Substance abuse prevention

Substance abuse prevention

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Substance Abuse Prevention

Introduction

Harmful substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin have become popular among a large portion of the community with most victims being in their formative years. This risky behavior has had adverse effects on the victims as well as their families with addicts suffering from certain physical and mental health complications or death in severe cases. According to several surveys, social influences and individuality factors are the main instigators of substance abuse. For this reason, it is important to identify the vulnerability aspects among the general population in the formulation and execution of an effective substance abuse prevention program. With the aim of suppressing drug abuse in the society, various stakeholders in the private and public sectors have been active in educating the public about the dangers of engaging in these habits.

Factors Initiating Drug Abuse

1. Personality factors

Several studies have shown particular connections between substance abuse and specific individuality traits. These personality factors relate to self-respect, insubordination, lack of emotional management, appreciation of prevailing attitudes, and conscience instability. For instance, people with a low sense of worth are more likely to engage in drug abuse. This is because they perceive the behavior as a way of appearing modern to their peers. With most of the affected individuals being teenagers who experience emotional confusion, they befriend drug addicts with the aim of improving their confidence. This psychological aspect is also heightened by the fact that young people tend to appreciate prevailing mind-sets and activities without considering the possible repercussions. With the contemporary world portraying alcohol and drug use as a trendy action, a large percentage of the youth are bound to abuse harmful substances such as cocaine and marijuana.

Additionally, the adolescent phase comprises of a rebellious characteristic. Most teenagers view parental advice as irrational and outdated. To demonstrate their mature nature, they constantly engage in activities that illustrate disloyalty to parental counsel and social norms. According to then, societal values such as perpetuation of religious principles is unreasonable. Likewise, most addicts engage in the behavior because of poor emotional management. When experiencing psychological crashes in the form of stress or depression, some individuals lack proper control tactics to deal with the situation. Consequently, they rely on substance abuse in order to stop thinking about their worries and solve these problems. These psychological arguments offer evidence to the rampant incidences of drug abuse among young people.

1. Social Factors

In the recent past, some social values have changed. Subsequently, community and family units uphold different norms. To begin with, most communities encourage underage drinking by appreciating events that incorporate such activities. In most cases, young people tend to smoke or inject themselves with such harmful substances as cocaine and heroin while in these parties, an aspect that may result in addiction and subsequent health complications. Lack of the traditional parental management is also responsible for the rising incidences of drug misuse among young people. Contrary to conventional values instilled by guardians at several stages of one’s life, modern parents hardly counsel their children about acceptable conducts. Additionally, the high costs of living pressures custodians to work for long hours in order to cater for the basic needs of their families. Consequently, there is less time spent with their children, making it difficult to offer quality counsel sessions needed to discourage risky behaviors such as drug abuse.

Organizations Involved in Substance Abuse Prevention

Black Churches

For a long time, religious organizations among the African American community address several societal issues with the intent of improving the entire community. These programs relate to political, cultural, and religious elements that influence various societal norms. For instance, during the era of social inequalities and civil liberties engagements, the religious leaders of black churches constantly campaigned for independence and impartiality. Their efforts played a crucial role in suppressing racial bigotry experienced in various parts of prehistoric America. Additionally, these religious convictions engage in various economic ventures such as real estate as a way of reducing poverty among the African Americans. Educational and family support services are also common activities in the black churches. These support efforts have aided families of the black community in the United States to improve their living standards.

Despite the efforts that have led to the development of the African American community, a large number of black Americans are addicts of harmful substances such as heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. According to a recent survey meant to collect and compare drug abuse incidences in different American communities, 8.7 % of African Americans below 12 years abuse various kinds of drugs. This figure is higher than that of other ethnic groups such as white Americans and Latinos. Although other social and personal factors influence these state of affairs, the black churches are somewhat to blame for the high rate of substance abuse among black Americans. This is because the leaders of these religious organizations hardly engage in campaigns against drug abuse and other related programs.

Most spiritual leaders perceive substance abuse as a personal choice that does not require interference from spiritual leaders. For instance, the clergy do not consider drug addiction as a health issue. Moreover, they hardly address the use and abuse of alcohol despite the issue having adverse effects in the African American society. This hypocrisy and lack of religious support has resulted in substance abuse among many young African Americans. Despite the drug dependency among this portion of the general population, other health issues related to the problem include sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS. With the black churches showing reluctance about substance misuse and the resulting harmful behaviors, the number of addicts is increasing on a daily basis.

Governmental Agencies

Since drug abuse is a national problem, the government has designed and implemented specific strategies and organizations to address the issue. For instance, the regional administration of North Carolina has several substance abuse prevention programs that apply to all public school localities. These proceedings are in line with the safe and drug-free schools and communities act (SDFSCA).