Substance Abuse - Social Pandemic
As the use of illegal drugs and alcohol continues, substance abuse across America has become a very serious social problem. It is mental illness that has an effect on different races, classes and genders. The affects of substance abuse has caused countless of people to feel heartache and develop feelings of hopelessness. With alcohol and drugs readily available through prescription or on the streets (Butler,2010), it is obvious why many are acquiring addictive patterns to these accessible substances, and that the continual abuse of these substances has a severe long-term effect. Characteristics such as age, gender, race, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, different social groups, and geographical location are contributing factors in such ways to why one might develop a substance abuse problem. Understandably, the effects on each individual are different; however, there are some commonalities of substance abuse. The news/media tends to portray the causes and affects of substance abuse negatively and often ties substance abuse with such issues as crime rates and homelessness. Although substance abuse is a social problem, it is also a disease and mental illness that can be directly correlated to a person’s race, class, and gender, and it is important to also acknowledge these factors before society can begin to fully understand the problem and develop a solution.
The media plays an important role in current events that is shared with the nation, whether it is hearing about a well-known celebrity who has overdosed on painkillers, or Americans who been killed over drugs, one usually hears the information first through some sort of media source, and in most cases, there is a negative connotation associate with the abuse of drugs and alcohol. An article in The New York Times describes that in 17 states, death rates are increasing due to the abuse of prescription and illegal drug use, and are currently exceeding motor vehicle death rates with opiate
The media plays an important role in current events that is shared with the nation, whether it is hearing about a well-known celebrity who has overdosed on painkillers, or Americans who been killed over drugs, one usually hears the information first through some sort of media source, and in most cases, there is a negative connotation associate with the abuse of drugs and alcohol. An article in The New York Times describes that in 17 states, death rates are increasing due to the abuse of prescription and illegal drug use, and are currently exceeding motor vehicle death rates with opiate
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