Effects of Biochemical Substance Addiction and Behavioral Addiction Paper Example

Addition Issues and Consequences

Primarily, addiction implies the condition in which an individual engages in the utilization of a substance or getting used to behavior for which the repercussions or the rewarding effects culminate into a compelling incentive to pursue the behavior repeatedly despite the detrimental consequences (Petry, 2016). Sufficient evidence from critical researches ascertains that addictive biochemical substances and behaviors share a fundamental neurobiological feature of intensive activation of brain pathways of reinforcement and reward that occasionally involve dopamine as the neurotransmitter. Globally, in 2016 it is estimated that approximately 164 million people drug or alcohol addicts. Moreover, around 68 percent of those with substance disorders globally estimated to be 111 million are male. Numerous detrimental social effects are attributed to and are caused by behavioral and substance addiction; these problems affect both the individual and the family as well as the community (Koob, Arends, & Le, 2014). Therefore, this paper underscores a critical discussion on the effect of addiction to both the individual and the family at large.

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Overview

In trying to understand addiction, a plethora of myths and misconceptions have come into play; nonetheless, the processes that lead to addictive behavior only resist a simplistic explanation. Addiction always used interchangeably with drug and substance abuse since both are related and interconnected. Although the causes of addiction are sometimes genetic, other biological factors also predispose an individual to the condition. Psychological, environmental and many social factors have a significant influence on drug and substance use. Additionally, some personal characteristics such as the inability to withstand strong feelings or distress are associated with addition (Henderson, 2000).

According to Zhang, Shi, & Tao, (2017), the United States and Eastern Europe are the leading regions with a high prevalence of substance use disorders with an approximate estimate of 5-6 percent. Meaning, in a group of 20 people in this region one person is suffering from substance dependency. Similarly, across Central and Western Europe, Oceania and America, this prevalence is relatively lower and typically ranges from 2-5 percent. Significantly, the studies on gender differences reveal that in every country this prevalence is much higher in men than it is in women. In 2016, globally, the total deaths because of the direct consequences of substance use disorder stood around 318,000. In the world, as a share of the 'disease burden,' the deaths caused by substances use disorders accounts for 1-5percent of the total deaths. In the United States, for instance, the share stands over 5 percent of the total deaths in the country.

Substance addiction is an individual problem that can have adverse social as well as economic issues on the single user, the user's immediate surrounding and the community as a whole. The drugs and substance addiction adverse effects on the sociological concepts and pillars such as culture, gender, interaction, socialization, class, race, and global justify biochemicals substances consumption as a personal and public issue. Year in year out, small intake of alcohol has been portrayed by genetics as the Mendelian randomization study to have to assume cardiovascular benefits such as reduced the risk of coronary diseases. While in reality, other substances and Alcohol consumption are highly linked to many detrimental consequences such as interpersonal violence is considered public, family, and domestic issues, workplace-related problems and social implications of a traffic accident (Madras, & Kuhar, 2013).

It is worthwhile noting that, despite the induced feelings of failure as well as a sense of despondency that addiction inculcates to the victims, they may not be aware of the significant problems happening to themselves and others because to some extent the substances affect their brain's executive function.

Effects of Biochemical Substance Addiction and Behavioral Addiction

According to the UNODC, approximately more 164 million people suffer from illicit or illegal drug use disorders among which one in a total of four deaths are attributed to tobacco, alcohol and other illegal drug use. Furthermore, around 21 million people around the world inject themselves with drugs. The effects of addiction can be classified broadly as behavioral and substance addiction. Addiction is primarily a form of the disease. Thus it poses numerous adverse consequences not only to an individual's professional life, physical life, and we-being but also to the victim's family and society (Zhang, Shi, & Tao, 2017). In as much as other substance and alcohol consumption starts as voluntary behavior, addiction induces chemical changes in the brain that influence memory, the perception of pain and pleasure as well as behavior. More vividly, a conscious decision making graduates into a compulsive action that sets in financial, social, and severe health problems in a substance user.

Alcohol and other Biochemical Substances Addiction

Alcohol and other substances consumption such as nicotine, heroin, barbiturates, and cocaine have significant bearing to the adverse health effects to the consumer and the surrounding. Alcohol is one of the highly addictive substances with many detrimental consequences to both the user and society. In addition to the adverse socio-economic effects, that alcohol intake brings to the drinker, and the social health consequences are predominant and more severe. Many health professionals agree to the fact that addictive substances especially Alcohol have a harmful effect on every organ in the human body. Among, the diseases affecting people, alcohol is linked more than sixty disease conditions in series meta-analyses of recent past.

Substance use addicted individual suffer from many adverse consequences. Health effects make the more significant percentage of these consequences. Prolonged substance abuse together with compulsive cravings results into not only into adverse impacts to the individual physical body but also his or her surroundings. Some severe health but physical effects of substance abuse include hormone imbalance, Organ damage, Prenatal and fertility issue, Organ damage, gastrointestinal disease, and HIV/AIDS. Also, emotional and neurological effects of substance use include Aggression, Paranoia, Mood swings, Psychosis, Depression, and Memory loss. In the life of an individual, addiction also has some legal consequences, and they include lengthy jail terms, large fines as well as probation and driver's license suspension in many countries. The victims also suffer from socio-economic problems such as job loss, divorce, accident, homicide, grave illness, accident, relationship changes between family members and friends.

Different substances have different long-term effects that continue even after the person has left using the drugs. The correlation between substance use and its consequences depend on two primary dimensions of substance consumption. The medications include the mediation mechanism, which provides for intoxication, biochemical effects, and addictive effects as well as the pattern of intake as well as average use. More elaborately, the direct biochemical effects of alcohol and other substances such as heroin, for instance, may in a harmful way or a helpful manner (Henderson, 2000). Advantageous in the even of a direct biochemical effect may influence acute disease such as protection against blood clot formation in heart blood vessels hence protect the body from contracting coronary heart disease. However, the biochemical substances have much more health, social and economic issues that the benefits it brings to the society.

Intoxication issue is one of the consequential adverse dimensions of addictive substances that mediate acute outcomes of deaths and intentional injuries, conflict, violence, accidents, and various socio-economic issues. Alcohol and substances dependency or addiction stand as one of the robust mechanism of sustaining alcohol and other biochemical substances that make substance abuse and addiction quite cumbersome and impossible to do away with alcohol. Addiction of biochemical substances perpetuates in the life an individual the many and various substances use disorders. For instance, in a case where alcohol is consumed between meals the per capita consumption is low as opposed to a scenario where the majority in a country with a large intake of pure alcohol.

Psychological and mental issues, consequently, the victim's family members and society undergo a lot of physical, mental, as well as emotional suffering. In the case of the death or loss of a drug and substance addict family of the bereaved mourn in gross pain, the rest of them as the close relative mourns in great agony for losing their loved one. Alcohol being a drug just as others such as cocaine, heroin and nicotine, upon consumption, alters the body function and thoughts. Nicotine is the mostly consumed drug in the united states of America. In most cases, the consumer of high drugs such as cannabis sativa and marijuana become defiant and violent and in involved in the destruction of their property as well as that of the family members, which always culminate into domestic violence (Verster, 2012).

Due to the alteration of the brain that comes with compulsive drug and substance intake most of the addicts have a culture of impunity and violence. The prevalence of substance use in society promotes gender-based disparity and violence. Research reveals that more men are involved or are addicted to biochemical substance use than women. As a result, men forget their positions as others assume their roles due to the influence of alcohol both as fathers and as husbands in their families, this has amounted to severe domestic problems especially in third world countries with women claiming that their husbands are not husbands anymore.

Many cases of mental illnesses are linked to the alcohol and other substances dependence or addiction, both in the general population and in clinical. This condition of mental illness because of heavy alcohol and substance consumption is mainly because of the severe depression the victims go through. The mentally ill individuals are known to be violent less productive and violent in society. As if that is not enough, the alcohol and substance such as heroin addicts are also economically less productive. The substantial number of heavy intake drunkards are a jobless, less educated and low class (Madras & Kuhar, 2013).

The social class issue, substance addiction, and consumption also perpetuate yet another macro element of social analysis, and this is class. Substance addiction and consumption concerning price and the content of individual brands sets precedence to the high-class individuals because their wealth can purchase expensive brands. Inferably, the above statement means alcohol consumption, for instance, divides people into different social classes based on the type and size of brands their money can buy. There are some peculiar and expensive types of alcohol mainly speculated for the wealthy, these kind of drinks are safe and highly purified to remove every form or traces of any toxic substances.

Low-quality alcohols have contributed significantly to increase the rate of mortality and morbidity in various countries of the world. Many of the low-quality alcohols and biochemical substances have not undergone proper and thorough distillation process, and if undergone, processing has some traces of impending harmful substances that culminates illness to low-class people.

Social crimes issues, in the context of micro levels of analysis, a...