Substance Abuse among Youths in Australia

This article discusses the issue of substance abuse among youths in Australia, including its prevalence, effects, and social determinants. It highlights the need for prevention and intervention strategies to address this problem. Study material on this topic is available on Desklib.

Running head: SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 1
Substance Abuse among Youths in Australia
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Institution Affiliation
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Introduction
Substance abuse is when someone takes drugs that are considered not to be legal.
Substance abuse can also be said to occur when someone uses prescription medicine, alcohol or
other substances that are considered legal in a harmful or wrong way. Among the youths in
Australia, the most commonly taken drugs include tobacco, cannabis, and alcohol. Substance
abuse is more common among youths in Australia because of peer pressure, boredom, wanting to
take risks, curiosity and they want to experiment. Substance abuse among youths people in
Australia should be addressed adequately since it is one of the condition that affects young
people. The adolescent stage is one of the critical time that many young people start developing
problems related to substance abuse which can influence their health outcomes negatively later
and hence this highlights why better prevention, more research and intervention practices should
be conducted in Australia.
Description of Substance abuse among youths in Australia
Substance abuse has turned to be a concern in Australia especially mainly among youths.
In this context, youth refers to a person who is aged between 14-24 years. Youths are more
vulnerable to substance abuse because of trying to practice popular culture, peer pressure, and
hence they take risks and experiment on substance abuse. Nearly 43% of youths in Australia
have at least once used an illicit drug in their lifetime that is according to National Drug Strategy
Household Survey (NDSHS) 2016 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). Also,
according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration the highest
percentage of people who engage in substance abuse are in their late teens or 20s and also most
individuals who try drugs for the first time are usually in their adolescent age (Scholes-Balog,

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 3
Hemphill, Evans-Whipp, Toumbourou, & Patton, 2016). Many youths in Australia have become
so dependent on different sorts of substances and stimulating medicines that have brought
narcotic influences on their lives. The life of those who abuse some substances has been spoiled
in almost all aspects of their life, as they have lost contact with their friends and family members
and hence living in their own different world (Newton et al, 2016). Youths have resulted in
spending a lot of finances on substance, and hence they have to look for means in which they can
be able to earn money criminally. The most worrying thing about substance abuse is that youths
in Australia are becoming addicted to all types of substances may it be tobacco, crack, marijuana,
alcohol, meth, cocaine, and heroin. Heroine becoming the most hazardous drugs since it
suppresses the work of the heart and it is more effective in achieving the narcotic effect. The
alarming rate on the intake of substances has always been a problematic thing in Australia, and it
has detrimental effects on society (Grigsby, Forster, Unger &Sussman, 2016).
Family and personal conditions have contributed to substance abuse among youths who
do not have the capability to cope with their personal issues. The physiological influences of
substance abuse among youths can be hard to endure and hence that is why youths who abuse
any substance must be treated effectively for their circumstances (Kim, Mason, Herrenkohl,
Catalano, Toumbourou, & Hemphill, 2017). Once the youth becomes dependent on the
substance, he/she in many situations become unable to stop the use of that particular substance
despite having adequate knowledge of the likely influence on his/her health and hence he/she
uses the substance on a consistent basis. The functioning of the brain is affected and hence an
uncontrollable aspiration to take the substance arises, and as a result, the youth will end up
engaging in a compulsive uptake of the substance. Possible symptoms and signs of substance

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 4
abuse may include; poor coordination problems, depression, headache, anxiety, chills and
sweating, behavior changes, insomnia and nausea (Aresi, Moore & Marta, 2016).
Effects of substance abuse among youths in Australia
Substance abuse is a condition that poses a lot of negative influences on a person. The
effects of substance abuse can negatively influence the physical health, one’s wellbeing and
professional life of an individual. Some of the effects of substance abuse among youths in
Australia are discussed below;
Engaging in criminal activities and risky behaviors
Substance abuse can be strongly linked to crime in many circumstances. The intake of
alcohol and other substances influences youths in Australia, and hence they end up engaging in
criminal and risky activities like offensive conduct, physical and verbal violence and driving a
motor vehicle while drunk. According to National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS)
2016 it shows that 1 in 6 drinkers who are aged between 14 to 24 years put others or themselves
at danger of harm while under the influence of substance abuse (Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare. 2017). Those who continuously take drugs are more likely to engage in risky
behaviors and engage in criminal activities than those who take the substances occasionally
(Horyniak et al, 2016).
Effects of substance abuse on health
Habitual cravings of substances and long term use of those substances can prompt
prolonged harmful health effects throughout the body of the youths. Most of the substances that
the youths abuses lead to strain on their organs, as well as respiratory and venous system

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 5
especially after prolonged use (Degenhardt, Stockings, Patton, Hall &Lynskey, 2016). Many
forms of substance abuse alter the physical make-up of a person sometimes even after just a few
weeks of using the substances. Some of the perceived physical influences of substance abuse
may include; imbalance of hormones, cancer caused by steroid or nicotine use, fertility and
prenatal issues, damage of the organs, HIV/AIDS and gastrointestinal disease. In addition to
those medical concerns, the chronic usage of particular substances has led to long term
neurological impairment such as exacerbating and gives rise to mental health issues among the
youths (Carney et al, 2017).
Legal effects of substance abuse
As a way of reducing the usage of certain substances, the government of Australia has
resulted in banning them. Many youths in Australia are being caught up against the law which
has resulted in them being imprisoned. Many of the youths are also engaging in activities of
selling the banned substances which have resulted in imprisonment. Some of the most common
legal effects of substance abuse may include; extensive jail sentences, arrest records make it hard
for the youths to find an employment, large fines imposed on them, restrictions on living in some
communities, transportation difficulty and suspension of driving license, strict community
service requirements and probation (Hughes, Moxham-Hall, Ritter, Weatherburn&MacCoun,
2017).
Social effects of substance abuse
Substance abuse is something hard to hide from other people. As the use of the substance
continues, it will influence almost all characteristic of the user’s life. The youth usually
experience fluctuations in their moods, diminishing in their concentration and their interests

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 6
mainly changes due to an increase in the cravings for that particular substance. Substance abuse
will bring tension in the family and friendship dynamics will also change. The substance users
will only feel comfortable when around individuals who also engage in substance abuse and the
non-users will find it hard to enjoy company with the users (Jackson et al, 2016). In other cases,
youth who continuously use certain substances may experience a shrink in his/her social circle to
a point where he/she will have less contact with other people. The loss in contact can result to
loneliness, and other mental health illnesses like social anxiety and depression will eventually set
in, and the worst thing is that the user may is at risk for suicide due to loneliness. Also, most
youths who engage in substance abuse have to lie to their parents and also steal in order to
continue engaging in substance abuse which greatly influences their interrelationship with the
other people. Besides the social effects resulting from substance usage, many youths are at high
risk for death through accident, homicide and grave illness (Indig, Frewen& Moore, 2016).
Social determinants of substance abuse among youths in Australia
The social environment that the youth is exposed to contains several social factors that
increase the chances of the youth engaging in substance usage. Social determinants factors are
the societal or environmental conditions that affect the outcomes of the health of populations.
Social determinants include the socio-cultural environment, physical environmental and parental
control. Social determinants as discussed are the major cause of substance abuse among youths
in Australia. They include;
Culture and social structure
Culture refers to beliefs, norms, and meanings while social structure refers to the societal
institutions and systems. Aspects of culture that influence substance abuse among youths can be

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 7
divided into nondrug specific and drug-specific effects of substance use. Drug-specific cultural
effects are norms that address the acceptable forms of substance use while non-specific cultural
effects are used to refer to factors of western that affects general norms and attitudes. Non-
specific cultural aspects include secularism, neo-liberalism, and individualism. The culture
influences the individual risks aspects for substance abuse such as social support and social
alienation, the environmental risks aspects such as social exclusion and social cohesion and the
societal institutions and systems. For instance, individual risks factors have contributed to
increase in substance abuse due to increase in the feelings of youth being alienated and reducing
connectedness and contributing in reducing social cohesion among youths (Brown, Rice,
Rickwood& Parker, 2016).
Environmental factors like secularism have a negative impact since they result in
inadequate shared values and meaning among youths. Drug-specific aspects of culture differ
with aspects such as setting, historical time, drug type and group characteristics. For example, it
may seem acceptable for a young man to drink alcohol, unlike the female counterpart who is
much judged and hence alcohol consumption will be high among male. Also, in some settings
like pubs on Friday uptake of the high level of intoxication may be acceptable and hence this will
lead to an increase in uptake of specific substances among youths. Drug-specific values and
norms are influenced by several factors like trends in the culture of the youths, mass media
including marketing, entertainment and news, and laws and how the laws are enforced (Kelly et
al, 2015).
Socioeconomic status

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 8
The community, family and individual socioeconomic conditions influence the youth
chances of engaging in substance abuse. Youths from low socioeconomic status are more
vulnerable to substance abuse as compared to those from high socioeconomic status. Low
socioeconomic status is linked to the causal and strong association with substance abuse. Social
conditions linked to poverty in the life of youth influence the youth vulnerability to substance
abuse. For instance, education quality among the youths from low socioeconomic status is
generally poor, and hence it increases the chances of social exclusion and increases the
likelihood of a youth engaging in risky behaviors associated with substance abuse. Incomplete
education level with not more than 12 years of schooling also raises the chances of early risky
conditions that result in substance abuse (Kelly et al, 2015).
Thus, low quality education leads to unfavorable future employment opportunities and
income, aspects that are known to predict social exclusion and crime, thereby raising the general
vulnerability of substance abuse among youths. These vulnerabilities are increased across
generations given the fact that youth from low socioeconomic families whose parents spend a lot
of hours working and who their living conditions are near or in poverty frequently lack
supervision from their parents and have less bind between them and their parents. These youths
in overall experience higher levels of domestic abuse, decreased access to resources such as
recreation and decreased achievements in education, which are aspects that are linked substance
abuse among youths (Silins et al, 2015). Furthermore, youths born in low socioeconomic
conditions have a decreased chance of uplifting their general level of socio-economic within the
course of their life. This factor in combination with mental health dispositions and their medical
conditions that arises because low socioeconomic status is accompanied by chronic stress
contributes to substance abuse vulnerability across low socioeconomic generations (Kelly, Chan,

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 9
Mason, & Williams, 2015). Low economic status generation is characterized by increased levels
of unemployment, increased drug availability and drug use and crime which offer an
environment that can trigger the chances of substance usage.
Parental Control
An increased percentage of Australian youths are continuing to live in families with a sole-
parent. Youths who are exposed to single parenthood have been discovered to develop problems
related to academic, emotional, social and behavioral as compared to the other youths. Precisely,
youths of single parenthood are at high chances of drinking heavily, using illicit substances and
smoking (Snyder & Smith, 2015). Factors present in singlehood that have increased the chances
of youths engaging in substance abuse include;
 Dynamics present before the separation that includes; increased levels of conflicts among the
two parents, socio-economic shortcomings and higher rates of adverse negative life events.
 The chronic stress linked to the divorce or separation of the parents.
 Post-separation circumstances that include; socioeconomic shortcomings, the stress
associated with repartnering and moving house, relying more on peer groups and friends who
engage in substance use, decrease in the amount of time and resources that both parents
engage with the youths in matters related to schools and conflict that may continue to arise
between the parents.
 Impaired parental practices and parental monitoring. Research indicates that divorced parents
are more likely to engage in substance abuse than never divorced parents. This may also
influence the youth to learn from the parents and hence also engage in substance abuse.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 10
 Reduced appropriate coping mechanisms and skills in divorced youths (Berends, Jones &
Andrews, 2016).
Physical Environment
Aspects of physical environment like housing, community physical disorder, and
availability of illicit substances increase the chances of a youth engaging in the uptake of illicit
substances. A physical environment that guarantees easy access to some substances of abuse is
very risky among youths. Physical environment aspects that enable ready access to some
substances decrease the shortcomings of youths to acquire, abuse and use substances, thus
helping in facilitating more substance abuse initiation and increasing potential abuse. Research
shows that the density, proximity, and presence of outlets that sell alcohol are linked to an
increase in alcohol uptake among youths. Similar outcomes have been portrayed in the usage of
tobacco, the exposure of outlets that sell tobacco including pharmacies, stores that sell tobacco,
gas stations and convenience stores is accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of smoking
among youths. Also, exposure to tobacco promotions, marketing and advertisements result in an
increase in the intention and desire to smoke among youth and also glamorize smoking. Related
effects have been experienced as a result of an advertisement on alcohol consumption (Hodder et
al, 2016).
Also, youths who are experiencing a substance use disorder their attempts to recover are
faced with challenges because of the availability of those substances. An environment that is
characterized by good accessibility to illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco does not only enable
easy acquisition of those substances but also comprises environmental cues that aid in triggering
carvings for those substances. The environmental cues have unfavorable results for those who

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 11
are undergoing treatment for substance abuse disorders and also for those youths who are under
long term recovery with the aim of attempting to alleviate from substance use. Research shows
that by simple exposure to visual cues involved in even seeing tobacco or alcohol outlets or other
places linked to previous substance use and acquisition can activate the cravings for specified
substances for youths who are in the process to recover (Rowland, Evans-Whipp, Hemphill,
Leung, Livingston &Toumbourou, 2016). Evidence also indicates that chances of smoking
cessation among youths is lesser among those who residences near outlets that sell tobacco as
compared to those residing far away from the tobacco outlets. The proximity of also illicit
substances consumption and sales is also associated with relapse among youths in the recovery
from substance use disorder and higher rates of illicit substance use (Nathan, Bethmont,
Rawstorne, Ferry &Hayen, 2016).
Policy to address substance abuse among Youths in Australia
Since socio-economic and exposure to alcohol, illicit and tobacco contributes greatly to
the increase in substance abuse among youths, then a substantial policy should be considered that
addresses those factors. The best policy is for regulatory agencies to take into considerations
socioeconomic and racial aspects before sitting and licensing tobacco and alcohol stores and
advertising should be regulated within a frame that considers environmental justice. Even thou
advertising and selling of alcohol and tobacco are substantially regulated more emphasize should
be given to environmental justice. Environmental justice will explore how regulations on land
development influence the exposure and access to alcohol and tobacco may be adapted in order
to address socioeconomic and racial inequities and vulnerable populations like youths (Wong &
Manning, 2017).

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 12
Stakeholders for addressing social determinants of substance abuse among youths in
Australia
Several stakeholders can be useful in addressing the problem of substance abuse among youths
in Australia as discussed below;
Communities and consumers (youths). Communities and the youths are at the cornerstone
of reducing the social determinants of substance abuse. Communities should create effective
public policy and programs in order to reduce the chances of youth engaging in the use of
substances. Appropriate public policy may include introducing areas that are smoking free and
hence preventing exposure of youths to second hand smoke and initiating syringe and needle
programs that decrease the chances of youths sharing equipment used for injecting (Barrett,
Newton, Teesson, Slade &Conrod, 2015). Any youth should be willing to be assisted through
those policy and programs since they cannot be forced.
Service providers. Services providers can help reduce substance abuse among youths by
avoiding the supply of illicit substances. Reducing supply will help in decreasing the availability
of the specified substance.
Peer organizations and tobacco, alcohol and other substance organizations. These can
help by educating the youths on the dangers of substance abuse. They can also help in creating
spaces of chill out where youths can interact and share ideas and hence they won’t feel excluded.
Chill out spaces can also help youths in providing social support and preventing social alienation
hence reducing the chances of youths engaging in the use of substances (Stockings et al, 2016).
Government. The government can help in reducing the demand and supply of substances
by initiating certain initiatives. Strategies that the government can use to influence demand

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 13
include; restricting on promotion, enhancing price mechanisms and imposing heavy punishments
for those found engaging in the sale of illicit drugs. Supply reduction mechanisms can include
removing certain substances from the supply, their manufactures, and suppliers from the market.
Families and parents, they can help in shaping the culture and behavior of youths. They
should ensure that the youths around the home do not engage in any suspicious activity that can
trigger substance use(Chan, Kelly, Carroll & Williams, 2017).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that substance abuse is more prevalence among the youths in
Australian than other age groups. This is because of various social determinants factors within
the youth period that makes the youth more vulnerable to substance abuse. Several factors
around the youth period significantly contribute to the increase in the use of substance like peer
pressure, drug availability and trying to practice popular culture. In the community, individual
and home setting there exist various stakeholders like peer organizations, service providers and
government that can help in addressing the issue of substance abuse among youths. Various
stakeholders within the community should be considered important in trying to reduce demand,
harm, and supply of substances. Increasing the engagement with these stakeholders and the
community should be a high strategy to reduce substance abuse among youths.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG YOUTHS 14
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