Assignment: What is the prevalence of drug abuse in United Kingdom?

Running head: ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
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Introduction:
Substance misuse in the adult population represents a growing clinical and public health
concern that affects more than thousands of individuals every year. A significant number of
literature highlighted that the adult individuals in the United Kingdom are highly involved in
substance misuse which resulted in a high rate of criminal activities, high prevalence of mental
illness, suicide, accidental deaths and domestic violence (Bogowicz et al. 2018). The drug
misuse statistics highlighted that in the United Kingdom, approximately 1.3 million individuals
aged between 16 to 59 years involved in the substance abuse in the last two years.
Consequently, they experience the negative impact of frequent substance misuse (Gittins et al.
2018). Many theories has provided a range of explanation for the underlying reason behind
frequent substance misuse and impact of it on the healthy functioning of human. Most of these
theories are beyond stereotyped disease conceptions of drug consumption or idea that narcotics
are inherently addictive to anyone with the tendency to use it (Turgoose et al. 2018). This paper
aims to provide an in-depth analysis of physical, psychological, pharmacological, legal and
social contexts and consequences of substance use, prevalence and incidence rate and current
theories and preventive strategies to mitigate the issue in the following paragraph.
Discussion:
The prevalence rate of substance misuse:
From the perspective of public health, substance misuse has a long history of being a
major concern for society along with individual health where the United Kingdom is no
exception to it. The United Kingdom has the highest record of substance misuse amongst the
western world where heavy consumption of alcohol, cocaine and heroin are highly prevalent.

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The adverse effect of the substance misuse not impact individual health but also impact the
individuals within the immediate environment. Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)
suggested that approximately 1 in 11 adults aged 16 to 59 years involved in the drug misuse in
2018, accounting for 3.2 million individuals in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, 1
individuals out of 5 individuals aged 16 to 24 years had involved in the substance misuse in
2018, accounting for 1.3 million individuals (Drugs Misuse. 2019). 7.6% of individuals aged
between 16-59 years had consumed cannabis in 2018 and it is considered as the most commonly
used drugs for substance misuses. The powder cocaine is the most commonly used drugs in
United Kingdome and approximately 2.9% of the individuals consumed powder cocaine in 2018
(Drugs Misuse. 2019). The ecstasy and other drug consumption and misuse rate are also higher
in the United Kingdom compared to other countries. Nitrous oxide continued to be the second
most commonly used substance for substance abuse amongst the 16 to 24 individuals (Huxley et
al. 2019). Many researchers documented a significant number of deaths associated with opioid
overdose, indicating the substance misuse is highly prevalent using opioids. 0.2% of individuals
aged 16 to 59 years had taken a pain killer to experience euphoria (Davies et al. 2016).
Therefore, in order to mitigate such issues, it is crucial to come up with a comprehensive policy
and excellent strategy.
The underlying reason of substance misuses and theory of addiction:
The substance misuse behaviours are the results of the interactions of the developmental
process and environmental, pharmacological, social and psychological factors. Therefore, an
increased understanding and awareness of how early childhood development affect the learning,
behaviour, physical and mental health throughout the lifespan is crucial for identifying why some
individuals of the population are at high risk of developing a habit of substance misuse.

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Considering the biological context, the early years are the crucial years for developing neuron
connections, therefore, during these early years, frequent stressful events such domestic violence
or child abuse significantly increase the use of the substance (Taylor et al. 2020). On the other
hand, during early year peers groups significantly influence the habit of substance use since by
observing the peers, the individuals more likely to develop such behaviours (Jones et al. 2016).
This can be explained by the socio-cognitive theory of bandura which suggested that the skill,
knowledge and behaviours acquired by individuals are directly associated with the observing
others within the immediate environment (Fronczak 2017). In this context, it can be said that
individuals are more likely to involve in substance misuse if they have peers with a habit of
frequent substance use. However, parents play a crucial role in shaping the habit of substance
abuse as individuals with strong family interactions and a strong relationship with family less
like to have peers with the habit of substance abuse.
Considering the psychological context, individuals with mental illness like depression,
emotional disturbance tend to involve in substance abuse. The individuals with poor emotional
regulation more likely to involve in substance misuse compared to individuals with excellent
emotional regulation from childhood. They use drugs as a coping mechanism for the stress they
subjected to. Considering the social context, social determinants of health also play crucial in
increasing substance misuse. Smyth et al. (2020), suggested that lack of employment, education,
social exclusion and lack of access to the adequate resources subject individuals into high
psychological distress and stress (Baranyi et al. 2019). Therefore, the individual's drugs as a
reward to cope up with the stress. The drugs activate the reward system by directly interacting
with the synaptic transmission and increasing the dopamine. The individuals experience euphoria
or feel-good effect that eventually distract them from the stress. Therefore, the continuous use