Drug Abuse

Among the positive effects of drug abuse include social, physical, and personal impacts. The use of drugs,
such as alcohol, in social settings including parties, bars, and clubs improves interaction by reducing
anxiety, increasing confidence, and sociability. Consequently, drug use promotes social ties among users
enabling them to build a social network (Cohen, Weizman, & Weinstein, 2019). Personal positive effects
include short-term pleasure, building interactions in social settings, reducing stress, and aiding in sleep.
However, most of these positive impacts such as pleasure and stress elimination are short-lived. A study
has linked drug use to better social outcomes including higher resilience, and reduced experience of HIV-
related stigma.
Drug abuse also poses negative impacts on the user, society, and the nation. Drug abuse leads to
addiction, poor performance at work and school, difficulties maintaining personal hygiene, and an
increased risk of engaging in impulsive behavior (Liu & Li, 2018). Additionally, in the long run,
individual risks memory and cognitive skills. Stimulants such as methamphetamines and cocaine
potentially damage the blood vessels and the heart thereby causing cardiovascular disease; arrhythmia,
coronary artery disease, and heart attack. Additionally, an individual risks acquiring liver disease, kidney
damage, and respiratory problems. In the United States, drug overdose caused the deaths of over 67,000
individuals in 2017. The psychological effects of drug abuse include the development of a depressive
disorder, hallucination, paranoia, panic disorder, anxiety, and hallucination. Drug abuse affects the
individual’s economy and that of the state. Due to addiction, users spend money on drugs and drain them
into poverty. Additionally, the state spends billions of money annually to keep up the drug abuse
treatment and lost productivity.
There is a wrong belief existing within the society that having strong willpower is enough to help a
person using drugs (Cohen, Weizman, & Weinstein, 2019). This is a perception that many people have
when they come across individuals facing serious drug problems thereby building up stigmatization of
those with addiction. This belief is wrong since addiction is a great challenge that bars people from
stopping using drugs. Once an individual is addicted to a given drug, they will always have a strong
uncontrollable urge to use it again and again. The repetitive use of drugs does alter the brain operation
and function thereby undermining self-control and consequently perpetuating craving.
The United States has established over 14,000 specialized drug treatment facilities to provide medication,
counseling, behavioral therapy, and case management (Liu & Li, 2018). The aim of the facility includes
treatment of addiction and other health and psychological impacts of drug abuse. The initiative is being
funded by the federal, state, and local governments. This project is aimed to help people stop using drugs
and deal with the addictive disorder. This initiative effectively delivers people from drug abuse and
enables them to overcome drug abuse. However, it does not effectively help individuals begin using
drugs. There is a need to develop an initiative that helps people understand the risks linked to the use of
drugs so that they keep away from starting to use drugs in the first place.
My proposed solution to the drug addiction problem is the development of a teenage drug awareness
program that will improve awareness about facts related to addiction and the negative effects of the use of
drugs. Studies have established that most drug addicts began using drugs during their teens and early
twenties. This proposal is based on the fact that most drug users in their teens are not aware of the facts
on drug abuse and are being guided by misconceptions. Therefore, other than aiming at the treatment of
addiction, the program aims to prevent individuals from the beginning using drugs.
To complete the proposed solution, the first step is to write a proposal as a way to seek funding pf the
program, then seek support and approval from the ministry of health and education, then partner with
several schools, and seek funding to expand the schools covered. This program aims to equip teenagers
with adequate knowledge about drug abuse and addiction and therefore make wiser decisions about trying
out drugs when influenced by others.
The desired outcome is the reduction in drug abusers from an early age therefore significantly reducing
addiction disorder. To complete this program, the needed resources include; funding, drug addiction
counselors and trainers, and government support to enable access to schools and universities. The major
concern with the proposed solution is the need for huge funding to offer to create awareness in every
school in the nation to ensure that the teenagers are well knowledgeable of the consequences of addiction.
To counter this challenge, there is a need to seek partnership with the government department of health to
promote the initiative through annual funding and provision of the needed professionals.
In conclusion, drug abuse and addiction pose several impacts on both the individual, society, and the
nation. Among the impacts include social, personal, environmental, and economic. The United States has
established several specialized drug treatment facilities to deal with addiction. This paper has proposed a
drug addiction awareness program among teenagers since most addicts begin using drugs within this age.

References
Liu, J. F., & Li, J. X. (2018). Drug addiction: a curable mental disorder? Acta pharmacologica Sinica,
39(12), 1823-1829. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-018-0180-x
Cohen, K., Weizman, A., & Weinstein, A. (2019). Positive and negative effects of cannabis and
cannabinoids on health. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 105(5), 1139-1147.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.1381