Impact of Educational and Drug Prevention Programs Essay

The issue of drug and substance abuse has become a major issue of concern in the world today. In daily life, it seems that children are surrounded by the influence which seems to encourage drug and substance abuse. There are many sources of influence and these results from social institutions and platforms such as movies, television, musicians and other influential people in the society. The lives of these people are portrayed in such a way that they encourage the abuse of drugs. Everywhere, there seems to exist people who use drugs and still succeed in life and therefore, this encourages people especially teenagers to copy these lifestyles since they attribute drug and substance abuse to success. In the long run, these juveniles get addicted to hard and soft drugs and this has negative effects on their health and social life. In adverse conditions, drug abuse causes death. Education on drug prevention has effectively changed people's lives and drug addicts who were influenced to engage in drugs have been given alternative courses of action away from the drugs.

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The historical background of drug education and prevention programs is essential to understand. This is the reason why drug education has been implemented in the world. Since necessity is the mother of invention, an increase in the cases of drug abuse and addictions alarmed stakeholders in these matters to take the responsibility of educating people affected by drugs on how they can turn around their lives for the better. Rehabilitation programs were critical in the adoption of these policies and the need to create a framework to guide the future generations on matters related to drug abuse was critical. On the other hand, the decline in education and morality levels especially in teenagers and other minors created a need to focus on helping them improve in these aspects.

The operational structure of the educational and drug prevention programs focuses on different topics which discourage the use of drugs among different social groups. Juveniles are discouraged from abusing drugs by educating them on the need to approach life as adults in the making (Barry, 2014)). When they understand that they have a social responsibility to fulfill, they become more responsible members of the society. Topics such as crime and crime prevention are discussed here and a family-centered intervention which is designed to prevent the use of drugs such as alcohol is applied. The adult in the making program has been used to discourage the abuse of alcohol and other drugs which have a negative implication on the structure of the family as an institution of social existence. The structure of operation of this program has been applied in different cases and parents have changed the view of their children on drug abuse. Additionally, schools have met the objective of ensuring that the cases of drug abuse are lower than they were in recent years.

Traditional practices in relation to drug and substance abuse have proved futile as far as prevention of these practices is concerned. There are many programs which were applied in traditional drug abuse prevention which have been outdated. In the past, people who used certain hard drugs such as Cocaine were viewed as civilized people and people of class. In recent days, technology and modernity have proved that even these drugs have negative implications for the health of people (Knopf, 2015). Therefore, all drugs are perceived as harmful to people's health and therefore, different age groups have been discouraged from abusing drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. Sociocultural beliefs in relation to drug and substance abuse have become a thing of the past and individuals who engage in drug abuse have been offered solutions to their addiction such as rehabilitation of these people.

Innovation and use of technology to control the misuse of drugs have been developed in recent days to control addictions and educate people on dangers of drug abuse. Computer technology has been used to create awareness of drug abuse and the impact of drugs on the health of people. Scientists have used technology since the people who are most affected by drug abuse are the youth and most of them have access to technological devices such as internet and mobile phones. Development of different computer programs has achieved the use of technology in creating awareness of people. Innovative use of technology such as the development of applications which discourage drug abuse and monitor people's health is applicable to the modern generation. Computer conferencing on drug abuse matters has achieved a tremendous acceptance in the society and many people are able to access these platforms where different people from all parts of the world are invited to give their experiences on drug abuse and dangers associated with it. Innovations with regard to drug abuse have made a positive impact in the transport sector as drank drivers can be easily identified and prosecuted.

Analyzing data on the impact of education and drug abuse prevention programs requires good analytical skills. The proportions of people who are affected by drugs are determined. Since different drugs have different effects on people's lives, analysis of individual drugs' effects on health and social life is critical. It is important to understand the corrective course of action which is available to be taken for affected people. Past records should be identified and analyzed in this process. More than 30% of the youth are affected by drugs. This means that their families are directly or indirectly affected by the lives of these drug addicts. It is important to provide an alternative course of action for these people by giving them a second chance in the society. They should be motivated and mentored on how they can undergo correction programs (Barga et al., 2009). Out of the people affected by drugs, motivation helps change the lives of 78% according to the WHO. This is a good percentage and therefore, education and drug prevention programs are effective since they transform the lives of many people. Crime rates are high among drug addicts and the main cause of these behaviors is that they need money to purchase drugs and when they cannot get the money, they are forced to engage in criminal activities such as theft and prostitution. Most of the people who are affected by drug abuse are male while their female counterparts are partially influenced to engage in drug abuse.

In the study, many strengths and weaknesses are identified regarding the impact of education and drug prevention programs. Community policing has helped in the correction of drug addicts and when they are taken to rehabilitation centers, their behaviors change for the better. Drug prevention programs have effectively changed people's perceptions towards drug abuse and this has made school children who have been engaging in drug abuse to change their characters. Improvement in academic life has come as a result of the programs. When different stakeholders such as parents, social institutions, and legal frameworks take part in drug prevention programs, people who are affected by drug abuse understand the need to change their ways and adopt new behaviors which make them useful people in the society. The development of future justice programs is a major strength of the programs and it aims at increasing social responsibility of people especially minors who have been engaging in drug and substance abuse. However, there are few weaknesses related to education and drug prevention programs. Insufficient funds and manpower to carry out the campaign are experienced in the implementation stage of the programs (Reisig, 2007). Additionally, some social beliefs accommodate the abuse and use of some drugs and therefore changing the perceptions and beliefs of these people is challenging. Another weakness in insufficient support from the government in terms of policymaking. Most of the organizations which are involved in the programs are NGOs and other social institutions such as churches. Policy making is challenging for these institutions and therefore the government should support them.

Drug education and prevention programs have been implemented in different institutions of life such as schools, churches, social media and churches for the purposes of offering guidance to drug addicts and offer them an alternative of life. In these programs, the use of drugs is discouraged and different leaders and communities take part in these programs since affected people are many. Homes and families are also important social institutions which help in the achievement of this objective of a drug-free community. Behaviors, especially in young people who are prone to be influenced in a negative way, are discouraged by the application of these programs and educational institutions. Education programs have a long-term implication to people's lives and the government and other social and cultural institutions take part in this implementation.

The community based mentoring program focuses on the enlightenment of the community on the dangers associated with drug and substance abuse. This program is commonly referred to as the big brother big sister intervention. It offers a mentoring program to children especially those with age of 6-18. This program has effectively contributed to lowering the cases of drug abuse among minors and it has also mentored the youth on the need to take part in community development through discouragement of drug and substance abuse. Another advantage of this program is that it has nurtured young talents to become influential leaders in the society and therefore, it has created an emotional support framework among parents and peers. Academic performance of the children has improved as a result of this program. Family matters program is another contribution to reducing the cases of alcohol and tobacco use among minors aged 12-14. Smoking and drinking cases among these people have effectively been reduced through the enlightenment and education of these young people. Their worth in the society has been established and they are educated in schools and at home on the dangers related to drug abuse especially at their tender age (Tibbits, 2014). Different bad behaviors among these children have reduced significantly by including them in policymaking.

Drug prevention programs have many positive impacts on the life and social being of people. These programs are critical to increasing social responsibility of parents in offering guidance to their children and assisting them to become better people in the future. There are many alternatives which are provided in the analysis of the corrective programs. These people can be taken to rehabilitation centers to correct their behaviors and learn how to survive without the influence of the drugs. Health implications of drugs should be taught to affected people so that they are aware of how dangerous the drugs can be to their bodies and health in general.

Conclusion

In conclusion, education and drug prevention programs focus on the mentoring of people who abuse drugs so that they can change their lives for the better. Different institutions such as the government, social groups, schools, and families are actively involved in the implementation of policies to guide minors and other drug addicts. Rehabilitation programs are essential and they are the avenues in which addicts change their lives. Therefore, proper policing and implementation of future justice aids in the implementation of a corrective course of action. Application of technology is important in the implementation of education and drug prevention programs and it focuses on creating a scientific analysis of the features and software that aid in reducing cases of...