Transcript Drugs and Our Society

Drugs and Our
Society
Drug Taking Behavior
Part 2
Personal and Social Concerns
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Drugs impact every facet of our lives
- fetus / children / adolescents / college students /
young adults / homemakers / poor people / the
affluent / the elderly
Drugs are deeply embedded in the human psyche
- there is a tendency to use drugs to deal with all of our
problems and fears
- pain / frustration / personal problems / social
interactions / disappointments
Drug abuse is an expensive problem
- Office of National Drug Control Policy
- health and social costs: $67 billion annually
Untreated alcohol and drug users
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Fill anywhere from a low of 10% to a high of 50%
of hospital beds nationwide
- mostly for treatment secondary to the addiction
Of all persons admitted to general hospitals
- 20% to 40% have alcohol-related problems
The economic cost of alcohol abuse in the United
States is estimated at over $185 billion
- US Department of Health and Human Services
- medical / work loss / abuse / neglect / criminal
Drug Abuse Warning Network
DAWN
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The federal government monitors ER visits for
drug abuse
- both for non-lethal ER visits and fatal arrivals
Today, the most common are:
- methamphetamine
- cocaine
- heroin
- an alcohol-combination
Over 10,000 drug-abuse deaths annually
Jails and Prisons
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More than ¾’s of all prison inmates had been
involved with drugs to some extent
More than 500,000 people are in American jails on
any given day for violating a drug law
Almost $28 billion was spent in 2011 to combat
drug abuse
Two-thirds of this money will be used for domestic
law enforcement
- in an attempt to reduce the drug supply
- this increases the importation of drugs
Prescription Drug Use in the US
Over 2 billion prescriptions are dispensed in the US
every year
- and most prescriptions have several refills
2. Prescriptions drugs total $85 billion yearly
- with over-the-counter drugs costing $13 billion
3. Pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing
than on research and development
Student Involvement:
Watch television this evening and list the number
and types of drug commercials seen.
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Drug Abuse by the Elderly
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Among Americans 60 years of age and older, drug
abuse is becoming an epidemic
Older adults are not necessarily abusing illicit
substances
- it is abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs
- this is one of the fastest growing health problems
in the United States
Misuse affects up to 17% of older Americans
- 2.5 million have alcohol-related problems
- misuse of over-the-counter drugs with a high
alcohol content, such as cough suppressants
Drugs in the Workplace
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Drug abuse costs American employers $120 billion
annually
8% of full-time workers used an illicit drug during
the previous month
- 9% of part-time workers did
9% of workers drank heavily the previous month
Alcoholism results in 500 million lost work days
annually
- chemically dependent 3.6 times more likely to have
accidents in the workplace
How to Cope with Drugs in the
Workplace
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Employee Assistance Programs (EAPS)
- help workers deal with personal problems and
substance abuse
- many are voluntary
- some are mandatory with a choice of being fired
EAPS use in companies has shown great promise
- it has reduced absenteeism by 29%
- it has reduced injuries by 82%
- it has increased the number of employees in rehab
Drug Testing
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The President’s Commission on Organized Crime in
1986 advocated all federal workers be drug-tested
- federal contracts were to be withheld from private
companies who did not drug test
Just how effective is drug testing?
- among full-time workers (ages 18 to 49)
- 35% tested at time of employment
- 20% were subject to random testing
- 28% if supervisor had reasonable suspicion
- 23% following a work-related accident
Drug Testing, cont.
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Illicit drug use higher in small businesses (1 – 24)
- smaller companies are testing more
70% of illegal drug users are employed full-time
- 77% of the above are heavy drinkers
Highest rate:
- construction workers: handlers, helpers, laborers
Lowest rate:
- child protective services
Police officers have high rates of heavy drinking and
alcoholism
Drugs and the Family
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Drug use has not been proven to increase marital
separation and divorce
- but an association does exist
Women with alcohol-dependent partners do have
significantly more family and marital problems
Women subjected to violence have higher rates of
alcohol dependence
- as well as other drug abuse problems
Adolescents who are emotionally close to their
mothers are less likely to drink alcohol
Study of Married People
People between the ages of 28 and 31 are less likely
to use drugs if:
- they married in their early 20’s and stay married
- married in late 20’s
- those who had children
2. Marriage and alcohol
- reduced their use during first year of marriage
- decreased significantly after parenthood
- women whose husbands died, more likely to use
3. Marijuana: more likely to delay marriage/children
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Parents in Need
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6% of children have one parent in need of illicit
drug treatment
4% have a parent who is dependent on illicit drugs
8% have a parent dependent on alcohol
50% have at least one parent who smokes
Parental substance abuse: almost 2/3’s have a child
in the welfare system
It is a prominent factor in child abuse and
domestic abuse
- 30% of all substantiated child abuse cases