Social Effects of Addiction-Drug Addiction

Many people are very much conversant with the physical and psychological effects of an addiction but with little or no knowledge of the social effects of addiction. To say the truth social effects in many ways can be more harmful than the other two common ones put together. We by now must appreciate that drug addiction does not just affect the addict and abusers of substances, it’s effects are way beyond the addicts and has a far reaching effect which encompasses all family members, friends, employers, healthcare professionals and society as a whole. If you are addicted for example to alcohol, nicotine, drugs or even caffeine then the effects of this can negatively impact upon the following social categories:

Marriage and Relationships
Home and family life
Education
Employment
Health and wellbeing
Personality
Financial issues
Law and order

To have a clear understanding of this listed categories let us take a moment and discuss each of them;

Social Effects of Addiction-Marriage and relationships

If you have a situation in which one half of a couple is an addict then this can cause untold hardship for the other half. The person who is addicted may have changed from a previously easy going personality to one who is prone to mood swings, violent outbursts, secrecy and other forms of extreme behavior.

This is difficult for their partner to deal with and is even worse if there are children involved. It is both distressing and confusing for children to see one parent (or even both parents) exhibit signs of their addiction.

The person who is suffering from an addiction may be in financial difficulties which the other person is unaware of. Combine this with their irrational behavior, paranoia and in several cases, criminal behavior and you have a recipe for marital breakdown. In many cases the addict resorts to violence in desperation for their next ‘fix’. If he/she is craving a drink, cigarette or a particular drug but is unable to satisfy that craving – either due to a lack of money or prevented from doing so by their partner then violence is often the result.

Social Effects of Addiction-Home and family

On the subject of home or family life, there is also the possibility that the rest of the family may feel embarrassed or ashamed at this behavior of their loved ones. They will be bothered by the reactions of the society and specifically what others might say or think about their situation. This creates uncertainty to the family causing them to be confused and unsure as to what to do for the best.

If you are suffering from an addiction you may not know when under the influence of the substance but for the short time you will be sober you will definitely find out that your family is very concerned about your condition and are willing to help you realize that you have a problem and are prepared to face up to it. This concern may seems to you as if your family has pushed you out but it could also be the case that they see this as a form of ‘tough love’ in which they are giving you time to reflect upon yourself and your addiction. This they are doing with the hope that you will seek treatment for your addiction. Of cause they will provide support and help as well but you need to take that first step which to acknowledge that you have a problem.

Social Effects of Addiction-Education

If a child or young person is suffering from an addiction then this will impact upon their academics, relationships with other children and their home life. One such effect of this is truanting from school. This can happen if the child is addicted or if they have a parent who is an addict and neglects to care for them.

It is hard for a child or young person to resist the temptation of alcohol, cigarettes or drugs. A desire to be part of the gang or to try ‘forbidden fruit’ as a means of growing up can very quickly lead to addiction. Addiction tends to occur much more quickly in a young person than in an adult. The problem is that they can be hooked from just the first time they try a substance.

Social Effects of Addiction-Employment

Employers are affected if any of their employees develops an addiction. The employee concerned may have changed from that well behaved and efficient worker to someone who is late and careless at work, has neglected their appearance and personal hygiene and is displaying erratic or unacceptable levels of behavior. They may have started to go absent for no good reason, not completed their duties or stolen from colleagues and/or the company.

This results in that employee losing their job which then impacts upon their home and family life. Loss of their job means a reduction in income – especially if he/she is the main breadwinner, and puts a strain on the relationship. It can then lead to marriage/relationship breakdown and/or divorce.

Social Effects of Addiction-Health and well-being

The body’s well-being is mandatory all the time and anything affecting it must be corrected instantly where possible. Addiction is one element with negative influence in the well-being of the body with the most obvious effect of drug addiction being that on the physical health. Nonetheless there are some substances such as alcohol or caffeine which may be fine on an occasional basis and in moderate amounts however when the consumption become a regular habit then they damage to your health.

For instance couple sticks of cigarettes in a day can also be harmful. You may argue that you are a very light smoker and that this won’t cause a problem but you must also know that nicotine is a powerful stimulant and damage starts early on. Remember that with cigarette smoking you don’t have to physically smoke whatever quantity for you to be affected because you can be affected as a third party smoker that is to say you stay close with smokers when they smoke and inhale the polluted air full of nicotine from the cigarette smoke.

Social Effects of Addiction-Personality

Addiction affects someone’s personality and behavior in a variety of ways although this very much depends upon the type of substance used and the amount; their psychological make-up before the addiction and physical health and their lifestyle.

Some substances have a greater effect than others upon mental health, for example, heroin is stronger than nicotine and will have a bigger impact upon the brain. Added to that is the fact that all of us are different in regard to our psychological make-up which means that at any given time will you find two people affected in the same way. So, one person may experience a greater level of ‘damage’ than another person using the same substance, mainly due to their brain chemistry. Bringing us to the question “what does an addiction do to someone’s mental health and behavior?”

Drug addicts will always demonstrate behavior which is completely out of character.
They may become secretive or deliberately offensive and harm themselves, lie, cheat or steal.
They may also place their addiction needs above the basic needs of their family and friends.

Social Effects of Addiction-Financial issues

The costs of an addiction not only affect the sufferer but can also encompass family, friends and society as a whole. There are the costs of policing, drug addiction help lines, support groups and rehab clinics. Indirectly there is lost revenue in the form of tax and national insurance contributions each time an addict loses their job or is unable to work. This means a drop in revenue for the Treasury and an increase in welfare benefits, e.g. unemployment benefit.

This may sound extreme but if you were to multiply all of this by the number of drug addicts in different countries, then it all adds up to a hefty drain on the country’s purse strings. However on a smaller scale there is the financial damage to family or friends as the addict will resort to theft or other criminal means in order to fund their habit.

Social Effects of Addiction-Law and order

It is an open truth that people who are addicted to drugs very often turn to crime as a means of paying for their addiction. This is very costly for the economy since it involves stealing or fraud to obtain the funds necessary to bankroll their addiction. The sad part of it is that it normally starts in small scale like stealing from one’s partner, family or friends and the in graduates to include the employer or several organizations and eventually into serious robbery with sophisticated weapons. At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care, we focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE, you will be safe with this team of experts and your life will never be the same again.