Report Sample on Cultural Perception of Drug Use

Introduction

Culture refers to the changing map of reality, learning, sharing, and rules and regulations regarding the behavior, values, communication, and ideas (Myers & Salt, 2013). The lifestyle of various societies across the globe like age groups, regions, social classes, and ethnic groups are the subcultures' subsets. Culture can change and shape the beliefs and behavior about the intoxication, user role, use, and abuse of chemicals. There is no culture exempt from drug abuse as it is the same opportunity disease that crosses all cultures' social beliefs in different communities can shape the approach to drug use and misuse (Abbot, 2018). Most of the distinct ethnic groups have abused drugs and alcohol through their edges. The ethnic groups have been forced to establish moral codes and norms to address alcohol and substance abuse issues.

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Different Perceptions

Different cultures have different perceptions of the meaning of drug use, abuse, and dependency. The two cultures to be considered in this study are the American Culture and The Western European culture comprising of Italy, France, and Jewish culture. Generally, America's culture places some alcoholic drinks like beer and Bhang outside the domain of alcoholic beverages and drugs, respectively (Myers & Salt, 2013). Therefore, this culture defines drug use as the use of other substances apart from beer and Bhang. It also treats drug use as sexy, facilitating socializing, beneficial, and enhancing one's social status if it is essential.

Furthermore, American culture seems to treat drug abuse as the excessive use of alcohol and other substances. Some American people believe that they don't take drugs but take a lot of alcohol or smoke (Kurniawan, 2018). This culture views depression as a drug-related defect that makes excessive drug users isolate themselves from non-users. Some drug users may belong to a workplace culture of drinking, while others may belong to communities where heavy drinking is not considered excessive.

On the other hand, the Western European culture, however, does not tolerate drunkenness since it results in destructive behaviors (Myers & Salt, 2013). In this culture, alcohol is used as food and sometimes used for performing rituals. Western culture defines drug abuse as a situation where an individual uses drugs to the point of intoxication due to addiction. Western culture clearly defines dependency as a change in an individual's body associated with excessive exposure to drugs (Abbot, 2018).

Origin of Drug Abuse Related Problems

When different cultures identify that some problems are drug-related, they usually try to find their possible cause. The American culture defines some of the drug-related issues like alcoholism as a defect(s), far more than the Western culture like French culture (Myers & Salt, 2013). However, in western culture, drug-related problems like alcoholism are linked to supernatural powers, spirits, evil eyes, and witchcraft.

When the drug-related problem is connected to a supernatural cause, the treatment will be supernaturally based, involving a folk healer (Myers & Salt, 2013). In Western culture, establishing an alcohol-free community atmosphere and the revival of traditions are cultural means of treating drug abuse. However, in both cultures, the origin of drug-related problems like addiction is regarded as a personality disorder and a World Wide problem associated with environmental influence and Physiological influence. Depression, on the other hand, can be generated and treated by prescribed alcohol use and depressants in both cultures. (Falk et al., 2016).

Cultural Elements

It is unethical for an incompetent counselor to understand a person's cultural diversity and background to provide professional services to a culturally diverse group (Myers & Salt, 2013). To engage the client in treatment, one of the cultural elements that a counselor ought to understand is the lifestyle of the cultural group that the client belongs to (Myers & Salt, 2013). This will enable the counselor to understand the client's thoughts about drug and substance abuse and their treatment expectations.

The other cultural element that a counselor must consider is cultural subgroups. Counselors should consider gender, social status, and the degree of absorption of subgroups by the community (Myers & Salt, 2013). It would be otherwise unethical for a counselor to make statements relating to a given society's drinking patterns, running the middle class's cocktail, bottle gang of the homeless and the poor people (Welle, 2015). With so doing, the counselor will have an easy time to interact with the client.

A good counselor should understand the dynamics of the cross-cultural zone (Myers & Salt, 2013). A competent counselor's primary emphasis is to monitor and examine the substantial relationship's nature, especially when there is a significant cultural difference between the counselor and the client or person receiving the counseling. These differences are the cultural zones that the counselor needs to understand (Welle, 2015). Counselor enters this zone when there is a difference between the two parties as far as cultural background is concerned. The counselor's cultural location involvement should be grounded because clients experience the world on several cultural dimensions: race and religion, ability status, social-economic status, and sexual orientation. The counselor's zone can be projected depending on the way counselors hypothesize client issues and how they supervise. They promote a consultative relationship that is proficient enough. Counseling involvements should be grounded because clients experience the world on several cultural dimensions: race and religion, ability status, social-economic status, and sexual orientation. Cross-cultural counseling endows the client and helps them to fight the undesirable effects of the sidelining. Cross-cultural counseling endows the client and helps them fight the sidelining's unwanted effects (Welle, 2015).

A counselor must also understand cultural values and biases. A counselor must identify and understand any importance of culture and their preferences and bound of practice (Kurniawan, 2018). For any counselor to be in a position to expand their skills, counselors must acknowledge their cultural tradition and race and the consequences of stereotyping, racism, oppression, and discrimination. They must also realize their learning opportunities to improve their take on different cultural populations.

Familiarization Strategies

The other element is familiarization strategies for cultural intervention. The counselor should respect the client's beliefs, values, indigenous practices, language, and religious views (Myers & Salt, 2013). Furthermore, the counselor must understand the treatment or therapy features and their effects on the cultural population and the family dynamics that may help them (Kurniawan, 2018). This will enable the counselor and the client to communicate effectively verbally or non-verbally to promote rationality and eliminate bias.

Finally, the counselor must understand the historical and social context of different clients' cultures (Myers & Salt, 2013). A competent counselor must ground their practices with a firm understanding of the cultural history and social-cultural component that shapes it. This will enable them to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds efficiently and familiarize themselves with the primary events of history and socio-cultural movements that influence people's behavior, attitude, and values.

As a future counselor, I would develop a positive attitude toward several cultural groups and learn more about these cultural groups. This will ensure that the interaction and communication between the client and me are open and healthy. I would also authorize collaboration in interviews, treatment planning, and assessment by involving the community members and family members in evaluating and planning the treatment. Finally, I would try to learn and understand several communities' language so that the language barrier may never be a challenge to me while talking to clients.

Differences in Substance Use

Drug or substance use and abuse is a matter of concern for both genders. However, there are many differences in the development of drug abuse-related problems and disorders among men and women addicted to drugs, how they experience the real effects of drug and substance abuse, and the treatment requirements (Martin et al., 2017). The Centre for Disease Control Reveals that approximately 60% of childbearing age women are heavy users of alcohol and other related drugs compared to 43% of Males. Women are heavy users of drugs than men. Furthermore, approximately 23% of women reported illicit drug use in the previous years' than 31% of the males (Myers & Salt, 2013). Women develop drug and alcohol-based dependency faster than men and with a small amount. This is because women body contains a lot of fats and lower water volume within the body that dilutes alcohol in the body.

However, men abuse drugs and alcohol more often than women, regardless of their ages and race. For men, cultural practices like sports and rite of passage encourage alcohol and other drugs (Bean, 2017). Also, men start blast drinking and use of drugs at an early age than women. This type of drinking is prone to alcohol-related problems, which are more likely to develop substance use than women. Unlike women, men do feel a lot of shame when battling substance and drug use problems. When looking for treatment for a man or man, look for the services that addressee the management of anger and sexual issues (Bean, 2017).

Psychologically, women are more likely to develop co-occurring drug and alcohol abuse and mental health disorder (CS. Martin et al., 2017). In most cases, women are diagnosed with depression, agoraphobia, mood disorder, and eating and anxiety defects. Women also are more likely to have experienced interpersonal violence and been sexually molested.

These may have a more massive effect on the service type they need during recovery from drug addiction, trauma, and mental health defects (Myers & Salt, 2013). In contrast, they are looking for women's treatment, the services tailored to the women's needs, and obstacles. Therefore, drug abuse treatment among women should include peer support, cultural programming, and culture, addressing women's unique treatment requirements. When women are being assessed for treatment, it is advisable to explore the strong association with another gender, the issue of abuse, shame, and stigma, and the treatment impediment (Myers & Salt, 2013).

Conclusion

When it comes to youths in the adolescent stage, drugs and alcohol are associated with amalgamation purposes, revolt, referent groups, sexual maturity, and independence (Martin et al., 2017). However, some of the fundamental causes of adolescent substance and alcohol abuse are peer pressure, the adult world's indifference, ethical confusion, and the family's destabilization. Drug abuse among the teenage groups is associated with the deadlock of dilemmas that is not met, leading to boredom, drift, and inability to conceive a future for them. Unlike in adolescents, drug abuse among adults is associated with isolation, loss of family, friends, body image, and the occupational roles that bring disappointment, grief, loneness, and regrets (Myers & Salt, 2013).