The Threat Of Alcohol And Drug Usage To Public Health
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With the fast lifestyle pace of everybody nowadays, it would be of no surprise to us to know that the number of people who get sick seem to be growing too. The constant hustle and bustle of a great number of individuals can lead to stress that can cause vulnerability to many sicknesses, sicknesses that can be transferred to a bunch of other people. A lot of people think that when an individual gets sick, it is only that individual who suffers. This notion, however, is erroneous because when a person gets sick, he is not the only one affected by it but the people around him as well.
Health, as defined by the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Public health experts, however, deem this definition to be incomplete. For an individual to be healthy, other factors must also be taken into consideration, such as intellectual, nutritional, and spiritual. Social and behavioral health are likewise important sub-fields of public health.
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Alcoholism Among Teenagers
Just the growing number of alcohol rehabs nowadays should be a big telltale clue that the number of people struggling with alcoholism is growing too. There was once a time when alcoholism was associated solely with middle-aged men with pot bellies. Today, however, that image proves to be obsolete.
Alcohol, which is also a drug, happens to be very enticing for young individuals -- individuals who go to great lengths just to obtain it. A lot of teens nowadays turn to alcoholic beverages because of a variety of reasons. For some, it is because of peer pressure and their immense desire to belong and fit in. Others see alcohol as a way of escape, as a way of forgetting problems for a while. Studies have also shown that children in broken families, or those that do not have close family relationships, are more prone to being lured into alcohol usage and alcohol dependence. Reports have also shown that every year, around 5,000 young individuals lose their lives because of alcohol use. Crashes of motor vehicles are said to be responsible for 1,900 of these deaths, 1,600 are attributed to homicide, 300 lives are taken because of suicide and other injuries.
This in itself is already a grave threat to public health. The alarming number of deaths and the propensity of teenagers to engage in alcohol use is fast becoming a serious problem in American society and in other countries as well.
The Usage Of Illegal Drugs
| Say "great risk" to: | 8th grade | 10th grade | 12th grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take LSD once/twice | 23.8 | 38.8 | 36.1 |
| Take LSD regularly | 40.0 | 60.7 | 69.3 |
Aside from alcoholism, the usage of illegal drugs such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and others, are also claiming the lives of many individuals yearly. Drug usage also ups the violence of users, leading to criminal offenses. Not only does this affect public health, it also casts a shadow over public safety as well. Every year, drug abuse results to approximately 40 million serious injuries or illnesses in the people in the United States. Drug usage is a widely spread phenomenon that must be curbed before it goes way out of control. This is why it is a good thing that there are now lots of addiction treatment centers that aim to help people who are struggling with drug addiction.
What Public Officials Are Doing
Fortunately, the cataclysmic problems brought about by drug usage and alcohol abuse is not lost on public officials. Laws have been made that aim to minimize, if not eliminate, the instances of drug and alcohol use, especially among the youth. The price of alcohol has been raised, as this is one way of lessening the consumption of the substance. The minimum legal drinking age has also been increased so that persons younger than 21 are discouraged from buying alcohol. Since 1976, the enactment of this law has already been able to prevent approximately more than 21,000 traffic deaths. Other methods pursued that have been successful in lessening the mortality rate caused by underage drinking are the zero tolerance laws and the stepping up enforcement of laws. School-based prevention programs and family-based prevention programs are also growing in number -- a clear sign that alcohol and drug abuse are taken seriously and must be stopped.
There is no doubt that drug usage is a threat not only to the individual who happens to be addicted, but also to society. This is why more endeavors must be undertaken to ensure the diminution of the use of such substances. For with every life saved and treated from drug addiction means one individual that will be a good example to many.
references:
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/hallucinogens/index.html URL Accessed 25 June 2007 http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov/prevention.aspx URL Accessed 24 June 2007 http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm URL Accessed 25 June 2007 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drugabuse.html URL Accessed 24 June 2007
