Abstract
Drug use is a major public health problem in society affecting everyone in society either directly or indirectly. The cost of drug abuse in society is very high, with many illnesses, accidents, crimes and deaths associated with drug abuse. Drug use is influenced by a number of factors, especially during adolescence. This is the stage in a person’s life where they are more likely to expose themselves to risky behavior and experimentation. Furthermore, peer pressure is high during this developmental stage with many adolescents seeking to fit in with their peers. In order to reduce drug abuse, it is important to understand the factors that are considered cause factors to the problem. The report below is a research proposal aimed at exploring the topic of drug abuse among the youth. The research proposal introduces the topic, conducts a literature review, and, develops a methodology to study the topic.
Introduction
Drug use has been a major problem in society for a very long time. It is considered to be a pubic heath problem that affects society on multiple levels. There are legal drugs and illegal drugs. Drugs such as alcohol and tobacco are considered legal while illegal drugs include cocaine, methamphetamine heroin among other hard drugs (Monti, Colby & Tevyaw, 2012). Marijuana is being legalized in some states and countries but remains largely illegal. Combined drug use in the United States costs the country approximately $484 billion annually. This can be compared to the cost of diabetes and cancer which cost $131 and $172 billion annually. These costs include expenditure on healthcare, lost income, accidents caused by drug use and crime.
Regardless of position in society, everyone is affected either directly, indirectly or both directly and indirectly by drug use. Drug use is also associated with many deaths in society. For instance, it is widely accepted in the scientific community that approximately 30% of all cancer deaths are as a result of cigarette smoking. Driving under the influence of alcohol is also responsible for about 20% of all road accidents in the country. The influence of drugs is also responsible for crimes such as child abuse, domestic violence and many robberies. Drug use is associated with approximately 40 million illnesses in the United States each year while it is also responsible for approximately 460,000 deaths each year.
Drug use and abuse is therefore a major problem in society and it needs to be investigated for its causes as well as its effects. There are a number of factors that influence people into using drugs. Lack of information is a major factor. When people are not aware of the effects of a drug, they are more likely to abuse it. Similarly, children who grow up exposed to drug use are also likely to become users themselves. This study will research the factors that are likely to cause the use of drugs by individuals.
Literature review
According to Segal, Morral & Stevens (2014) the youth is most likely to pick up bad behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse during adolescence. This is the stage between childhood and adulthood. During this stage, an individual is rebellious and they are likely to experiment and have high risk behaviors. It is therefore very important for a person to avoid picking drug use at this stage of life. This is the easiest stage in life to pick up bad behaviors such as drug use. Usually, drug use is done for the thrill or experimentally. However, the individual soon becomes addicted and they have to live with the habit. Breaking addiction to drugs is very difficult. It is therefore important to try and avoid the problem rather than solving it later. In order to help avoid the problem, it is important to understand the factors that lead to drug use and abuse (Segal, Morral & Stevens, 2014).
Monti, Colby & Tevyaw (2012) point out that individuals may be predisposed to take drugs because of their genetic makeup. This means that it is beyond their control. However, genetics will only become a factor once the individual is exposed to the drug. For instance, many people experiment with drugs during their youth (Kaminer, 2013). Many will try out many different drugs and finally stop. However, for people who are genetically predisposed only need to try the drug once or a small number of times and they are addicted. This continues to affect them for the rest of their lives. Research has been carried out on alcohol in particular and genetics have been shown to play a major role in alcoholism (Monti, Colby & Tevyaw, 2012)
Risk taking is also a major factor that contributes to drug use. The level of risk taking is different among different people. People who are high risk takers are also likely to take risks with drugs. People may take risks for different reason. A person willing to take risks for the thrill is more likely to experiment with drugs (Segal, Morral & Stevens, 2014).
Despite these, various social factors can lead to a person becoming a drug user. The first of these is family and society. Children are taught by society. They are able to pick on habits and behaviors they observe while growing up. Therefore, if a child grows up in a family where a certain drug is used regularly, they are also likely to become regular users of the drug. The children of an alcoholic are also likely to become alcoholics themselves (Segal, Morral & Stevens, 2014).
Peer influence is also a societal factor that plays an important role in influencing drug use and abuse (Monti, Colby & Tevyaw, 2012). In many cases, the people they spend time with will introduce people to certain behaviors. Other people think that a person will want to be around people who have the same behavior as them. Regardless of the school of thought, a person whose peers abuse substances is more likely to abuse the same substances (Kaminer, 2013).
Kaminer (2013) writes that the availability of drugs is also a major factor that influences drug use. A person can only use readily available drugs. For instance, marijuana can be widely used by peers and is therefore easily accessible to an individual. They are therefore more likely to use the drug. Alcohol is readily available and is openly sold in many places. However, it cannot be sold to people under the legal age. Many teenagers experiment with alcohol while they are still below the legal age. Research has shown that almost 100% of alcohol users were introduced by someone else who bought them their first drink. In a family with parents who drink alcohol, the drug is likely to be in the house and a teenager can easily get access to the drug (Kaminer, 2013).
Gender and age also plays an important role in predisposition to drug use. Young males are more likely to begin using drugs than any other demographic. This is because they are in the experimental age and are more likely to take risks than any other group. For instance, the younger a young male begins using alcohol, the more likely they are to use hard drugs in life. This is because their body adapts and the high they seek can no longer be provided by alcohol. The health effects of drugs are also more severe on young women than on their male counterparts (Kaminer, 2013).
In a minority of the cases, people can begin using drugs for a reason and soon become addicted. The main reason is to get the high associated with the drug. Adolescents are more likely to be influenced into taking a drug. If they like the high they get, they will likely use the drug again. As their body adapts, they will have to use more and more of the drug in order to achieve the same high. Before they realize it, they become addicted. This is also the main cause of prescription drug abuse. People can self medicate to try and solve a problem and before they realize, they cannot do without the drug (Monti, Colby & Tevyaw, 2012).
People are more likely to use drugs due to exposure to the drugs at a young age. Some drugs are considered to be gateway drugs. Their use is only a first step to using other drugs. Marijuana is such an example. People who abuse marijuana are also likely to try hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Exposure to drugs at a young age as a result of family or society plays an important role in determining whether a person will become a substance abuser. If a person grows up in an environment where drugs are used casually and are readily available, they are likely to become users of drugs themselves.
Methodology
Measurement
The study will be done in form of a research. The participants are going to be people between the ages of 15 and 25. Questionnaires will be administered to the participants. The questionnaires will allow the researcher to gather useful information from the study. This will allow the researcher to conduct analysis to determine the effects of the factors discussed on eventual drug used by individuals.
Sampling:
Random sampling will be used to select participants of the study. The sample will be drawn from high school, as well as, university students in order to meet the inclusion criteria of age 15 to 25.
Research design:
The study will adopt a mixed methods research design. Under this design, both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected using questionnaires. As mentioned earlier questionnaires will be administered to the participants selected via random sampling. The main rationale for this study is that it is cheap and information will be collected quickly.
Data collection methods:
Questionnaires will be administered to the participants. The questionnaires will allow the researcher to gather useful information from the study. This will allow the researcher to conduct analysis to determine the effects of the factors discussed on eventual drug used by individuals.
Data analysis plan:
Data collected will be coded in Ms. Excel for statistical analysis. Charts and other statistical tests such as descriptive statistics and t-tests will be used to analyze the data collected. This will be essential in testing the hypothesis proposed in the study. Data will also be organized in tables and charts in order to make it easier to read and interpret.
Reference1s:
Kaminer, Y. (2013). Adolescent substance abuse: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice. New York: Springer Science & Business Media.
Monti, P. M., Colby, S. M., & Tevyaw, T. A. L. (Eds.). (2012). Adolescents, alcohol, and substance abuse: Reaching teens through brief interventions. New York: Guilford Press.
Segal, B., Morral, A. R., & Stevens, S. J. (2014). Adolescent substance abuse treatment in the United States: Exemplary models from a national evaluation study. Boston: Routledge.
