Impact of drug abuse on individuals, families, and communities
Introduction
Drug abuse is a menace that has ravaged society and had a significant impact on individuals, families, and communities. According to the Addiction Center, alcohol and drugs Kill millions of Americans annually. Additionally, the statistics indicated that approximately 21 million Americans are addicted to at least one drug (Addiction Center, 2020). Also, 700,000 Americans died from drug overdose from 1999 to 2017, with another 20% suffering from depression resulting from drug abuse. With such staggering statistics, it is evident that drug abuse has an adverse impact (Addiction Center, 2020). Thus, this research will incorporate the elements of micro, mezzos, and micro dimension to address the social issue of drug abuse and the practical skills required (Addiction Center, 2020). Arguably, drug abuse is not an individual problem since it affects every aspect of life.
Impact of drug abuse to individual, families, and community
Lander et al. (2013) explain that the impact of drug abuse is not an individual problem since the entire family and community felt it. Arguably, the family is the primary source of attachment and nurturing. In the instance of drug abuse, it leads to the development of codependency behavior that is detrimental to personal growth and that of the family (Lander, Howsare, & Bryne, 2013). For instance, when a parent abuses drugs, there is a higher possibility of their children following the same route. Importantly, this study acknowledges that social workers tend to view drug menace from a societal point of view rather than as an individual problem (Lander, Howsare, & Bryne, 2013).
Substantially, treating a drug abuse patient without factoring in the impact on the family or community limits the effectiveness of the treatment. The study indicated over 18 million children in the USA live in households with someone abusing drugs (Lander, Howsare, & Bryne, 2013). Thus, one of the main implications of drug abuse is that families with substance abuse cases are that it affects the child’s mental and emotional development. Also, the family is marred by increased secrecy, conflict, abuse, and emotional chaos (Lander, Howsare, & Bryne, 2013). According to the family system theory, health boundary is fundamental to the development of the healthy family, and this is the primary factor that fuels the importance of acknowledging that drug abuse also affects the family (Lander, Howsare, & Bryne, 2013).
Gruber & Taylor (2006) provide an in-depth analysis of the effect of drug abuse. The study asserts that historically, drug abuse is considered an individual problem. However, the reality is that when an own abuses drugs, the entire family is affected (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). This assumption is founded on the fact that a majority of drug abuse lives within the family set-up, and only a small percentage are lone drug users. Notably, the family is the primary determinant in aiding the process of change and encouraging the person abusing drugs to seek medical help (Gruber & Taylor, 2006).
Also, drug abuse within the family encourages repetitive behavior, and this cycle reduces individual productivity. For instance, the study explains that based on research, most of the African American women who abused cocaine had family members doing the same. Equally, drug abuse leads to the disruption of families and violence. Besides, parents who abuse drugs are likely to neglect their children, too (Gruber & Taylor, 2006). Launder & Howsare (2013) explains that the attachment and family system theory is useful in explaining the impact of drug abuse on the family system (Lander, Howsare, & Bryne, 2013).
Notably, drug abuse equally harms society. In most cases, people who abuse drugs are liabilities to the community since their productivity generally reduces because of drug use (Rafaiee & Olyaee, 2013). Arguably, an increase in drug abuse leads to a rise in crime. For instance, drug abusers are more prone to stealing to finance their addiction. Also, 70% of those incarcerated are accused of drug-related charges. According to a 2010 research in the USA, alcohol abuse leads to aggressive crimes (Rafaiee & Olyaee, 2013).
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are three types of drug-related offenses. This includes; offense relating to the sale of drugs, offense focusing on the use of drugs, and that about the lifestyle of the drug abuser (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). Based on the 2012 statistics from the justice bureau, the total correctional population approximately 6 937, 600 individuals placed under probation for drug-related crimes. Equally, the juvenile system also has a high number of incarcerated on drug-related charges. This clearly shows that drug abuse is not an individual’s problem; preferably, it has an impact on the entire community (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014).
Every community works towards enhancing the productivity of the people. In retrospect, alcohol, and drug abuse within a company causes redundancy (Buddy, 2020). For instance, the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, companies across the USA make a loss of $100 billion annually due to substandard work resulting from drug abuse (Buddy, 2020). As stated above, drug abuse is not an individual problem as both the family and the community are affected in equal measure. This prompts the need to understand the value and ethics of social workers while dealing with the increased cases of drug abuse within the community. Besides, it is essential to evaluate the process of dealing with drug abuse within the welfare system (Buddy, 2020).
Social work values and ethics in dealing with drug abuses cases
Social workers play a substantive role in dealing with cases of drug abuse within the community. Notably, there are individual set ethics and values that govern social workers as they execute their duty (Butler, 1996). The contribution of the social workers to the drug abuse menace is best understood; focusing on the professional ethos focuses on the nature of service provision bearing in mind that drug abuse is not an isolated case. (Butler, 1996) Arguably, the entrenched values and ethos governing social workers focus on persuading them to be ethical while dealing with the patients abusing drugs or alcohol (Butler, 1996).
It is worth noting that the National Association of Social Workers Code of ethics stipulates the ethical standards and values governing social workers. Arguably, the social worker’s core values are the main determinants of the governing ethical standards (National Association of social workers, 2017). For instance, social workers value involves offering services to clients by elevating other’s services beyond theirs. In this instance, this would help social workers in fulfilling their duty towards the patient abusing drugs. This further involves factoring in that drug abuse affects not only the individual but also the family unit and the community. Thus, this illustrates that social workers understand their dual responsibility to both the client and the broader society (National Association of social workers, 2017).
This could include informing child services about parents neglecting their children due to drug abuse. Also, as a social worker, one owes the client the responsibility to monitor the progress of patients working towards fighting the menace of drug abuse (National Association of Social Workers, 2017). As a social worker working towards dealing with the increased number of drug abuse, the value needed to address the issue is integrity and competency. In most cases, the clients tend to share confidential information with the social worker and expect them not to disclose to another party. The social workers ought to inform the client about the extent of possible disclosure about their drug abuse. However, any information received in the course of treatment remains confidential (National Association of social workers, 2017).
For instance, this involved using a language that the client understands to explain the importance of the services. Further, this consists of allowing the customers to provide consent. In addition, one of the treatment strategies for drug abuse patients is a face to face interview with the social worker (National Association of social workers, 2017). Thus, social workers have an ethical responsibility to ensure that the client gives consent before any audio recording. Equally, social workers should be competent while dealing with patients with abusing drugs. Lastly, as stated above, drug abuse affects individuals, families, and communities. This prompts the need for social workers to value cultural awareness and social diversity. Arguably, this indicates that the social worker ought to understand the culture and social factors that impact human relations (National Association of social workers, 2017).
This study asserts that in most cases, when a parent abuses a drug, there is a higher possibility of the child following the same route. Also, the impact of drug abuse is not an isolated situation as it could also lead to increased crimes within a specified region. Consequently, this strategy stipulates that social workers should educate themselves on social-economical factors and cultural differences among the different clients to explain the impact of drug abuse (National Association of Social Workers, 2017).
This is premised on the fact that drug abuse is more prevalent in specific communities and races as compared to others. Lastly, it is worth noting that continued drug abuse could impact on the decision-making capacity of the patient (National Association of social workers, 2017). Therefore, this prompts the social worker to make most decisions on behalf of the client. Thus, the social worker should incorporate measures to protect the interest of the clients and not make any decision without either consulting the customer of the family. In essence, the social worker has an ethical responsibility of protecting the patient’s privacy and ensure that the records reflect what the client stated. (National Association of social workers, 2017)
The element of micro, mezzos, and macro dimension in addressing the issue of
drug abuse
Micro-level dimension
Currently, social workers have played a pivotal role in the reform of the substance abuse sector. This is founded on the fact that social workers have advocacy skills at the micro, mezzos, and macro-level (Malachy et al., 2019). The micro-level involves one on one interaction counseling with the client. Arguably, this entails helping the patient with emotional and psychological trouble resulting from drug abuse. At the micro-level, the focus is on the individual effect of drug use and to the family. This assumption is based on the fact that in the instance, a parent, spouse, or family member abuses drugs, all the family members are affected (Malachy et al., 2019).
At this level, it entails a direct intervention on dealing with drug abuse menace. In addition, it consists of incorporating clinical strategy, family, or a small group of people to help in the treatment—any changes at the micro-level focus on individual growth (Malachy et al., 2019). Notably, the social intervention takes different forms in that, and some social workers would opt to focus on the individual problem relating to drug abuse; others would choose to explain the underlying social factors that prompt the individual to use drugs. This includes analysis of family background or violent tendencies that can inspire a person to seek solace in drugs (Malachy et al., 2019). In a particular instance, the social worker can use case management practice. At this point, the social worker incorporates the formal system to encourage the family to be part of the treatment process (Malachy et al., 2019).
Mezzos level dimension
At the mezzos level, it involves working with other groups to mitigate the issue of drug abuse. Arguably, this level consists of extending beyond the family unit, and it is an essential foundation of reducing the increase in drug abuse since it acknowledges that it is a common problem rather than an individual problem (Malachy et al., 2019). Noteworthy, at this level, it requires skills in organization, planning, and proper decision making to maximize the possible results (Malachy et al., 2019).
This can involve support groups that allow people to share their personal experiences with drug abuse. Importantly, support groups provide emotional support for recovering addicts. McKeller et al. (2003) explain that self-help and peer groups can help in the treatment of patients with drug addiction. Essentially, the essence of the mezzos level is to bring people with the same problem, and this reduces instances of being judged and could fasten the treatment process (McKeller et al., 2003).
Macro-level dimension
At the macro level, the social worker has the responsibility of involving different stakeholders on a large scale. Anderson (1995) opined that some of the macro-level factors that could increase the rate of drug abuse include; PTSD due to disruptive military career or family violence. Additionally, this consists of the economic decline for the working class, and this could increase stress levels leading to drug use (Anderson, 1995). It is worth noting that at the macro level, social workers focus on the national government to enact legislation and policies that can help in dealing with the drug abuse menace. The current macro-level approach also encourages citizen participation to eliminate the social problem that is detrimental to the wellbeing of a person (Malachy et al., 2019).
For instance, the enactment of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) has helped in dealing with the countrywide opioid abuse. To achieve this, Congress appropriates $ 181 million annually to deal with the menace (SAMHSA, 2020). Further, CARA initiated the evidence-based opioid and heroin treatment and further incorporated a treatment program. Also, it has created a pilot program to help state substance agencies work towards addressing the gaps in the continuum care (SAMHSA, 2020). It is important to note that these dimensions overlap. For instance, a social worker who helps people abusing drugs can also create support groups for these people to seek treatment and, at the same time, advocate for change at the national level.
How to address the issue of drug abuse within the social welfare system
The social welfare system assists both families and individuals in need. Notably, in 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act changed the purpose, nature, and the financing of public aid (Jayakody et al., 2004). Consequently, this Act has helped in reducing the causes of drug abuse. For example, under section 902 of tActAct, it stipulates that states are allowed to carry out drug tests on the applicants of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Additionally, the Gramm Amendment in 1996 enacted a lifetime ban on the recipient of food stamps by those accused of any felony relating to drug abuse (Jayakody et al., 2004).
Further, there are specific programs implemented that prevent people with a history of drug abuse from accessing different services. For instance, programs such as “one strike and you are out” gives the landlord the right to evict tenants involved in drug-related crimes (Jayakody et al., 2004). Thus, this illustrates that, indeed, the social welfare system has helped in fighting the drug abuse menace. Arguably, most people work towards accessing quality welfare services and are not ready to give up such opportunities due to their drug abuse character (Jayakody et al., 2004).
Conclusion
As a future master of social work, I would advocate for the individual effort to fight against drug abuse. This is founded on the fact that despite the existing legislation preventing the use of drugs, people still find loopholes and choose to abuse it. Besides, in most cases, there are underlying personal factors such as stress or violence that can increase the rate of drug abuse. Additionally, for a pregnant mother abusing drugs, it all comes down to personal decision to seek help to avoid harming the child. I would advocate individual effort to fight drug abuse at the micro and mezzos level. In conclusion, this study opines that fighting drug abuse is a standard measure, and all stakeholders should be involved from the family to the national level.
References
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