Mental and Social Problems Associated with Drug Abuse - Research Paper Example

?Drug addiction The article Study: 22 million Americans use illegal drugs, (appeared on CNN on September 8, posted by CNN Media Producer Aaron Cooper) explains the mental and social problems associated with drug abuse. The author pointed out that marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants and some prescription drugs are the most popular drugs used by the abusers in America. He has quoted a 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and pointed out that more than 22 million Americans age 12 and older - nearly 9% of the U.S. population - use illegal drugs. More than 23 million Americans age 12 and older are currently undergoing treatment to stop drug addiction (Cooper). Drug abuse is becoming a major social problem everywhere in the world at present. All countries especially, the western countries are struggling to solve this problem. Drug abuse has different dimensions such as; moral, social and economic. The major sufferers of one’s drug abuse would be the society and the family members. It should be noted that drug abuse affects not only the abuser, but also the communities in which the abuser stays. An abuser’s activities may have many influences upon his family members, especially upon infants or new born babies. For example, drug abuse by the parents during pregnancy and after the birth of the child may have detrimental effects on the development of the infants. Plenty of new born babies all over the world are suffering from autism like diseases as a result of the drug abuse of their mothers during pregnancy. This paper analyses the social problems associated with drug abuse. Lack of self-esteem development is one of the major problems associated with drug abuse. It should be noted that the development of self-esteem takes place during childhood, and adolescence. The development of self-esteem helps a child to meet future life challenges. However, parents who use drugs may not show much care and love towards their children and hence self-esteem development among such children will be drastically affected. Children during their developmental stages need both fatherly and motherly love, care and protection. Father creates a sense of protection in the mind of a child whereas mother helps a child recognize the meaning of love and affection. In other words, both fatherly and motherly love and care are necessary for the proper development of children. However, children may fail to get such love and protection if their parents happen to be drug addicts. Menon et al. (2007) conducted a pilot study to know the effects of avoidance by parents upon children. Their findings are given below. High self-esteem may cause avoidant children to behave in ways that elicit real, not imaginary, increased negative treatment by the mother, and the fact that avoidant children with high self-esteem view their mother as monitoring them less and less over time may reflect more successful avoidance of their mother by these children. High self-esteem may also cause avoidant children to perceive and remember maternal behaviors that are consistent with their sense that their mother may not love them or is poised to fight them. It is also possible that avoidant children with high self-esteem are becoming more accurate over time in their perception of a mother who has been rejecting or disengaged all along (Menon et al., p.1635). The future of a nation rests in the hands of children. Children with sound physical and mental health may contribute heavily to the development of a nation. In other words, healthy children are assets for a nation whereas unhealthy children are burdens since the nation needs to spend lot of money for the protection of unhealthy children. A sound mind develops only in a sound body. Drug abuse destroys the physical health of the parents and it prevents the development of a sound mind among them. As a result of that their children may fail to get enough love and care during their childhood. Plenty of studies have proved that developmental problems make children antisocial elements or criminals in future. A child who fails to get enough love and care from parents may develop a feeling of vengeance towards the family and society. Such children may not give any respect to morals and ethics since their parents never taught them such things during their childhood. In short, drug abuse of parents may indirectly contribute to the development of antisocial elements. Zaffanello et al. (2010, p.87) mentioned that “Nephrotoxic medication taken during fetal life and during postnatal nephrogenesis could interfere with nephron generation contributing to a particular magnitude of damage”. Several mothers have the habit of drug abuse even during pregnancy and also during the early periods after the birth of their children. It should be noted that mother’s mental health affects the development of the embryo. The embryo may develop physical as well as mental problems because of the drug abuse by the mother. Kidney failures and renal failures may occur among children whose mothers are drug addict. In short, drug abuse by mothers cause immense damage to the physical and mental development of children. According to Dr. Dryden-Edwards (2011), “Psychological associations with substance abuse or addiction include mood disorders like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, as well as personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder”. Moreover, Ma et al., (2010, p.78), pointed out that “drug infusions can deliver significant fluid loads to children, depending on the infusion system’s architecture and fluid flow rates”. People with psychological problems may develop a tendency to take shelter in any of the mood changing substances. Drug abuse is a defense mechanism through which the mind tries to shift the attention from the stress causing thoughts to a pleasant thought. However, it is quite possible that the drug abuse may help the development of distracted thoughts. Moreover, the abuser may lose control of his mind under the influence of drugs. It is quite possible that he may engage in violent activities when he loses control of his mind because of drugs. To conclude, drug abuse may cause several problems not only to the abuser but also to his family members and the society. Works Cited Cooper, Aron. “Study: 22 Million Americans Use Illegal Drugs”. Web. 05 December 2013. http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/08/study-22-million-americans-use-illegal-drugs-3/ Dryden-Edwards, Roxanne MD. “Drug Abuse”. 2011. Web. 05 December 2013. Ma,H., Lovich, M.A., & Peterfreund, R.A. “Quantitative Analysis Of Continuous Intravenous Infusions In Pediatric Anesthesia: Safety Implications Of Dead Volume, Flow Rates, And Fluid Delivery”. Pediatric Anesthesia 21 (2011) 78–86. 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Print Menon, M., Tobin, D.D., Corby, B.C., Menon, M., Hodges, E.V.E., & Perry, D.G. “The Developmental Costs Of High Self-Esteem For Antisocial Children”. Child Development, 2007 Nov-Dec;78(6):1627-39. Print Zaffanello, M., Bassareo, P.P., Cataldi, L., Antonucci, R., Biban, P., & Fanos, V. Long- Term Effects of Neonatal Drugs on the Kidney”. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, October 2010; 23(S3): 87–89. Print Read More