Drug Abuse

Drug Abuse

Name

Institution

Introduction

In the field of medicine, experts use interchangeably the terms drug abuse and substance abuse (Sussman and Ames 2008). According to studies, drug or substance abuse is a pattern of drug usage, which does not necessarily have to be dependent. Hence and contrary to the view of many people, psychoactive drugs and mood-altering drugs are not the only substances associated with drug abuse. Substance abuse occurs only when there is improper drug usage either by experts in the field or by ordinary people. In most cases, the immediate effects include impulsivity and impulse control. Accordingly, the paper contained herein is focusing on the issue of drug abuse emphasizing on the various definitions of the term and its implications to the society.

Definitions of drug abuse

The issue of drug abuse has been attracting continued attention towards itself given the impact it has to the culture of societies around the world. It is for this reason that experts from different segments of the field of social sciences are keen on the matter. Consequently, different fields in the area are coming up with different definitions of the term. According the field of public health, drug abuse stretches beyond an individual and hence directs attention towards its implications to the whole community (Karch 2007). On the other hand, in the medical field is shifting attention from the usage of the term drug abuse to using substance abuse in a bid to include all other things that have the potential of improper usage. While making an effort to define the term drug abuse, controversy arises as to things referred by the term drug. According to experts(Sussman and Ames 2008), nicotine is a drug but legal in most if not all world countries while GHB, which is naturally occurring and a major component in the nervous system is illegal. Hence, it is clear that there is lack of proper definition of the term drug abuse.

Society and Culture

The implications of drug abuse are far reaching. In most cases, it leads to reduced productivity in the society as the youths succumb to the abuse drugs and substances (Karch 2007). This is because most of the drugs cause drowsiness and laziness making the user lesser productive. In order to avoid such scenarios governments of the world have been coming up with different mechanisms of fighting the menace. In many countries, there is identification of a score of substances that the government does consider harmful to the population (Dommisse 2000). Accordingly, the governments have been criminalizing the usage of such substances and jail terms passed for those caught