Sinthia Rosado Veronica

Professor Jennifer Orison

HLTH 1050

6 August 2020

Reflection

Something I learned that I continued to bring up throughout this course was that in 2016

the World Health Organization came out with the following statistics: 275 million people used

drugs globally, and the global drug trade had an estimated value between $426 and $652 billion

U.S. dollars. It was both an increase of 67 million people using drugs, and an increase in how

much the drug trade was worth a decade ago by anywhere from $97 - $323 billion U.S. dollars

(Tinasti 109). I just felt that this was staggering. This information came out in 2016: the numbers

could have only continued to rise since then. It was both startling and unsurprising to find out

that the “War on Drugs” has failed. Even now, drug cartels are in charge of poverty-ridden

countries and areas.

We all know that drugs and cartels impact things at a global level, national, and local

level. It was different to learn about specific towns like Allende and Piedras Negras. Finding out

that the actions of the United States caused a massacre in these towns that the locals will likely

never recover from was horrible. Every nation impacts others, especially countries that have

more money, power, and resources. Learning about Guinea Bissau, and how a whole nation is

being taken advantage of because they are one of the poorest countries was a dose of reality.

Everything we learned was to teach us how far-reaching drugs and drug cartels go. How it causes

tragedies, massacres, and upheavals to the lives of those who have no other prospects, and those

who are innocent.

 On an entirely separate note, I also think that the second half of the semester was an

important reminder of the dangers of alcohol and nicotine. Of course, we hear about the dangers

of illicit drugs and the addiction that comes with them. But sometimes we need to be reminded of

the dangers of licit drugs. Both alcohol and nicotine are horrible for a person’s health. The fact

that alcohol consumption causes almost 3.3 million deaths (Anantha Eashwar et al. 249) every

year is staggering. It was also a good reminder of how addiction affects people and how horrible

it is for those who are addicted. It is a reminder to treat those who are addicted, with kindness

and compassion; they are dealing with a disease. I think the best things I learned were the things

that could make a difference. For instance, in France, addiction treatment centers are publicly

funded. They are free and anonymous. This allows individuals to seek treatment regardless of

their income or age (Janssen 684).

I also learned that certain things help prevent a relapse in those seeking treatment. These

things include going to as many treatment sessions or consultations as possible, and having a

family who encourages regular attendance, helps with coping with drug cravings, and provides a

supportive environment. Some predictors may show who could be more likely to relapse, such as

having criminal offenses, having a history of casual sex, and having a longer dependence on

drugs. It is so important to know, as it also shows that patients who do not have much family

support, have been addicted longer, have a history of casual sex, and/or criminal offenses need

more support, attention, and consultations (Moeeni et al. 7).

I think that knowing all of this information has changed the way I view my ability to

make a difference. I feel that I may now be able to help advocate for those who are addicted and

advocate for a focus on intervention and prevention once I am a nurse. I also definitely believe

that this course ties into my other ones. I am entering my third semester in the Nursing program
and learning about the different drugs, impacts, and history helps. We learn about drugs, both

illicit and licit. We learn about the effects of these drugs, overdosing, signs, and symptoms.

However, there is less of a focus on the people that are taking these drugs. This course helped put

those things together. This course has also helped put things into perspective about how

dangerous the illegal drug trade is. Learning about the different people involved at the lower

levels of the drug, and learning it is only because of a lack of other options was eye-opening. It

has also taught me of so many innocent people that have and will continue to be impacted by it.

It is a reminder that everyone needs to start making changes so that this problem does not

continue.As new research comes out, as a world we may be able to make changes that will make

a difference.
 Work Cited

Eashwar, V. M.Anantha, et al. “Alcohol Consumption in India– An Epidemiological Review.”

Journal of Family Medicine & Primary Care, vol. 9, no. 1, Jan. 2020, pp. 49–55.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_873_19.

Janssen, E. (2017). Estimating the Number of Heroin Users in Metropolitan France Using

Treatment Centers Data: An Exploratory Analysis. Substance Use & Misuse, 52(5), 683-

687.

Moeeni, M., Razaghi, E. M., Ponnet, K., Torabi, F., Shafiee, S. A., & Pashael, T. (2016).

Predictors of time to relapse in amphetamine-type substance users in the matrix treatment

program in Iran: a Cox proportional hazard model application. BMC Psychiatry, 16(265).

Tinasti, K. (2019). Toward the End of the Global War on Drugs. Brown Journal of World

Affairs, 25(2), 109–120.