Sociological survey. Social consequences of drug addiction (the sociological survey)

Transcription

1 Sociological survey Social consequences of drug addiction Ivana Kováčová 1.year- EU 2010/2011 (the sociological survey) Data collected from documents, articles, statistical report Aim of my survey understanding of drug addiction, how drugs affect family and society Situation in Slovakia; compare years 2008 and to know if the situation is getting better or worse. Understanding drug addiction Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. People who are addicted feel an overwhelming, uncontrollable need for drugs or alcohol, even in the face of negative consequences. This self-destructive behavior can be hard to understand. Why continue doing something that s hurting you? Why is it so hard to stop? The answer lies in the brain. Repeated drug use alters the brain causing long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions. These brain changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful. 1

2 How addiction develops? The path to drug addiction starts with experimentation. People may have tried drugs out of curiosity, because friends were doing it, or in an effort to erase another problem. At first, the substance seems to solve the problem or make life better, so you use the drug more and more. drug becomes more and more important and your ability to stop using is compromised drug addiction is treatable 5 Myths about Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse 1.Overcoming addiction is a simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to. 2. Addiction is a disease; there s nothing you can do about it 3. to hit rock bottom before they can get better 4. can t force someone into treatment; they have to want help. 5. Treatment didn t work before, so there s no point trying again; some cases are hopeless How Does Drug Addiction Affect: 1.Family 1.FAMILY 2.SOCIETY Alienation- Promises to cut back or to stop are often made and quickly broken, serving to weaken the trust and expectation the family has for the addicted member. Financial loss- risk if the drug abuser is allowed access to family assets. Divided House- Families who are unable to get help or rehabilitation for a member who is addicted to drugs will ultimately be witness to the slow death of that individual. 2

3 WHEN A CHILD TAKES DRUGS child is seeking excitement and comfort in chemical substances. Statistics show that parents that unambiguously communicate their desire that their children stay well clear of drugs are 50% less likely to have children that do drugs. Communication cannot be underestimated. Communication, however, is not just telling our kids how we feel about drugs it is creating a climate where they feel comfortable to give us their own UNCENSORED view. The first thing that a parent feels when a child is discovered to be taking drugs is overwhelming guilt and some anger. The only way out is going to be through a great deal of painful but liberating honesty and overzealous feelings of WHEN A PARENT TAKES DRUGS child feels that their childhood has been taken from them. Children can never relax into their own lives Being a strong partner can not only save yourself and your partner but it will provide a redemptive role model for children in the family. The addict creates a quasi reality that threatens to suck in every member of the family. The addict has lost contact with reality and is being ruled only by his or her need for the substance of addiction. Drug addiction and abuse has the power to destroy a family forever If the sober partner finds it too difficult to confront the drug addict he or she should be strong enough to recognize that and seek help from professionals 2.Society The rest of us pay in increased taxes as well more problems in the institutions that affect us and our children. Even if we could ignore drug addiction in our country, illegal drug use encourages the drug trade--and the resulting enforcement problems and government instability--in other countries. The spread of drug addiction in our communities has grown more rapidly than a wild fire in a dry forest. The cost of drug rehab is much more affordable than allowing this plague to continue. Society has had to incur the cost of drug addiction through work places paying for a drug and alcohol rehab program for their employees, loss of work time due to addiction, and decreased productivity at work. This all affects our economy. The economy may not have seen the struggle a decade ago, where drug addicts and alcoholics were usually street vagrants and offered no real place in stabilizing or de-habilitating our economy. Today, however the drug addiction is widespread to those who do uphold the integrity of our economy; politicians, doctors, teachers, lawyers, there is no one who is safe from addiction in today s society according to the drug addiction statistics. 3

4 Situation in Slovakia (statistical report) National Health Information Center Development of reported drug addicted patients according to territory of permanent addres Teritory of permanent Year address Slovenská republika Bratislavský kraj Trnavský kraj Trenčiansky kraj Nitriansky kraj Žilinský kraj statistical information about profile of treated drug users from healthcare establishments of sector of Ministry of Health of SR, Ministry of Justice of SR and non-state health establishments in the year There were drug addicted drug users in the SR in 2009, including 5 foreigners. Proportion of men was and 384 women from the whole number of treated persons. The most numerous treated drug users from the total number of treated drug users years old men (836) and women (195) within the same age group. Regarding the territory of residence once again the maximum of reported treaded drug users were men from region of Bratislava (430) and region of Trnava (235), women from region of Bratislava (164) and region of Nitra (46) Comparison betweet 2009 and 2008 Total number of reported treated drug users is lower by 147 cases in the year 2009 in comparison with (2 056) cases in the year 2008 Proportion of reported treated drug users men and women is relatively stable in time of past 10 years There were 14 reported treated drug users in the age group 0 14 of which was 1 girl in the year In comparison with the year 2008 it is less by 3 treated children 4

5 Sources: National Report on Drugs in Slovakia for the year THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION! HAVE A NICE DAY! 5