Drug/ alcohol awareness by Madison Neace

What's the Issue

madisonneace3 — 2024-02-21 17:06:29 UTC

The issue of drugs and alcohol abuse is death, taking relationships away, and addiction. I picked this issue because i grew up around drug abuse and i know exactly how it can ruin someones life.

Why is it a problem?

madisonneace3 — 2024-02-21 17:06:29 UTC

Have you ever seen the effects drugs/alcohol has had on someone close to you? If you have you will understand the importance of the issue. Drugs don't only affect the people doing them but also everyone around them. Drugs make you do things that you would never do if you were sober, such as stealing, losing everything you have just to get more drugs, being a dangerous person, and hurting the people you love. Drugs/alcohol are designed to ruin you. Yes they may be fun when you first try them and you may think nothing of it, but it eventually turns into something you can NOT live without. The first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning will be when your next high/drink is.

"In the most recent Survey, 7.01 percent of Kentucky residents reported using illicit drugs in the past month. The national average was 8.82 percent. Additionally, 3.42 percent of Kentucky residents reported using an illicit drug other than marijuana in the past month (the national average was 3.6 percent)."

What can we do about Society's Problem?

madisonneace3 — 2024-02-21 17:06:29 UTC

To solve drug issues it would require multiple steps such as educating people on the disease and the things that lead to it.

Solution 1

madisonneace3 — 2024-02-21 17:06:29 UTC

The first solution that could solve drug/alcohol abuse is understanding how trauma as a child leads to addiction. People tend to want an escape on real life and they find it in drugs. Alcohol is a really common escape people use because "everyone does it". If you grew up around someone doing things such as drugs and drinking alcohol you will want to do it at an early age because it does not seem harmful but thats not the case. The addiction rehab of Toronto states that "Understanding the connection between addiction and trauma is crucial for effective addiction treatment and recovery. By recognizing this relationship and adopting trauma-informed care approaches, addiction treatment professionals can provide comprehensive support to individuals dealing with both trauma and addiction.

Solution 2

madisonneace3 — 2024-02-21 17:06:29 UTC

Another solution to solve drug /alcohol abuse is having support services in rural areas at affordable cost. This would include things like mental health treatment like counselling, cognitive behavioral health, and trauma informed counselling.If individuals had an affordable and healthy way to cope with problems they would not have to choose the easy route. "Globally, individuals living in rural and remote areas are less likely to receive care for alcohol-related concerns compared to those residing in urban areas. Rural areas suffer from insufficient access to specialty providers, and rural residents are likely to experience greater stigma regarding seeking treatment for alcohol-related concerns." If they had more affordable options on treatments people would choose it but without detox its hard to stop drugs/alcohol because you simply can not function without it.

References

madisonneace3 — 2024-02-21 17:06:29 UTC

https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/programs_campaigns/childrens_mental_health/atc-whitepaper-040616.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725219/

https://addictionrehabtoronto.ca/understanding-the-connection-between-trauma-and-addiction-a-path-to-recovery/#:~:text=Understanding%20the%20connection%20between%20addiction%20and%20trauma%20is%20crucial%20for,with%20both%20trauma%20and%20addiction.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9702879/