Drug Abuse: Breaking Down Families and Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

Alcohol and other drug abuse is a significant social problem which often leads to crime. Drug abuse has become widespread, especially among teens who seek to associate with a particular class of people. In most instances, causes the breakdown of the family institution as the addicts are unable to maintain interpersonal relationships (Lauer et al., 2018, 59). Besides, alcohol tends to lower inhibitions and impairs one’s judgement hence increasing the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behaviours. One is thus likely to engage in crime after taking such drugs. It is paramount to evaluate how different social institutions, including family and colleges, contribute to the social problem of alcohol and other drugs.

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Family experiences determine one’s inclination toward drug use and abuse. People hailing from strong, cohesive, and healthy families are less likely to be involved in the use or misuse of substances. Conversely, people from broken homes or those raised by single or divorced parents are more likely to have alcohol problems (Lauer et al., 2018, 61). Family defines the practices and values that an individual upholds and how they cope with issues in the external world. If society has a high number of broken families, alcohol and drug use problems will be prevalent, hence resulting in a social problem. Besides, drug abuse could lead to severe issues, such as violence and sexual abuse which are tantamount to crime.

Government is another social institution that could be contributing to drug use and abuse. The government defines what drug use is and categorizes illegal drugs. Criminal activities result from the illegalized drugs as some people seek to make profits through trafficking the illegal substances (Lauer et al., 2018, 63). Besides, the government has the facilities to hold and correct those who engage in crime sparked by drug abuse or for using illegal drugs. It thus helps to counter such problems by putting in place correctional facilities. Furthermore, the government sets policies on combating various social issues to uphold the needed values in society.

The media is another element that could be contributing to drug abuse. A significant part of teens looks up to celebrities, particularly on their way of dressing and the substances they talk about in their songs or shows (Lauer et al., 2018, 62). These stars mention and praise illegalized drugs in their songs and laughingly talk about them in their shows. Besides, popular movies show drugs as fancy, which draws many teens to try them. As such, media has contributed considerably to the social problem of drug abuse by making drugs appear attractive. The shows also glorify crime and, in turn, many teens turn to criminal activities to get the thrill resulting in high crime rates.

Nevertheless, social institutions devise policies and approaches to handling drug alcohol abuse to reduce the associated social problems. The government has enforcement programs that seek to arrest and prosecute vendors of illegal drugs (Lauer et al., 2018, 64). Various groups have acknowledged that teens are the most susceptible group to drug abuse and have adopted education and prevention programs to curb the social problem before it starts. In reducing crime rates, there have been considerable efforts toward treating and rehabilitating addicts. Such approaches help to reform them hence deter them from involvement in crime.

Conclusion

Overall, social institutions have contributed toward both worsening the social problems associated with drug abuse and reducing their impacts. The glorification of drugs in the media, increase in broken families, and illegal drug trafficking could be exacerbating the problem. However, these institutions have adopted education and rehabilitation programs for addicts to deter them from engaging in crime and thus curb the social problem.

Reference

Lauer, Lauer, J. L., & Lauer, J. C. (2018). Social problems and the quality of life (14th ed.). McGraw Hill.