Effect of Chemical Dependence on Health, Family and the Society, Essay Example

Drug abuse commonly results to addiction, which involves psychological and physical dependence. Chronic abuse of drugs especially ones introduced through intra venous (I.V) method can cause complications that are life-threatening  like acquired immunodeficiency syndrome resulting from sharing needles,  cardiac and respiratory arrest, pulmonary emboli, vasculitis , increased risk of developing various cancers (stomach and mouth cancer due to alcohol intoxication and dependence ,and lung cancer associated with the use of nicotine), tetanus, septicemia, infective bacterial endocarditis which is sub acute, gangrene, thrombophlebitis,  unsafe sexual practices. As a Consequence deadly diseases like AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, gastrointestinal disturbances and malnutrition, drug abuse relapse, drug overdose as well as musculoskeletal dysfunction.   Finally depression, high risk of committing suicide, trauma and psychosis results (Lippincott W. & Wilkins 38).

Some hallucinogens and Central Nervous System stimulants may provoke refractory acute-onset cardiac arrhythmias or hypertension. Withdrawal from Central Nervous System depressants or opioids can also precipitate occasional hypotension and arrhythmias. Auscultation may also disclose rhonchi and bilateria which result from opioid overdose, inhaling drugs and smoking. Other cardiopulmonary indications of overdose include respiratory depression, pulmonary edema, and hypotension and aspiration pneumonia. Patients with opioid withdrawal experience abdominal pain,   vomiting and nausea. Opioid abusers also get hemorrhoids, due constipating effects caused by these drugs.

Drug abuse also causes neurologic symptoms which include hyperreflexia, hyporeflexia, tremors and seizures. Abrupt withdrawal of drugs may precipitate signs of CNS depression which range from lethargy and malaise to coma, hallucinations, or over stimulation signs, which include violent behavior and euphoria. Additionally, injection by self can sometimes result in abscesses or cellulitis especially to chronic alcoholics.

The harm caused by chemical dependence is not limited to the person using the substance but also to the family, friends and the community at large. This is because dependency alters the user’s behavior and impairs his or her judgment which consequently affects negatively his or her family, friends and also the society. Child neglect and abuse is common in a family where drugs are abused. In an effort to obtain more drugs, the chemical dependent person may neglect the basic needs of his or her children. Pregnant women who abuse drugs may interfere with the baby’s health.  Domestic violence is common in families with abusers (Samet, J.H chapter 32).

Effects on Families and Friends

Chemical dependence changes peoples personalities and make them more self centered because all their lives are centered on the chemicals and as a result they drop friends who don’t abuse  the chemicals and get new ones with whom they share the same main  interest in life which is to abuse drugs.  Chemical dependence results in the tendency to ignore family commitments especially if the commitments interfere with getting high; the user of these chemicals may fail to attend to important family meetings because they feel they waste the time they want to spend getting high on the drugs. It also affects how family members assume roles and work to achieve what the roles demand.

Chemical addiction affects family’s daily life negatively in many ways; first insecurity sets in because things keep on changing everyday. Finances become shaky with increasing job insecurity because the chemical addict does not take office responsibilities seriously and hence job insecurity is constantly present. In addition the shaky finances result because once addicted, the person keeps on spending every little coin they earn to buy the chemicals. All the dependants of such people suffer in certain ways. For example schooling children with parents who are addicts may end up dropping their studies due to lack of school fees because the parents fail to meet their duties and responsibilities. Spouses of such people and even the extended family always feel insecure because addicts forget their personalities and in many instances become violent and attack their own. Despite the shaky finances the family spends more on treatment of the dependent person. If you have someone you love abusing drugs, it is an enormous emotional strain.

Family members may also feel compelled to cover for the dependent person and as a result end up not doing all their personal duties to deal with problems of the abuser or even overwork themselves to make an extra coin and make ends meet.  Social life in such an instance is also affected because one might not be able to meet friends or engage in hobbies, because coping with the chemical dependent people require extra time the family also feels ashamed and consequently the family members   stop asking for help and pretend all is right. The emotional toll is overwhelming especially for children who are extremely sensitive.

Family members always feel guilty and blame themselves for the dependent person’s behavior because they believe they could be reason triggering the abuse of chemicals .Isolation may also occur because there is no communication among the family members anymore and also the violence behavior of the dependent person may force his or her isolation from other members especially the spouse. Family break ups are inseparable with chemical addiction. Relationships also break up. The family of the chemically dependent person lives on disappointments because of the inability of the chemical dependent persons to live up to their promises and commitments. In such families unfulfilled expectations and broken promises become common. In addition high of the family members always turn into disappointments. Family members harbor unexpressed anger towards the addicted person may in turn become a ranging resentment not only to the chemical dependent person but also to those very close to him like the spouse and his or her children. Accusations and blames are shifted to these people and this does not help but worsen the situation.

Chemical dependent people share and increase the risk of conducting deadly diseases like Acquired Immune Deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis.unresponsible sexual behavior by the dependent persons also contributes to the contracting of these diseases. Some chemical dependent people indulge in commercial sex to get money to buy the substances and the result is deaths from the infectious diseases and hence children become orphans, wives  become widows and husbands become widowers .Children lack parental care ,and the parent  left bears the burden of playing the role of both parents a quite difficulty task.

Children brought up in a set up where their parents or the elder people abuse substances are also likely to indulge themselves in abuse because they emulate these family members. In cases where the dependent people are age mates then peer pressure drives them to becoming addicts. In such families frustration mounts among members who are not drug abusers and they too might be tempted to turn to the abuse of substances to relieve themselves from stress and hence the chain keep on becoming longer.(The Consensus Document)

Legal issues also rise; it is evident that a correlation between drug abuse and crime exists. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics crimes committed by people who abuse drugs increase proportionately with the frequency of incidences of drug use; first the use of drugs on itself is a crime because one violates laws that regulate the manufacture, possession, sale and use of illicit drugs. Drugs psychoactive effects also lead a person to committing crime like rape, theft and assault. The chemical dependent people may indulge in robbery in order to get funds for purchasing the substance. Such behavior brings embarrassment to the family members and may affect their social life. These families tend to avoid social events and stop inviting friends to their homes for fear of embarrassment. Substance abuse leads to increased risk of injuries to self and others and even deaths in car accidents. When youths indulge themselves in drug abuse the family and the nation as a whole lose very productive people who would have contributed towards the building of the nation and also the future leaders (Gerald A. J, 286).  

In conclusion drug addiction problems pose a big challenge to the society as compared to other physical or mental problems. This is because abuse of drugs or substances affects all aspects of ones life including mental, physical, emotional and even social health. In addition drug abuse also affects the friend, colleagues, family and the entire family. More over it is difficulty to help the affected person of rationalization and the strong denial by the abusers.

Works Cited

The American Pain Society, the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Consensus Document:  The of Pain Medicine, 2001.

Lippincott W. & Wilkins. Handbook of Diseases. Philadelphia: Springhouse. 2003.

Gerald A. J.   Diagnosing substance dependence and related disorder. Netherlands: Psychology press; 2002: page 286.

Samet, J.H. American Academy Drug Abuse and Dependence.  Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 32.