Drug Abuse as a social problem and Its Impacts - Essay Example

Drug Abuse as a social problem and Its Impacts Introduction From a “structural functionalist viewpoint”, Drug abuse or substance abuse can be defined as a social pathogen which hinders the ordinary functions of various organic parts of the society and stifles the concordant interactions between the organically performing substrates of a society. The structure-functionalists assert that society is to be considered as a summation of organically functioning social constituents and substrates such as norms, traditions, customs, etc that are interrelated with other social subsystems such as individuals, communities and interest groups. Therefore, the structural-functional perspective will define it as a social pathogen which hinders the “harmonious function between other interrelated subsystems, such as family, society, country, economy, healthcare, etc of the society” (Mooney, Knox & Schacht, 2000, p. 45). The social problem of drug-abuse affects not only the individuals but also the whole society. A sociological perspective will necessarily search for the impacts of drug addiction on two levels. Primarily the impacts of drug-abuse and addiction are visible on the individual level and then on the collective level. On the individual level, the person addicted to drug suffers from a variety of psychophysical problems. But on the collective levels, it seriously affects the whole society by hampering the interactive functions among various institutions and substrates, such as economy, political systems, etc. Indeed the purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the effects of drug-abuse and addiction on the families as well as the society from different theoretical perspectives. Drug Abuse from Structural-functionalist Perspective Emile Durkheim defines society as an organized entity comprising various subsystems that function interactively to fulfill a person’s both the individual and social needs. In fact, society as a systematic “response to needs” puts “emphasis on looking for efficient or final causes and that analysis in terms of ‘stages’ seeks a causality that could be described as causality of expression” (Filoux, 1993, p.3). Depending on Durkheim’s structure-functional perspective the social pathology model claims that drug abuse can be viewed as a social pathogen that strangles the regular workability of any subsystems of the society, such as family, groups, community, economy, education, political system, etc. Indeed the structure-functionalist theory also considers that the drug-addicted part of the society is essentially a malfunctioning subsystem affecting other subsystems. According to the same theory, drug-abuse and addiction can be viewed as the results of the malfunction of other social institutions. For example, if the institution of family does not function properly, such dysfunction will increase the rate of drug-addiction and also to the rate of crimes related to drug-abuse. On the contrary, drug-abuse and addiction cause dysfunctions to other social institutions. The structure-functionalist view, the solution to the social problem of drug abuse lies in the members’ reception of “proper socialization and moral education, which may be accomplished in the family, schools, churches, workplace, and/or through the media” (Mooney, Knox, & Schacht, 2000, pp. 10-16). From a psychological perspective, drug-abuse or substance abuse can be considered as the direct result of emotional disorder whether originates from factors such as depression, frustrations, curiosity, etc, as Stephen Gold notes, “ The CAP theory of drug abuse emphasizes the interaction of cognitive-affective-pharmacogenic effects of drug taking. The belief that one is powerless to affect the environment and cope with stress plays a central role in the theory.” (Fisher et al, 2007, p. 56) Effects of Drug on Family and Social Life Drug addiction can be viewed as a vicious circle that starts from other social problems and finally ends in the worsening of these social problems themselves. Sociology researches show that the root of drug-addiction lies in social issues such as the waning family tie and its dwindled control on the family members, diminishing morality and religious value, unemployment problems, mental depression, etc. Though the impacts of drug-addiction are aggravated by these issues, they themselves are further deteriorated by drug-abuse itself. Various social crime reports and research papers, the juvenile crimes are straightforwardly related with the increasing drug-abuse rate. Divorce itself has some dire impacts on the rate of drug abuse as well as other social crimes, as Doherty and Needle (1991) say, “Children who use drugs and abuse alcohol are more likely to come from family backgrounds characterized by parental conflict and parental rejection. Because divorce increases these factors, it increases the likelihood that children will abuse alcohol and begin using drugs.” (p.332) Children of conflicting parent are increasingly the victims of negligence and abuse. An investigation -led by Professor Robert Sampson (1992)- shows that the drug-abuse rate is proportionately connected to the crime-rate in any given area. He also asserts that the lower drug-abuse rate has higher positive impacts on the crime rate in a locality. Illegal drug trade and drug abuse directly affects the individuals both psychologically and physically. But its effects also encroach into the heart of a society. Godfrey et al (2002) says, “Drug abuse has a negative impact on individuals, and on the functioning of societies as a whole” (p. 28). On the individual level, an addicted person experiences a variety of physical and psychological problems. But collectively, drug addiction affects the whole society putting its different sectors such as economy, health sector, education sector, political sectors under crushing pressures. There is a wide range of effects of drug-abusing on the heath and mind of a drug-abuser. Researches show that in various countries a significant portion of the road accidents is caused by drivers who are drug addicted. The stimulus of illicit drug is “followed by a crash: a period of anxiety, fatigue, depression, and a strong desire to use more cocaine to alleviate the feelings of the crash” (Sampson, 1992, p.274). If a drug abuser attempts to give up the habit of taking drug, symptoms like “vomiting, muscle cramps, convulsions, and delirium” can increase the complexity of the treatment of drug-addiction (Sampson, 1992, p.274). On contrary, long term drug taking can create drug dependency and resistance. Taking drugs by syringes can spread diseases like AIDS, hepatitis, and other “sexually transmitted diseases”. The most noticeable effects of drug addiction “which are manifested in the individuals who abuse drugs--include ill health, sickness and, ultimately, death” (Godfrey et al., 2002, p.17). A drug-abuser’s family faces the bitterest experience like social humiliation, social disrespect, etc in the society. Studies show that the majority of the drug abusers are often engaged in criminal activities like robbery, theft and prostitution, which often become prestige factors for the other family members. Effects of Drug Trade on Economy in the Countries The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that illegal drug-abuses (excluding smoking and alcohol) claimed a toll of approximately $161 billion dollars per year on the US economy in 1999, 2000 and 2001 (NIDA, 2010). If the costs of alcoholism and smoking are included within the amount, the total cost will be about $487 billion dollar. Out of this total amount of 487 billion dollars, about 110 billion dollars was spent in lost productivity, whereas the healthcare cost is $12.9 billion. In the United Kingdom, the total cost of illicit drug-abuse oscillated between £2.9bn and £5.3bn in the past decades. (Godfrey et al., 2007, p. 7) In a research paper Collins and Lapsley (2008) report that Australian economy has to endure the cost of $30 billion per year. (p. 87) Conclusion From the beginning of the present century, drug abuse seems like a calamity all over the world. No country of this world is free from this unexpected catastrophe. As the illegal drug business is vastly money-making and flexible, it attracts most of the people to cling on with the unlawful trade. There are two most important reasons behind this unlawful trade and these are: firstly, the undeniable development of globalization that made the world so closer and the “technological revolution” of the previous century that extended relations among the countries over the world and the consequent is the easier communication and transportation than ever before. The second cause is “related to the fundamental principles of how human society functions” (Collins & Lapsley, 2008, p. 89). The forces that play a crucial function taking drug are rising stress, “negative psychological pressure on individuals”, unemployment problem etc. To evaluate the temper and reaches of a society, “when stability, reasonable employment, education and leisure opportunities are lacking” (Collins & Lapsley, 2008, p. 89), exploitation of drug can be an exceptional scale. Works Cited Collins, D. and Lapsley, H. (2008) “The costs of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug abuse to Australian society in 2004/05”, Commonwealth of Australia. Vol. 98 (4), pp. 328-337. Doherty, J. W. & Needle, R. H. (1991) ‘Psychological Adjustment and Substance Use Among Adolescents Before and After a Parental Divorce’, Child Development, 62 (3), pp. 328-337. Fisher, M. et al, (2007) ‘Predictive factors for illicit drug use among young people: a literature review’, London: Home Office. Godfrey et al. (2002) The economic and social costs of Class A drug use in England and Wales, 2000, London: Home Office. Home Office, (2006). Positive futures’ impact report: End of season review. London Mooney, L. A., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2000). Understanding social problems (2nd ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Wadsworth.  National Institute on Drug Abuse. (November, 2010) “Magnitude”, Retrieved September 2, 2010 from Sampson, J. R. (1992) ‘Crime in Cities: The Effects of Formal and Informal Social Control’, in Michael Tonry and Norval Morris, eds., Crime and Justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 271-301. United Nation Drug Control Programs. (1995) The Social Impact of Drug Abuse. Copenhagen. USNODRUG. (2010) “Drug Addiction Statistics”, Retrieved April 29, 2012 from Read More