Essay Example on Substance Abuse: Understanding the Dependence Syndrome

Substance abuse refers to hazardous or the harmful usage of psychoactive substances, which include illicit drugs and alcohol (Ventura-Cots,2017). The use of psychoactive substances can cause dependence syndrome, which is simply a cluster of cognitive, behavioral as well as physiological phenomena that evolves following the use of substance repeatedly. It typically includes a very strong desire to take the drug, a greater priority offered to drug users than the other activities. Along with obligations, challenges in attempting to control its usage, tolerance increase, persistence in its usage despite harmful consequences, and experiencing a state of withdrawal from time to time, as explained by Barry & Blow (2016). Binge drinking is simply a practice that involves the consumption of large alcohol quantities in one session(Ventura-Cots,2017). Not less than five drinks normally define it at a single time for men or not less than four drinks at a single time for women. Within the United States, approximately 90% of alcohol taken by adults above 21 years is in binge drink form (Ventura-Cots,2017).

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In the United States, the Hispanic group encompasses a diverse as well as a rich blend of cultures and ethnicities from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Central America, along with other world Spanish-speaking areas. However, the problem of both drug and alcohol abuse is a threat to Hispanic people's lives, as stated by Lui & Zamboanga (2018). Substance abuse rates amongst the Hispanic Americans usually mirror those of the U.S. population in general; even though, there exist several slight differences. According to Lui & Zamboanga(2018), 7.1 % of the Hispanic-Americans hold a substance usage disorder, 3% of Hispanic-Americans hold an illicit drug usage disorder, and Hispanic-Americans report reduced lifespan illicit drug usage rates which are 37.7%. 5.3% of alcohol dependence rates and 24.6% binge drinking have been reported among Hispanics(Cano et al., 2017).

Puerto Rican women and men tend to be the heaviest binge drinkers entirely among Hispanic Americans (Cano et al., 2017). The reason behind Puerto Ricans having nearly 3 times more likelihood of developing alcohol usage disorder than the rest of the population is cultural differences. The differences include drinking from a very early age within the traditional culture of Puerto Rican and the existence of less stigma regarding alcohol within Puerto Rico than to the contiguous U.S.

High rates of binge drinking among Hispanic have been associated with proficiency in speaking English and preference (Patrick, 2016). Also, having being born and brought up within the United States or living within it for more than 15 years is connected to binge drinking for Hispanics, which further suggests that a higher comfort level with the culture of America may cause greater risk. However, for the Hispanic-Americans, a regular visit to the country of birth, maintaining closeness with the extended family members, or maintaining Hispanic values has been linked to a lowered risk of binge drinking.

Perhaps following the unfamiliarity experienced by migrant Hispanics with the American culture and the ubiquitous alcohol presence, Hispanic individuals have a low likelihood of binge drinking than white individuals. Still, there is a tendency to drink more during the times they choose to engage in drinking (NIAAA, 2016). The NIAAA has listed factors predicting alcoholic behavior within the Hispanic community as attitudes, acculturation, and gender (Cano et al., 2017).

Additionally, stark differences in interpersonal communications, identity, work expectations, and family are significant stress factors associated with Hispanic individuals who are in the process of adapting to America and its well-established lifestyle(Cano et al., 2017). As a result, isolation, loneliness as well as frustration may arise, especially to those Hispanic individuals residing in regions where no single person understands them. Therefore, since such people lack individuals to converse with, they usually resort to substance abuse, particularly binge drinking, to alleviate the unavoidable depression they go through (Cano et al., 2017).

According to Cano et al. (2017), it is evident that the unique characteristics concerning how migrants are originating from respective nations hold varying addiction and substance rates. Puerto Rico's tendency to be the heaviest binge drinkers among Hispanics is partly because Puerto Rico possesses a much extra open attitude to drink compared to how it is done in other areas of the U.S. Also, it might be due to the drinking age being 18 years of age and the lack of a law against the consumption of alcoholic beverages specifically in public places.

Nevertheless, research by Lui, & Zamboanga (2018), indicates that the Hispanic population holds poorer results in lowered access towards rehabilitation services, higher rates of dropout, treatment of substance abuse and reduced participation levels in recovery projects. Hispanic Americans undergo higher consequences regarding their substance abuse than their counterparts in the non-Hispanic group. Unfortunately, when it comes to substance abuse treatment, there is a big gap between the rest of the U.S. population and Hispanics. As a result, they experience longer waiting in accessing treatment services of substance abuse than the rest. Consequently, culturally sensitive treatment programs can help resolve a number of the disparities existing in treatment happening within the community of Hispanics.

Traditionally, in Hispanic cultures, substance abuse, particularly binge drinking, has been perceived as a private challenge. It is a matter that must be resolved in the family instead of being done within a rehabilitation program. Nonetheless, the rise in substance rates among the second and third Hispanic Americans generation, the requirement for well-established recovery programs meeting the Hispanics' needs is growing more apparent (Cano et al., 2017). Therefore, meeting these requirements effectively has a high chance of directly contributing significantly, particularly to the nation's general health and well-being. Besides, policies that are capable of influencing the patterns and the levels of use of a substance and associated harm are in a position to lower the public health challenges attributable to substance use significantly. Healthcare system-level interventions are capable of working successfully in restoring health within affected individuals.

Conclusion

Binge drinking among the Hispanic community is very high compared to the rest of the American population, but it can effectively be handled. The health care system should implement policies and programs of helping the United States entire population as one nation without neglecting or discrimination against anyone who seeks medication.

References

Barry, K. L., & Blow, F. C. (2016). Drinking over the lifespan: Focus on older adults. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 38(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0292-9

Cano, M. Á., de Dios, M. A., Correa-Fernández, V., Childress, S., Abrams, J. L., & Roncancio, A. M. (2017). Depressive symptom domains and alcohol use severity among Hispanic emerging adults: Examining moderating effects of gender. Addictive behaviors, 72, 72-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.03.015

Lui, P. P., & Zamboanga, B. L. (2018). A critical review and metaanalysis of the associations between acculturation and alcohol use outcomes among Hispanic Americans. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 42(10), 1841-1862. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13845

Patrick, M. E. (2016). A call for research on high-intensity alcohol use. Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 40(2), 256. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.12945

Ventura-Cots, M., Watts, A. E., & Bataller, R. (2017). Binge drinking as a risk factor for advanced alcoholic liver disease. Liver international: official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 37(9), 1281. https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.13482