Analysis of the Article on the Drug Abuse - Paper Example

Drug abuse remains a major concern for education stakeholders, parents, healthcare professionals and religious leaders among others (Ksir & Hart, 2012). Moreover, it is not just a national problem, rather has affected the whole world and requires major focus given the increasing involvement of youths in drug abuse. For my media analysis, I focused on the article The Destructive Capacity of Drug Abuse: An Overview Exploring the Harmful Potential of Drug Abuse both to the Individual and to Society by Fox, T., Oliver, G., and Ellis, S. From a public health context, substance abuse has always been a major source of concern not just for the health of an individual, rather for the entire society.

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The materials that are deemed harmful are regulated based on a classification system which considers the harms and dangers of consuming every drug. In most cases, the adverse effects of substance abuse could be perceived in three parts that collectively determine the general harm in drinking. They include the direct physical harm of the drug to the individual consumer; the likelihood of the drug to cause dependence; and impact of abuse on families and society. These conditions are well captured in this article.

For instance, the report analyzes the long-term health challenges. In this regard, it is noted that when consistently used over a period, many drugs have chronic physical effects. The long-term health problems could be directly connected to the impact of the drug or the mode of drug administration (Fox et al., 2012). Different drugs with the inclusion of marijuana make the users vulnerable to a chronic cough, lung cancer, and even bronchitis. On the other hand, the long-term negative impacts of cigarette smoking include a reduction in life expectancy. On the contrary, the article established that drugs which are taken intravenously could result in complications connected with this route of delivery.

Fox et al., (2012) also focus on another important aspect of drug abuse: Addiction. Addiction occurs via an associative process of learning which is denoted by compulsive consumption of drugs, craving, and relapse. The impacts are also brought out. The major focus is on families and the children or those who depend on the abusers. These kids always go through abuse and neglect. Communities are not left behind according to Fox et al. (2012). As a matter of fact, the cost to the community is significant. Drug abuse has major effects on healthcare services, the criminal justice system and most importantly, public service. It is further noted that drugs that result in intoxication like heroin and alcohol are connected with massive costs in connection with damage to the user and reduced economic output. A significant portion of the health care budget is used for treatment and rehabilitation of addicts.

In summary, this article has presented the damaging effects of drugs for individual users and society as a whole. It becomes apparent that behind the numerous social challenges is a complex system that entails dependence and addiction. A major teaching that can be derived from this article is that everyone must be involved in the fight against drug abuse. The fact that drugs affect not just individuals but society means that it must be addressed with the seriousness that it deserves.

References

Fox, T., Oliver, G., & Ellis, S. (2013). The destructive capacity of drug abuse: An overview exploring the harmful potential of drug abuse both to the individual and to society. ISRN Addiction, Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 450348, 6 pages

Ksir, C & Hart, C. (2012). Drugs, society, and human behavior 15th edition. McGraw-Hill Education.