Drug Addition among Young People in Australia1.docx

Drug Addition among Young People in Australia1.docx

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DrugAdditionamongYoungPeopleinAustralia1

DrugAdditionamongYoungPeopleinAustralia

September20th,2016

WordCount2412

TableofContents

DrugAdditionamongYoungPeopleinAustralia1

1.Introduction3

2.Body4

2.1ReasonsforAustralianyoungpeople’sdrugaddiction4

2.1.1Developmentalfactors4

2.1.2Environmentalfactors5

2.2Healthconsequencesofdrugaddiction6

2.2.1Changebrainfunctions6

2.2.2HealthProblems7

3.Governmentsolutionstotackledrugaddiction7

3.1Education7

3.2Treatment8

3.3Lawenforcement9

4.Conclusion9

References11

1.Introduction

InAustralia,theuseandabuseofillegaldrugscreatesanillegalmarketwhichisestimatedtobeworthA$6.7billion,makingitadauntingsocial,legalandhealthissue.AccordingtotheAustralianInstituteofHealthandWelfare,over60%percentofAustralianpeoplehadneverusedillegalsubstances,buttherewere14.7%ofAustralian’sillicitdrugwereusedbythoseagedat14andoverinthelastyear.AnincreasingnumberofAustralianyoungpeoplearenowaddictedtodrugsandtheyaredependentbothphysicallyandpsychologicallyonvarioustypesofdrugs,suchasheroin,benzodiazepines,tobacco,cocaineandLSDandmagicmushrooms.Drugaddictioniscomplicatedandhurtfulbecauseitcannotonlydamageyoungpeople’shealth,butalsoinfluencetheirmentalhealthandsocialconnections.

ThemainpurposeofthisreportistoresearchdrugaddictionamongAustralianyoungpeoplebyproposingthreeresearchquestions.Thisreportcomprisesofthreemainsectionswitheachsectiondealingwithoneresearchquestion.ThefirstpartwillidentifythereasonsfortheoccurrencedrugaddictionamongyoungpeopleinAustralia.Aswhatfollows,itwillanalyzethehealthconsequencescausedbydrugaddiction.Thethirdsectionwillexaminethegovernmentsolutionstosolvedrugaddictionproblem.

2.Body

2.1ReasonsforAustralianyoungpeople’sdrugaddiction

Drugaddictionisachronicdiseasecausedbypeople’slegalorillegaluseofmedicationanddrugoveralongperiodoftime.TherearemanyfactorsleadingtodrugaddictionamongyoungpeopleinAustralia,includingbothdevelopmentalfactorsandenvironmentalfactors.

2.1.1Developmentalfactors

Thetypicalagerangefordrugaddictionisbetween15to30yearsold,astagewherepeopledevelopsthefastest（Collinsetal.,2007）.Thoughitispossibleforpeopleatanyagetogetaddictedaftertakingdrugs,theearlierthedrugusebegins,themorelikelyitproceedstoaddiction（Grichting&Barber,2009）.Thisisparticularlytrueforteensbecauseattheirage,brainsthatmakejudgment,decisionsandcontroloverthemselvesarestilldeveloping.Thus,youngpeoplearequitevulnerabletoavarietyofillegalthings,druguseincluded.Itallstartsinschoolsusuallyteenagersaremorepronetotrydrugs.Firstitcomespsychologicallyandandthenphysicallyfro

mthe“want”to“need”.Forinstance,teenagersmayfirsttrydrugsjusttotasteofwhatislikeoutofcuriosity,experimentationorwantingtotakerisks（Schachter,2012）.Teenagersareattheagewherenewthingsintriguethemandtheydesiretotrynewthings.Itisnotthattheydonotknowtheconsequencesoftakingdrugs,buttheycannothelpthemselvestakingthesecondandthirdtimeaftertakingthefirst.Theyarenotawareofthepowerofdrugsingettingpeopleaddictedandaddictedtodrugunintentionally.Oncetakingthem,mostyoungpeoplecannotcontrolthemselvesbecausetheirbrainsarenotmatureenoughforthemtobattleagainstthepleasant sensationdrugbringstothem.Butwhentheygetold,drugaddictionwillhavealreadydestroyedthemincertainways.Therefore,youngpeopleareaddictedtodrugsbecausetheyarestillinadevelopingperiodwhentheycannotcontrolthemselvesintryingnewthingsandalsocannotcontroloncetheywanttotrythesecond,thirdtime,andfinallygetaddictedtodrugs.

2.1.2Environmentalfactors

Externallyspeaking,therearemayenvironmentalfactorswhichleadingtoyoungpeople’saddictiontodrugs,whichincludepressurefromschoolandparentsandinfluencefromtheirpeers.

Pressurefromschoolsandparentsoftencauseyoungpeopletoresorttodrugsasawaytorelaxandrelievethemselves.Youngpeoplearenowplacedhighexpectationsbytheirparentswhoalsoimposemorepressureonthoseyoungpeople’sacademicstudies.Schools,asaninstitutionforthemtolearn,donotimplementmanyactivitiestohelpstudentstoreleasethosepressure.AccordingtotheNationalDrugStrategyHouseholdSurvey,therewereapproximately73%oftheadolescentsreportedheavystressfromparentsandacademicstudiesbeingthemajorreasonfortheirdrugabuse（Maxwell&Davey,2010）.Someofthemusuallychooseawrongwaytosolvethat.Whentheyusedrugs,theymayfeelbettertemporarilyandcontinueabusingdrugstokeepthembeingonaconstanthighstate.Hence,manyyoungpeopleinAustraliausedrugstoactasashort-termfixforthestressandpressuretheyareunder.

Inadditiontopressurefromschoolandparents,therearemanyyoungpeopletakingdrugsandbecomeaddictedduetotheinfluenceoftheirpeergroups.AsstatedbyMaxwellandDavey（2010）,thebiggestgroupofdrugaddictsarestudentsinthattheyfirstgetofftheirfamiliesandtheyarenotunderparents’controlanymore.Giudice（2004）foundthatyoungpeopleopttodrugsbecausetheywanttofitintothepeergroupheorsheis,andthereissomeoneormanyhavealreadybeenaddictedtodrugs.Manyyoungstersmightfeeltheneedtofollowwhatevertheirfriendsaredoingandgivingintopeerpressureinordertofitinandbeconsidered‘cool’enoughtobeacceptedintoasocialgroup.Thissuggeststhatyoungpeopletakedrugsbecausethepeersaretakingthemandtheydonotwanttobesociallyleftout.Hence,adolescentstrydrugsandtakethemtoundertheinfluenceoftheirpeergroups.

Allinall,therearebothdevelopmentalfactorsandenvironmentalfactorsexplainingthereasonswhyAustralianyoungpeoplebecomeaddictedtodrugs.Duetothefactthatyoungpeopleareatastageofbraindeveloping,theymayhavelittlecontroloverthemselvesandbecuriousaboutnewthings.Besides,stressfromschoolsandparentsandalsoinfluenceoftheirpeers,canleadstoAustralianyoungpeople’sdrugaddiction.

2.2Healthconsequencesofdrugaddiction

Therearesomedauntingfactsaboutaboutdrugabuse.Therearemorethan527,000costlyemergencyroomstakenupbyillicitdruguserseachyearduetodrugrelatedproblemsand26%ofthemareyoungpeopleagebetween15to30.Inaddition,morethan1/3ofstateprisonpopulationincreasearedrugoffenders.Thosestatisticsindicatedthattheabuseofdrugcanleadtoseriousphysicalandpsychologicalconsequences.AccordingtoXXX,illegaldruguseaccountsfor1/4deathsinAustralia.Thosewhoaredependentondrugsareathigherrisksofunintentionalinjuries,accidents,domesticviolence,medicalproblemsanddeath（）.Thefollowingpartidentifiesthreehealthrelatedconsequencesofdrugaddictionincludingchangingofbrainfunctionsandhealthissues,asdetailedbelow.

2.2.1Changebrainfunctions

Undoubtedly,drugsarechemicalsandduetodifferentchemicalstructuresdifferentdrugembodies,theeffectonthebodycanalsovary.Asamatteroffact,somedrugscauseschangestoaperson’sbodyandbraininawaysthatlastlongevenifthepersonstopstakingdrugs.Thechangecanbepermanent.Theentranceofdrugintohumanbodycanalsobeinanumberofdifferentways,suchasinhalation,injectionandingestion.Differentmethodsofdrugenteringhumanbodyalsoexertsdifferentinfluencesonhealth.Forinstance,whendrugsareinjected,theygodirectlytothebloodstreamcausingimmediateeffectswhileingestionrequiresthedrugtopassthroughthedigestivesystemdelayingtheeffects（Hughesetal.,2010）.However,althoughtheeffectsmaydifferaccordingtodifferentchemicalstructureanddifferentusingmethodofthedrug,themajorityofdrugstargetthebrain’srewardsystemdirectlyorindirectlybyfloodingthecircuitwithdopamine（Maxwell&Davey,2010）.Asaneurotransmitterinthebrain,dopamineplaystheroleofregulatingmovement,emotionandcognition.Thus,whendrugsenterthebrain,theyactonthebrainwhichchangesthewaybrainperforms.Inaviciouscircle,thesechangesgiverisetocompulsivedruguse,thebeginningofaddiction.

2.2.2HealthProblems

Themostfar-reachingconsequenceofdrugaddictionisthatitisinapositiontoendangeralmosteveryorganinhumanbody.Firstly,theuseofdrugscanweakentheimmunesystemconsequentlymakingthebodybemoresusceptibletoinfections.Secondly,cardiovascularproblemscanalsobecausedbydrugaddiction,suchasabnormalheartrateandevenheartattacks.Thirdly,injectionofdrugsresultincollapsedveinsandmakingbloodvesselsandheartvalveseasilyinfected.Fourthly,nausea,vomitandabdominalpaincanalsoresultfromdrugabuse.Fifthly,whentakingdrugs,theliverwillbeoverloadedtofunctionharderwhichleadstoliverfailureordamagestoliver.Sixthly,drugaddictionalsocontributestoseizuresandstroke.

Tosumup,healthrisksthatcausedbydrugaddictionincludethechangeofhowbrainfunctionsindecision-making,emotionandmovement;andhealthproblemssuchasweakeningofimmunesystems,cardiovascularproblems,liverfailureandstroke.

3.Governmentsolutionstotackledrugaddiction

Withagrowingrealizationofthesevereconsequencesofdrugaddiction,theAustraliangovernmenthasundertakenmanyendeavorstodealwiththisissue.

3.1Education

TheAustraliangovernmenthaslaunchedsensiti