Health Promotion Intervention on Alcohol or Substance Abuse

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Health Promotion Intervention on Alcohol or Substance Abuse

People use substances to gratify their desire or to be able to execute their duties properly.

Alcohol and substance abuse have been widely in society for over a very long time despite it

having deadly impacts later on. According to Santor & Kusumakar (2000), youths are the most

affected in this. This has been contributed to by the media that they are exposed to, the modelling

they get from the elderly in society, and the influence they get from their fellow peers.

Topic area

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) carried out a drug and substance impact

assessment among youths aged between 12 and 17 years in the United States of America. The

results obtaine3d from the study indicated that the usage of drugs increased by 17% between

1993 and 1994. It was also discovered that ninety-one teenagers aged between12 and 17 died of

drug and substance abuse in 1993 (The Office of Applied Studies, 1994).

Population focus

The impacts of drug and substance abuse include hopelessness, improper developmental

patterns, laziness, absent-mindedness, and other mental malfunctions related to substance abuse

among teenagers. The use of drugs among teenagers are in greater danger than adults as youths

are still developing, and any character trait embraced at this stage of life has far-reaching impacts

later on in their lives. Marijuana had a direct and far-reaching impact on youths as it was a

significant cause of short-memory, deferred psychomotor skills, amongst other developmental

traits (Bureau of Justice and statistics, 1992).

Setting

The school environment provides an ample array from which data could be collected. The

school presents a forum through which many developmental parameters can be assessed. The
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presence of peers and fellow students coming from different family set-ups makes it an even

better resource centre. Besides personal adversities, youths' abuse of drug could have been

instigated by even their teachers or even parents (Nowinski, 1990).

Intervention

Drug and substance abuse is singlehandedly the reason for the existence of most crimes

in society. This has, therefore, necessitated the looking for appropriate measures to curb the vice

of drug abuse. This has been achieved through; providing education to the public on the effects

associated with using these drugs, community policing, reducing drug availability, among many

other measures. Janet Harrison (1990) introduced a life skill lesson that emphasized the impacts

of using drugs. As a result of that the usage of alcohol reduced by 13% in that year.

Areas of potential inequality

There exists a real relationship between drug misuse and felony. The engagement of

many youths in this vice shall consequently result in derailed morals. This has reflected not only

how the youths carry out their day to day activities but also on their overall academic

performance. This has been particularly one of the leading reasons for the increase in sexual

abuse experienced in society (Hawkins et al. 1987).

Factors involved in assessment

Various factors have contributed to the indulgence of drug and substance abuse.

According to Mugenda & Mugenda (2003), these factors include; peer influence, parental

misguidance and other internal attributes like stress. Abuse of drugs results in many negative

things on the user. These include making a blurred judgement, hallucinating, addiction, short

memory and even contracting chronic diseases

Planning model
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Drugs and substances have been abused for over a long period. Continuous usage of these

drugs led to drug dependence, consequently leading to addiction. Meyer (1996) described

alcohol to be a central stimulant of the human nervous system. He added that Alcoholism could

lead to a chronic sickness having heritable, social, and psychological aspects inducing its growth.

The ailment is frequently advanced and lethal. Its presence is indicated by weakened ability

overdrinking, fixation of alcohol. Such patient becomes so addicted to alcohol that they can

almost not survive without it.

The World Health Organization (1957) defined drug abuse as a state of the repetitive

introduction of toxins substances into the body due to repetitive intake of these substances. To

reduce the intensity of the problems associated with using these drugs, the health sector laid a

strategy of spreading awareness, availing life skill lessons to the youths, and providing

rehabilitation programs.
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References

Catalano, R. F., & Hawkins, J. D. (1996). The social development model: A theory of antisocial

behavior. In J. D. Hawkins (Ed.), Cambridge criminology series. Delinquency and crime:

Current theories (p. 149–197). Cambridge University Press.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-98939-004

Mugenda, O. M., & Mugenda, A. (2003). Factors leading to moral decadence.

Nowinski, J. (1990). Substance abuse in adolescents and young adults: A guide to treatment.

New York: Norton.

Perry, S. W. (2004). American Indians and Crime: A BJS statistical profile, 1992-2002.

Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of

Justice Statistics. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/american-indians-

and-crime-bjs-statistical-profile-1992-2002

Santor, D. A., Messervey, D., & Kusumakar, V. (2000). Measuring peer pressure, popularity,

and conformity in adolescent boys and girls: Predicting school performance, sexual

attitudes, and substance abuse. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29(2), 163-182.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1005152515264

Substance Abuse, & Mental Health Services Administration (1996). Mental Health Estimates

from the 1994 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (No. 15).

https://www.datafiles.samhsa.gov/study/national-household-survey-drug-abuse-nhsda-

1996-nid13564

World Health Organization. (2000). Guide to drug abuse: epidemiology.

https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/63850