also play a key role in shaping the behavior of the drug addicts and helping them develop a positive behavior change. Instead of being hard on them and sacking them, the management can implement a program that aims at offering guidance and counseling to the victims of substance abuse. Such programs can also involve problem sharing with the counselor before offering guidance to the employees. Programs aimed at reducing stress among workers can also be implemented. Such programs can involve gym sessions and sports which aims at making employees relax and feel stress-free. This is because some of the causes of substance abuse can result from the work-related stress, and thus unless the management of the workplace takes initiatives to solve the problem, a solution may not be found. Similarly, colleagues can also pay part in encouraging a positive behavior change among the victims of drug abuse by sharing with them the need to live a positive life ( Shoemaker, 2012) . Encouragement from colleagues can play a key role in positive behavior change.
Community Collaboration and Empowerment
The efforts to find the solution to the substance abuse requires a collaboration of all community members in recognizing the negative impacts of drug abuse and coming up with measures to help the affected. This can involve representatives from various community agencies coming to work together with specified goals of reducing drug abuse. Community planning groups can be formed who then move to the grassroots spreading the news on the need to resist substance abuse. Such community group can target the population who are already addicted to drugs while at the same time reaching out to the risk group. The high-risk people can include teenagers who can easily get influenced by drug use due to peer pressure ( Shoemaker, 2012) . These efforts can involve home visits, counseling, and parent training aims at enhancing resilience as well as promoting individual strength. According to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), maintaining resilience can be very significant in helping one avoid drug addiction. Resilience can be enhanced by promoting a strong relationship with adults who offer to counsel. A feeling of self- respect, development of problem-solving skills and stress management as well as hope and open communication can help one maintain resilience.
Communities can also empower themselves to find a problem t their problems. This can be done through community-led initiatives which aim at addressing various problems of substance abuse among themselves. Community coalitions can comprise of stakeholders, service providers, residents as well as government agencies who combine human and financial resources to address such issues. This can be done by either declaring a crackdown on illegal drug within the community through search. Community mobilization is done so that everyone is involved in the war against drugs in the community. This strategy can lead to the reduced existence of the illegal substance in the community which will subsequently result in reduced substance abuse as asserted by Shoemaker (2012) .
Strict Laws on Illegal Drug Trafficking
One of the major causes of the ever increasing rate of substance abuse in the United States of America is the trafficking of illegal drugs into the country. Despite the existence of laws that prohibit drug trafficking, illegal drugs have continued to be smuggled into the country and sold to residents who then use it and get addicted. Instead of filling jails with drug addicts, the law should rather be harsh on the traffickers because they are the ones responsible for the supply of drugs into the country. Drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin have continued to be smuggled into the country despite the existence of the law that bans such substances getting into the country. The law has not been so strict on those who smuggle illegal drugs into the country ( Shoemaker, 2012) . The law should be made strict and strictly implemented to anyone found to have broken such laws. This is the group responsible for spoiling the lives of many young people and children who get influenced by drugs at a very young age thus spoiling the rest of their lives.
Community Policing and Reducing Drug Availability
Community policing involves collaboration between law enforcement officers and private citizens aimed at reducing the use of illegal drugs in the community. This collaboration entails working together to identify drug addicts in the community, who are then taken to the rehabilitation centers for reforms. The central figure to this strategy is the community police officers, who have a mission of maintaining law and order, working together with the community members within a specified are to root out drug presence within the community while at the same time taking addicts for rehabilitation. The Department of Justice requires that each community have a policing initiative linked to the rooting out of illegal drugs within that society. This strategy can be useful in regulating the supply of illegal drugs within the community which will then help control drug abuse.
The problems of drugs have been varying depending on the state or the city. The anti-drug tactics that are employed by the law enforcement officials may differ depending on the need of that community. The law enforcement agencies can engage in anti-drug tactics which involve making observations into the sale of drugs within a community as well as conducting patrols that ensures there is no presence of an illegal drug in the area. The presence of law enforcement agencies that monitor the presence of drugs in a community can help root out the availability of drugs which can lead to addiction among the youths ( Frone, 2013). This can also involve police crackdown on the suspected drug hotspots where drugs are confiscated, and the sellers have taken to face legal action. This can scare drug sellers from sneaking drugs into communities thus reducing drug supply and subsequently reduced drug abuse.
Avail Treatment for Drug-Related Illnesses
Drug use and addiction have had several health impacts on many users who develop certain illnesses such as lung cancer, mental illnesses as well as other heart diseases ( Volkow, et al., 2014 ). This has led to the loss of many lives as a result of being unable to access proper medical care. To help this population, access to medical care should be increased so that people suffering from such illnesses can get better healthcare services to improve their health conditions. At the same time, the health centers can use that time to offer therapeutic treatment to these patients who are substance addicts. Therapeutic treatment will help them develop a positive behavior change and make them get back to their previous healthy life.
Conclusion
Substance abuse has become a major social challenge which leads many negative effects in the society and unless right policies are put in place to manage the situation, the future generation risks being seriously affected by the problem. Many lives have been lost as a result of drug abuse while many others have been unable to go to work which has led to job loss. The workplaces have experienced very many negative impacts as a result of this social problem. Employees who go to work when intoxicated become unproductive or get prone to errors. Also, substance abuse makes many people miss work on a regular basis which still impacts negatively on productivity. Serious measures and strategies aimed at eliminating substance abuse must be implemented to ensure that this social problem is minimized.
References
Abuse, S. (2013). Mental Health Services Administration, Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011: National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits. HHS publication no.(SMA) , 13 , 4760.
Dart, R. C., Surratt, H. L., Cicero, T. J., Parrino, M. W., Severtson, S. G., Bucher-Bartelson, B., & Green, J. L. (2015). Trends in opioid analgesic abuse and mortality in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine , 372 (3), 241-248.
Frone, M. R. (2013). Alcohol and illicit drug use in the workforce and workplace . Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
Lauer, R. H., Lauer, J. C., Abramson, Z., & Auger, J. A. (1998). Social problems and the quality of life . Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Redonnet, B., Chollet, A., Fombonne, E., Bowes, L., & Melchior, M. (2012). Tobacco, alcohol, cannabis and other illegal drug use among young adults: the socioeconomic context. Drug & Alcohol Dependence , 121 (3), 231-239.
Shoemaker, P. J. (2012). Communication campaigns about drugs: Government, media, and the public . Routledge.
Volkow, N. D., Baler, R. D., Compton, W. M., & Weiss, S. R. (2014). Adverse health effects of marijuana use. New England Journal of Medicine , 370 (23), 2219-2227.
