Drug abuse has as many definitions as the effects that it has on the society and the individual. Efforts to address drug abuse have intensified over the last one decade due to an increase in the levels of awareness on the effects of drug abuse on the individual, community and the entire society. The internet, schools, hospital and public forums are all increasingly being used to address drug abuse that is developing into a key social problem. Drug abuse originates with the individuals; irrespective of the influence and nature of the family it is the individual who starts partaking in drug related activities (Karch, 2007).
It therefore makes sense that the individual should be central to analysis of the effects of drug abuse. It is individuals who make the families and communities thus an analysis of the effects of any social problem and not just drug abuse should be developed from the individual level. This research analyses the effects of drug abuse on individuals to help develop a proper understanding of the effects of drug abuse and therefore counter measures that could be implemented to ensure the negative effects are dealt with or avoided. What is Drug Abuse?
Drug abuse can be looked at from multiple viewpoints the two most popular being the medical and social viewpoints. However, all definitions generally revolve around taking substances that could be harmful to individuals with the aim of feeling high or enhancing performance. The substances may be psychoactive or performance enhancing and their effect in a case of abuse are for neither medical nor therapeutic benefits. It is worth noting that the key determinants in abuse imply negative definition or judgment of drugs in question.
It is estimated that over 185 million people consume illicit drugs in a year among healthy adults of ages 18-65 years (Maruish, 2004). Such statistics should not be worrying for man’s propensity for risk taking has been his greatest source of success, however in this case there is the risk of addiction which complicates the whole situation. Public health definition of drug abuse takes on a definition that tries to explain it from a perspective that is far wider than the individual and places more emphasis on the role played by the society, culture and how available drugs are.
It is common for public health practitioner to approach the issue of drug abuse as a social problem thus the existence of such terms as ‘problematic use’ and the ‘drugs problem’. Definition by some key diagnostics tools; the DSM and the ICD do not recognize drug abuse as a medical diagnosis. The APA in its revision of the DSM-IV included substance abuse as a wider area that includes issues in drug abuse and such issues as physical dependence and withdrawal of substances (Milkman, & Wanberg, 2005).
According to the APA, the persistent use of a substance despite the problems associated with its usage is substance abuse which can be diagnosed (Milkman, & Wanberg, 2005). Substance abuse and compulsive and repeated use of substances that cause addiction are in fact a disorder referred to as substance use disorder. The multitude of definitions that abuse has is just a depiction of the levels of awareness that professionals and medical practitioners have on its manifestation.
There is no denying the fact that the society and the environment affect an individual’s propensity to engage in drug related activities. Engaging in a drug related activity is bad enough but addiction and compulsion to continuously engage in such activities is more than just a health risk to individuals. Irrespective of the reasons as to why people engage in abuse of drug, the effects have a bearing on the individual who is central to the society and therefore the entire social institution is affected thus the labeling of drug abuse as being a social problem.