Research Paper on Drug Epidemic in the United States

Introduction

The drug epidemic has been a major health concern in the United States for a long time. Drug abuse among, especially among youngsters has been a major challenge in various societies in the U.S. The causes of such drug abuse cases have always been attributed to the rise in peer pressure among other social ills. Drug abuse situations have been on the rise and need to be controlled through increased societal involvement in the fight against drugs. Various sociological concepts have been used to describe the situations that make youngsters get involved in drug abuse. Most social workers have focused on helping drug addicts beat addiction and lead a normal life. For the purposes of this paper, I interviewed one of the health workers named Mr. John Smith who is a professional in handling drug-related issues.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

According to my interviewee, drug abuse can be avoided if the society puts in place proper social and ethical guidelines. He adds that whereas humans have to option avoiding drug abuse, it is needful to understand that lack of proper guidance from parents or guardians could encourage a number of youths to engage in drug abuse. Subsequently, such activities might make them feel enlightened and exposed such as drug abuse. The concept describes humans as creatures that crave attention (Jones et al., 2014). Therefore, some youths in the United States could feel that attention through drugs such as smoking in public could improve their social ranks among the peers.

The first thing that came into the mind of Mr. Smith when I asked about drug abuse was the implications of social pressure among the young people. Notably, he asserted that a majority of American youths engage in drugs without even understanding the impacts that such drugs might have on their health. Such a statement proved similar to my research on the causes of drug abuse among the young Americans. In as much as parents and the society might attempt to control the drug epidemic, personal choice has a lot to do with the decision to over-indulge in themisuse of prescription drugs (Kantor et al., 2012).

According to Mr. Smith, drug abuse presents no benefits to the individuals or society. The only people who benefit from drug abuse are the manufacturers of legal drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes. Additionally, he stated that the moderate use of legal drugs has reduced risks compared to the excessive use of such drugs (Jones et al., 2014). As a result, he proposes that people should avoid misusing any drugs since misuse can lead to addiction that will eventually cause health and financial challenges.

On the disadvantages, Mr. Smith pointed out quite a number such as serious health issues that can lead to death. One key factor that he described was death from abuse of prescription drugs that have led to the deaths of many Americans. While statistics show that 40% of Americans have abused drugs at some point in their lives, it is apparent that there are more disadvantages of abusing drugs compared to the benefits (Hjorthoj et al., 2015). He pointed out that financial problems are a major disadvantage that has been caused by misuse of drugs. Notably, the statement conforms to my research on the impact of drug addiction on an individual's financial capabilities. One notable factor was that drug addicts often engage in crimes to fund their addiction problems (Jones, et al., 2014).

Some of the subtopics that Mr. Smith included in his response included loss of life, distortion of family structures, loss of finances, and isolation by the society. Based on the interactions he has had with drug addicts, Mr. Smith asserted that most reformed drug addicts somehow stopped contact with their families so that they can engage in drugs with minimum interference. From his point of view, drug addiction is one of the major causes of family separations in the United States. Such statements were corroborated by my research on the causes of family conflicts and divorce in the United States.

One of the major side effects of excessive use of drugs is the development of a bi-polar disorder, which leads to actions related to episodes of a maniac's mind. According to his experience with drug addicts, bi-polar disorder that arises from drugs needs to be treated as soon as it is detected and the individual put under rehabilitation. According to research by Hjorthoj et al., (2015), bi-polar disorders that arise from alcohol and substance abuse in the U.S have been on the rise over the recent past. Such research findings go hand in hand with the sentiments presented by Mr. Smith. Comparing what the article says to the ideas presented by Mr. Smith proves a number of similarities that are supported by real-life incidences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the epidemic of drug abuse in the United States is a major issue that needs to be addressed from a societal point of view based on research and the ideas from the interview. Particularly, both the interview and studies from research revealed that the social fabric of Americans needs to be cleansed off drug addiction to help eliminate health problems that arise from drug abuse.

References

Hjorthoj, C., Ostergaard, M. L. D., Benros, M. E., Toftdahl, N. G., Erlangsen, A., Andersen, J. T., & Nordentoft, M. (2015). Association between alcohol and substance use disorders and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, and unipolar depression: a nationwide, prospective, register-based study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 2(9), 801-808.

Jones, C. M., Paulozzi, L. J., & Mack, K. A. (2014). Alcohol involvement in opioid pain reliever and benzodiazepine drug abuse-related emergency department visits and drug-related deaths-United States, 2010. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 63(40), 881-885.

Kantor, E. D., Rehm, C. D., Haas, J. S., Chan, A. T., & Giovannucci, E. L. (2015). Trends in prescription drug use among adults in the United States from 1999-2012. Jama, 314(17), 1818-1830.