Cause And Effect Of Substance Abuse Essay

Substance abuse has been a topic of concern all over the world. But, the Western counties are often noted to have major cases of drug abuse among adolescents compared to orthodox societies. Addiction to hallucinogens has range of implications that affect physical, psychological, sexual and spiritual aspects of an individual. Hallucinogens act on neural points of the brain and create effects that alter perception of individuals. The dominant impacts that are produced involve mood swings, cognitive effects and perception- changing consequences. The drugs act on serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter. It also affects other areas of the brain that monitor arousal and psychological response to stress. There are several short- term and long term impacts of hallucinogens. Short- term impacts include altering vision, difficulty in hearing and development of artificial sensation that are unreal but appear to be real. The effects of hallucinogens begin within 20 minutes of consumption and last for nearly half the day. Drugs like LSD greatly affect a
person’s rational thinking or their ability tendencies can result for long- term use of these drugs (as cited in the National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2015). With such massive effects of hallucinogens, it also affects ones sexual behavior.
Overdose of addictive drugs can lead to aggressive sexual behavior or loss of libido. It varies from person to person. Substance abuse mainly affects the youth as they succumb to the pressure of a Westernized society. This is coupled with altering hormonal imbalance that is common during the adolescent period. Great care needs to be taken during this time. Minority groups like the African- Americans or the LGBTQ community have greater chances of anxiety and depression. Aggression among the youth can also influence their career decision. They might opt for careers that are more violent or boost their self- esteem. Opting for a military career is not uncommon as the pleasure in flaunting machismo gains prominence. Gun violence is not uncommon. Teens get aloof from the spiritual world. Fake and unreal objects begin dominating their real
lifestyle. It is seen that transmission of HIV can increase among hallucinogen users of the LGBTQ community. According to Pagliaro & Pagliaro (2011), bisexuals and gays that are socially isolated and often opt for substance abuse, develop improper psychological functioning while choosing sexual partners. They prefer having sex with older partners that are already HIV infected. There are many rehab and medical centers that strive to cure disorders resulting out of substance abuse. Among the several treatments that are available for treating addictive adolescents, Dual Disorders Recovery Counseling’ has emerged to be the most popular. Experts develop therapeutic association with adolescents. There are various programs for treating individual cases like educational programs, self- help programs and other clinical assessments. There are different stages of recovery that begins with engaging youths into constructive works that distract them from using addictive drugs and then gradually move them from early recovery phase to final recovery. The ultimate purpose is to maintain the wellbeing of recovered individuals. Early detection enables in a holistic approach towards treatment of addiction to hallucinogens (Pagliaro & Pagliaro, 2011). Possibly, spiritual healing can also help. After a thorough research it can be stated that abuse of hallucinogens can yield life- threatening results. African- Americans persistently suffer from social isolation and discrimination and this can lead to extensive abuse of hallucinogens. Taking care minority sections should be made a priority.