I’m going to copy and paste this, so it looks super long. Actually, no I shouldn’t because they might have things that test against that. I should use super huge words so it sounds like I know what I am talking about. I just realized that making this one page long is going to be a lot longer than it should take. Actually, it is kind of dumb for me to type all this out and waste like 10 minutes on something that most likely will not work. I’m going to now copy and paste a discussion post I did. It is true that drugs have negatively impacted family and friends in some way. Chapter one examines the biological, psychological, and sociological consequences in using drugs. It starts with the individual that is using the drug. It affects their mind and body in different ways depending on what drug they take.
The book writes how "having an alcoholic drink to relax before dinner' is a recreational use of the drug. Whereas, taking "an antidepressant prescribed for depression" is more used in an instrumental way. Yet, if it is recreational or instrumental it can have a negative effect on others in a few ways. Once someone uses cocaine for recreational use and becomes an addict, it can affect their friends and family because that individual can be stealing money from their loved ones to obtain the drug they crave. However, if the drug the user takes is for instrumental use it can soon turn into recreational or they can become tolerant to the drug and need more and more to have the same affect even if its to get rid of depression or be able to get some sleep.
The book includes how "we can focus on the interplay of circumstances in our lives that lead to drug-taking behavior" and it could answer some questions.
I found your post interesting in a couple of points. One of these issues you mentioned was the amount of hospitalization and overdoes related illnesses or deaths caused by legally available drugs. This encompasses not only the abuse, but the misuse of prescription narcotics. Many of these drugs, such as oxycontin or methadone, have a severe risk of addiction. I find it ironic when I see advertisements on television for special prescription narcotics and in the commercials, they begin to list side effects, some of which include death. Another issue you mentioned was the wide availability of drugs, even being able to order them through the internet. I've also seen the recent emergence of free phone applications that are specifically geared toward the sale and purchase of narcotics.
In Chapter one, it discusses the trends in the drug culture from varies groups of individuals and drugs. From illicit drugs such as, heroin, LSD, cocaine, marijuana and more to people ranging from eighth grade to adults. The book defines a drug as, "a chemical substance that, when taken into the body, alters the structure or functioning of the body in some way, excluding those nutrients considered to be related to normal functioning." Therefore, I agree that besides these illicit drugs, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are drugs as well but are legalized compared to drugs with stronger affects like meth.
The DAWN federal program helps analyze how these drugs may affect trends in society for drug usage. These reports shed light on drug-related deaths, emergencies related to illicit drugs and judges drug toxicity from drug-related deaths. Due to these DAWN statistics, individuals can analyze increases or decrease of substance use throughout the years. For example, the book explains " a dramatic increase in the number of cocaine-related emergencies occur[ing] in the 1980s as a result of the rise of cocaine abuse and crack cocaine abuse. A decade later, an upturn in heroin-related emergencies took place, as the purity of available heron increased..."
Surveys also help view the current trends in the drug culture. A Michigan survey has collected a large amount on data from the illicit drug use among high school seniors since 1975. It showed a "steep decline through the 1980s, ending at a historically low level (27%) around 1992. However, as time passed it has changed trends in the more recent years. The book describes that "annual marijuana use stood at 36 percent" in 2013 for high school seniors. Statistics show the use of drugs increasing, declining, and increasing again. Much of society has made the use of drugs seem more okay to use from ads to music about doing drugs and committing violence. Young generations start at an early age and adults may continue the use of what drug they choose. As we can see in our world today, marijuana is being