Alcohol and Drug Use among Australian Adolescents - Essay Example

Alcohol and Drug use Among Australian Adolescents Name Course Name and Code Instructor’s Name Date Adolescence is a very sensitive stage in the growth and development of humans since it is the time of transition from childhood to adulthood characterized by biological, social, cognitive and psychological changes. Adolescents are vulnerable to many social evils such as crime, drug and substance abuse, risky sexual activity as well as violence. However, drug and substance abuse is very rampant among adolescents with alcohol and tobacco being the most used substances due to their legality. In this context, drug and substance abuse refers to the use of drugs both licit and illicit to alter the feelings, thoughts and behaviors of an individual. Illicit drugs include cannabis, cocaine, heroine and ecstasy among others whereas legal drugs/substances include tobacco, alcohol, volatile substances such as glue and gasoline, and pharmaceutical products. Adolescents, when trying to establish an identity for themselves, both psychologically and socially, experiment with a lot of things especially adult substances. It is through experimentation that they engage in adult activities such as drinking and smoking of cigarettes which in most cases ends up with most adolescents becoming addicts of these substances. Adolescents result to substance and drug use for reasons such as pleasure, to escape reality especially in cases where there is child abuse, to fit in a certain social group, to escape boredom and to boost self-esteem. Drug and alcohol use is a big problem among the Australian young population especially due to the ready availability of both legal and illegal drugs. Drug use is a critical issue among Australian adolescents since once initiated into this practice, it is very difficult to abandon it. Legal drugs like tobacco and alcohol are readily available to adolescents since they are found in most homes where parents consume such substances. These young people can also purchase alcohol and cigarettes using fake identity cards. Moreover, volatile substances like glue and gasoline and pharmaceutical products are easily accessible to the youth. When the youth get an opportunity to drink or smoke they do so in larger amounts as compared to adults, a practice that puts them at short term harm such as road accidents, violence related injuries and fatal falls. There is high prevalence of the use of drugs among Australian youth as proven by majority of national surveys conducted to determine the prevalence of drug use among Australian adolescents. These surveys found that even at the tender age of 12 years, alcohol and drug use is the norm in this age group. According to the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (2010), alcohol is the most used drug among Australian youth with over a third of youth aged 12-14 years confessing to have used it in their lifetime. On the other hand, cannabis/marijuana is the most used illicit drug in Australia followed by amphetamines (Loxley et al, 2004). In terms of gender, males tend to start using drugs at a very young age and in larger amounts as compared to females (Spooner, 1999). The use of party drugs among Australian adolescents who are out of school has been increasing over time. The 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) tabled the results that 17% of the Australian youth in the age bracket of 14 years and above were daily smokers whereas 38% of the same population was found to have used any illegal drug at list once in their lifetime (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2007). In general, the use of drugs among adolescents is widespread and if appropriate intervention measures are not put in place to check this problem, it will be a national crisis that will be difficult to control. The use of drugs in the general population including adolescents has been associated with several psychological, physical and social problems. These problems may arise either after short term or long term use of drugs. A 2003 World Health Organization draft on guidelines for use in primary care indicates that regular use, dependence on substance use and the effects of drug use such as acute intoxication have may result into short term effects that include personal harm such as vomiting, fever, confusion, loss of consciousness, accidents and injury, aggression and violence, unsafe sexual activity as well as reduced work performance. On the other hand regular use and dependence on drug use causes long term problems like physical and mental health problems, weakened immunity, anxiety and depression, social problems such as relationship problems and crime, decreased output at school or at work and financial problems (Edwards , Humeniuk , Ali , Poznyak & Monteiro, 2003). Death is one of the most significant effects of drug use which may be caused by drug overdose, damage of vital body organs such as the liver, lungs and the heart or by drug related accidents and injuries. The Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (2010) shows that alcohol related accidents were a leading factor in the increase of deaths among the Australian adolescents. A second implication is the infection of communicable diseases such as hepatitis B and C as well as HIV/AIDS transmission especially among drug injecting users. Sharing of drug injecting equipment such as needles may lead to transmission of these diseases if any of the users is infected (Loxley et al, 2004). Some of these diseases like HIV/AIDS are incurable and have a sequel of health complications like weakened immunity and eventually death which in turn affects the labor market in a negative way since the youth are the most energetic part of the general population. People with Hepatitis C may either develop liver cirrhosis or liver cancer and this makes it a serious public health concern in Australia (Loxley et al, 2004). Damage of vital body organs by drugs is also another serious implication of drug use among adolescents as well as in the general population. For instance, use of alcohol for a long period causes liver cirrhosis whereas tobacco causes throat or lung cancer. Illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis also damage the liver as well as cause brain degeneration. The damage of vital body organs eventually leads to death (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2007; UNDCP, 1997). The Commonwealth of Australia (2001) indicates that excessive consumption of alcohol apart from causing cancer of the liver commonly known as liver cirrhosis; it also increases the risk of cancers like cancer of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. Furthermore, drug and substance use causes mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, psychosis and brain degeneration. When one withdraws from using drugs, he becomes depressed as the body system is trying to adjust to the change. In Australia, people who consume drugs record the highest number of cases of mental disorders as compared to those who do not use drugs (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2005). Brain degeneration leads to decreased personal output and for adolescents it leads to poor academic performance which might lead to school drop-outs. In addition, use of alcohol and drugs among adolescents leads to risky behaviors like engaging in unprotected sex, assault, driving under the influence as well as attempting suicide. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2003a) in Hayes, Smart, Toumbourou & Sanson (2004), excessive consumption of alcohol among Australian youth resulted into unprotected sex, drunken driving as well as violence and assault. Unprotected sex may lead to contraction of sexually transmitted infections like gonorrhea, syphilis as well as the incurable HIV/AIDS whereas drunken driving in most cases leads to road accidents that can be fatal or cause permanent physical damage. Moreover, use of drugs is associated with social problems like crime, violence and assault. Some drugs such as cocaine once taken have the effect of boosting ones self-esteem and confidence hence making the users to engage in fights or verbal abuse. Trading of illegal drugs is a serious crime which Australian young drug users may get involved in so as to access the drugs as well as make quick cash since the drug business is quite profitable. Others may get into crime so as to get money for purchasing these drugs that are quite expensive. Most drug related arrests are on consumption rather than on supply and sale of these illicit substances (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2007) Since teenagers spend most of their time in school, it is important for schools to come up with strategies on preventing and reducing the use of drugs among students. An effective strategy is integrating drug education in school curriculum where students are taught on dangers of using drugs and ways of handling negative peer pressure (Foster, Brennan, Bighan, Wang and Saud, n.d). A school based drug education programme encompasses policies, procedures and experiences that contribute to the prevention and reduction of drug use among students (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2004, p.13). According to Roona, Streke, Ochshorn, Marshall & Palmer (n.d), school programs that integrated drug refusal skills in their curriculum were effective in addressing the issue of drug abuse among students. When students learn about the dangers of drug use and drug trafficking, they can be used as change agents especially in influencing the behavior of their peers in a positive way (United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, 2002). In addition, when young people get involved in programs on drug use prevention, they get a sense of direction and ownership of the programs hence making the programs sustainable. Schools can also come up with extracurricular activities such as sports and drama so that students can be busy after classes. When students engage in sports and other talent-oriented activities, they do not get time to engage in risky behaviors such as drug abuse and risky sexual activity. Adolescence is a very sensitive stage as children are being transformed into adulthood. This group of young people is vulnerable to many risks since in trying to create an identity for themselves both individually and socially; they are willing to experiment with substances that come their way. It is through such experimentation that adolescents engage in alcohol and drug use which if not detected and corrected early can lead to addictions. Drugs that are commonly abused include tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, heroin and volatile substances such as glue and gasoline. Several factors influence the use of alcohol and drugs among adolescents and include: negative peer pressure especially for pleasure; family and parental neglect; and parental influence in cases where parents are drug users. Moreover, drug use among adolescents has adverse short term and long term effects to the users and the society at large. Individual implications are death resulting from accidents and health complications; health issues such as damage of vital body organs like the liver, kidneys, lungs, the heart and the brain; and mental/psychological disorders such as confusion, depression, anxiety and mood swings. On the other hand, social problems associated with drug and alcohol use include crimes like assault, verbal abuse and violence and on the extreme, drug trafficking, which in most cases is done by organized drug syndicates. It is the responsibility of the society to merge their efforts in addressing the adolescent crisis of drug use. Schools, for example, can integrate drug education in their education programs to teach students on the dangers of drug use as well as ways of avoiding negative peer pressure. These students can be used as change agents in the society in the effort of alleviating the widespread problem of drug use among adolescents since it is easier for the youth to deal with their age mates rather than adults. In other social institutions like churches, drug education should also be integrated in their activities. Furthermore, parents should monitor the movements of their teenage children and in cases where the parents use alcohol and tobacco, they should advise their children not to engage in such activities. Finally, it is the responsibility of every member of the society to engage in drug use prevention activities so as to reduce drug use related harm. The government should also implement policies and laws that check the supply and distribution of both licit and illicit substances in Australia. References Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2005). Statistics on drug use in Australia 2004. Drug statistics series No.15. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442467739 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2007). Statistics on drug use in Australia 2006. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442459808 Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety-Queensland (2010). State of the road: Adolescent risk-taking. Retrieved from www.carrsq.qut.edu.au Commonwealth of Australia (2001). Alcohol in Australia: Issues and Strategies. A background paper to the National Alcohol Strategy: A Plan for Action 2001 to 2003/04. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/drugstrategy/publishing.nsf/Content/alc-strategy Edwards S, Humeniuk R, Ali R, Poznyak V & Monteiro M (2003). The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST): Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. Draft Version 1.1 for Field Testing. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/en/Draft_The_ASSIST_Guidelines.pdf Foster S.L, Brennan P., Biglan A., Wang L. and Saud al-Ghalth (n.d). Preventing behavior problems: what works. Retrieved from http://www.iaoed.org/files/prac08e.pdf Hayes L, Smart D, Toumbourou J.W & Sanson A (2004). Parenting influences on Adolescent alcohol use. Retrieved from http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/resreport10/aifsreport10.pdf Loxley et al (2004). The prevention of substance use, risk and harm in Australia: a review of the evidence. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-publicat-document-mono_prevention-cnt.htm Roona M, Streke A, Ochshorn P, Marshall D & Palmer A (n.d). Identifying Effective School-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Interventions. Retrieved from http://www.silvergategroup.com/public/PREV2000/Roona.pdf Spooner C (1999). Causes and correlates of adolescent drug abuse and implications for treatment. Retrieved from http://healthpsy.home.ro/files/SCU/Drug%20Use%20in%20Teen-Agers.pdf UNDCP (1997). Facing the challenge: World Drug Report. United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2002). A participatory handbook for youth drug abuse prevention programmes: A guide for development and improvement. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/pdf/youthnet/handbook.pdf United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2004). Schools: school-based education for drug abuse prevention. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/pdf/youthnet/handbook_school_english.pdf Read More