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Addiction Psychology and the U.S Population

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Institution Affiliation
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Abstract

Research indicates that the sense of belonging to core groups serves as an essential social tool

for youth well-being. Still, among those dealing with addiction, it can be compromised. The

current research explored how the connection between addictive behaviors and psychological

distress mediates the identification of adolescents and emerging adults with a primary peer

group of friends. In the past decades, an increasing number of research studies indicate that a

broad range of substance and process addictions can serve similar functions. The current

article discusses 11 such possible addictions, which are illicit drugs, tobacco, food, alcohol,

the internet, gambling, relationships, work, exercise, gender, and shopping, their prevalence,

and co-occurrence, based on a systematic review of the literature (Justinova et al., 2009).

Information from eighty-three studies was presented (each study n= at least 500 subjects) and

complemented with small-scale information. The approximate 12-month prevalence of

addiction among U.S. adults ranges from 15 percent to 61 percent, depending on which

assumptions are made. It is argued that it is most likely that 47 percent of the U.S. adult

population is suffering from ill-adaptive symptoms of addictive illness for over 12 months

and that it may be useful to think about addictions related to behavioral issues as well as

causes at the individual level. The issue of addiction causes a negative impact the are felt

nationwide. Some of these effects are decline population that leads to low productivity in the

United States, mainly caused by the results of different forms of addiction.

Keywords; prevalence, addiction, behavioral addiction, co-occurrence, comorbidity

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Introduction

Addiction is a chronic disorder that influences its development and maintenance by

biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Approximately half of the

addiction risk is genetic. Drug abuse refers to a series of related conditions associated with

the use of mind-and behavior-altering drugs with adverse behavioral and health outcomes.

Political and Social attitudes and legal approaches to alcohol and illicit drug use make

substance misuse one of the most complicated issues of public health. In addition to the

significant health consequences, substance abuse has been a battleground in the criminal

justice system and a significant focus in social values discussions: people argue that

substance abuse is a disorder with genetic and biological roots or a matter of personal

preference.

Genes affect the degree of reward experienced by individuals when they first use a

substance (such as drugs) or engage in certain behaviors (such as gambling), as well as how

the body processes alcohol or other drugs. Greater motivation to re-experience the use of the

drug or behavior that may be affected by psychological (such as anxiety, history of trauma),

social (use of a drug by family or friends) and environmental factors (like availability of a

substance, low prices) that result in daily use/exposure, with repeated use/exposure

contributing to brain changes. Such brain changes include improvements in cortical (pre-

frontal cortex) and sub-cortical (limbic system) structures of reward, motivation, memory,

impulse control, and decision neuro-circuitry. This can contribute to massive increases in

substance or activity cravings, as well as disabilities in the ability to regulate its impulse

effectively, given the knowledge and experience of many addictive behavior-related

consequences.

Significance of the Problem

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Addiction has come to refer to a condition, if defined among researchers and

clinicians, to be a condition in which a person becomes deeply concerned with behavior,

which gives a desirable or appetizing effect at first. The appetite effect is typically equated

with changes in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Still, multiple brains hormonal and

neurotransmission systems are involved, including anandamide, mu-opioid, serotonin,

hypothalamic-pituitary-axis (HPA), and norepinephrine, among others. That are related to

subjective reports of anticipation, pleasure, or fantasy. Addictive behavior happens with the

several variations in patterns (such as sustained concern or bingeing), but always

continuously involving a lot of time thinking about and engaging in behavior that works

beyond the need to eliminate intense anxiety common in compulsive disorders.

The Most recognized abused drugs in the United States in the order of their popularity

are:

i. Marijuana

ii. Psychotherapeutics

iii. Cocaine

iv. Hallucinogens

v. Ecstasy

vi. Methamphetamine

vii. Inhalants

viii. Heroin

Approximately 23 million Americans age 12 and older use illegal drugs, according to

the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study also revealed that over the past

year, an additional 22.2 million people aged 12 or older had been diagnosed with substance

dependence or abuse. These statistics, coupled with the recent legalization of marijuana

across some states, raise awareness among African-American populations about substance
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abuse/addiction (Joranson & Gilson, 2009). The encouragement and continued use of the

substance and other related addiction, witness the United States get to a far-reaching in

negative impacts caused by these addictions. The effects are being felt as far as to national

matters, such as cases of declining participation in the labor force due to the population aging

and on-going usage of drugs.

Purpose of the review

Gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and other factors also differ in the

risks of substance abuse, its consequences, and processes for treatment and recovery.

Women's vulnerabilities to substance use disorders are better understood in the context of

race and ethnicity, culture, employment, gender, economic status, age, sexual orientation,

geographic location, and other factors converging (Wong et al., 2011). Knowing group

differences across segments of the female population is essential to the design and

implementation of successful programs for women to address substance abuse. Upon

analyzing the literature on ethnic differences in the frequency and path of alcoholism, it is

generally found that African-Americans record later initiation of alcohol during puberty

relative to their European American counterparts, and generally lower rates and levels of

adult use. Despite these findings, African-Americans appear to have more negative social

consequences from drinking, experience more alcohol-related diseases, and injuries and are

somewhat more likely to report symptoms and/or diagnosis of alcohol dependence.

Background to the Research Problem

The participation rate of the U.S. labor force has declined since 2007, mainly due to

population aging and on-going trends preceding the Great Recession. The rate of labor force

participation has evolved differently across demographic groups and for various reasons.

Since the 1990s, an increase in school enrolment has largely reversed the decrease in youth

labor participation. For prime-age men, participation in the labor force has been declining for
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decades, and about half of prime-age men who are not in the labor force may have a severe

health condition that is a barrier to work. Mainly, these results are seen due to the min

impacts caused by the use of substances. Substance use disorders (SUDs), including

substance dependence or violence, have a tremendous impact on people, families, and

societies. SUDs arise when repeated use of alcohol or illegal drugs causes significant medical

distress, including health issues, disability, and inability to meet primary responsibilities at

work, school, or home. Reducing adult SUDs and related issues are critical to mental and

physical health, safety, and quality of life. SUDs contribute significantly to the expense of

disease in the United States and are detrimental to the country as a whole, due to loss of

production, health care, and crime. However, SUDs can be avoided and treated. While there

are advantages of receiving treatment for drug use, recent research shows that many people

do not receive the treatment they need. Knowing the prevalence and characteristics of adults

with SUDs is data important to policymakers and service providers.

Review of the Research

Although many non drug and drug addictions do not seem to cause obvious physical

dependency (i.e., physiological-based sensitivity and withdrawal effects), they establish a

subjective need for increased engagement inactivity to gain satiation and sudden cessation of

behavior also leads to symptoms such as depression, extreme anxiety, hopelessness,

impotence, and irritability, rheumatism. The addictive actions can appear to the addict as if to

overcome such negative symptoms are the best solution. Regardless of the level of physical

dependence, relapse levels tend to be relatively high across various addictions. Substance

abuse — including alcohol, drugs, or both — is associated with a range of destructive social

and economic conditions, including financial issues, family disruptions, crime, loss of

productivity, school failure,  child abuse, and domestic violence. In addition, both social

attitudes and legal responses to alcohol and illicit drug consumption make substance abuse
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one of the most complex issues of public health. Projections of the total cost of substance

abuse in the United States, including loss of productivity and expenses related to health and

violence, reach $600 billion per year. The negative effects of drug abuse have an impact not

only on drug abusers, but also on the country as a whole, including their families and friends,

various businesses, and government resources. Although many of such consequences cannot

be measured, ONDCP recently reported that the economic cost to the U.S of drug abuse in

2002 was $180.9 billion (Kesselheim, Avorn & Sarpatwari, 2016). The most evident results

of drug abuse — expressed in people who abuse drugs — include ill health, illness, and

ultimately death.

The economic effect of substance abuse can be significant for companies whose

employees are abusing drugs. Whereas many drug abusers are unable to obtain or hold full-

time jobs, those who do work put others at risk, especially when they are working in roles

where even a mild degree of disability could be catastrophic; airline pilots, air traffic

controllers, train operators, and bus drivers are just a few examples. Quest Diagnostics, a

national organization administering workplace drug tests for employers, estimates that 5.7

percent of the drug tests they performed on work-related accidents in 2004 were positive.

Businesses are often affected economically because workers who abuse drugs often steal cash

or materials, machinery, and goods that can be used to buy drugs for money. In addition,

absenteeism, loss of productivity, and expanded use of health and insurance coverage by

workers who abuse drugs have a financial impact on a company.

The economic impacts of drug abuse greatly strain the finances of state, federal, and

local government, and eventually, the taxpayer. For methamphetamine, this effect is most

apparent. Clandestine methamphetamine labs are jeopardizing citizens' health and harming

the environment (Neeki el at., 2016). Kids, law enforcement personnel, emergency

responders, and those living in or near the production sites of methamphetamine are seriously
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hurt or killed as a result of methamphetamine production. Users of methamphetamine also

require extensive medical treatment, abuse, neglect, and abandonment of their children,

adding to the cost of social services; some also commit a variety of other crimes, including

domestic violence, rape, robbery, and identity theft. As a cause of the high costs associated

with the remediation of test sites, methamphetamine manufacturers taxed stretched law

enforcement resources and budgets. This article research goes on to takes into account the

effects of the highest drug with the most addiction to the population of U.S

The Hypothesis
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References

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Kesselheim, A., Avorn, J., & Sarpatwari, A. (2016). The High Cost of Prescription Drugs in

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Neeki, M., Kulczycki, M., Toy, J., Dong, F., Lee, C., Borger, R., & Adigopula, S. (2016).

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