Comprehensive Research Report on Drug Addiction Issues

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of drug addiction as a significant community problem, supported by research and reflection. The report begins with an introduction to the issue of drug addiction, emphasizing its prevalence and impact, citing statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). It then explores the major reasons behind drug addiction, including genetic factors, environmental influences, and mental health issues. The report includes data on the increasing trend of illicit drug use in America. The report then discusses potential solutions such as providing access to naloxone, using communication channels for education, and establishing medical guidelines for treatment. The report concludes with a reflection on personal experiences volunteering with an NGO that provides support and care to drug addicts, highlighting the importance of patience and understanding in helping individuals overcome substance use disorders. The report also cites several references to support the findings and analysis.

Running head: RESEARCH AND REFLECTION
RESEARCH AND REFLECTION
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1RESEARCH AND REFLECTION
Table of Contents
Step 1: Research report..............................................................................................................2
Selection of a particular cause or community problem..........................................................2
The major reasons behind existence of this problem in the community................................2
The evaluation of the proceeding of the identified problem..................................................3
The possible solutions of the problem...................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................5
Step 3: Reflection.......................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7

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Step 1: Research report
Selection of a particular cause or community problem
The particular community problem that is selected for the purpose of this study is
drug addiction. Moreover drug addiction is becoming a major problem for the community
because according to the recent report by the National survey on drug use and health or the
NSDUH, about approximately 19.7 million adults in America were battling with substance
use disorder in the year 2017 (Compton et al., 2016). Moreover about 74% of those adults
who suffered from drug addiction also struggled with disorder of suing alcohol. There was a
prevalence of disorder due to illicit drug use among young adults in America. Moreover the
young adults suffered from the simultaneous disorders of alcohol use and drug use. Moreover
due to these increased rates of drug addiction among the young adults, America had to face
with millions of dollars loss because of loss of workplace productivity, costs related with
crime action and health care expenses.
The major reasons behind existence of this problem in the community
Some of the major causes behind the drug addiction among the people of America
includes- genetically factors or reasons such as the impact of a person’s environment and the
gene expression, accounts for 40-60% of risks of addiction of a person (Cottrell, 2017). Some
of the major environmental factors contributing to increase in the risk of a person addiction
includes- chaotic environment at home, abuse or neglect at home, use of drugs by parents and
the attitude that an individual has towards drugs and also due to peer influences. Moreover
people also tend to adopt drug addiction due to poor achievement in academics, and also the
attitude of the community towards drugs (Kiluk et al., 2019). It is basically the people who
are suffering from some mental disorders and teenagers who are at a higher risk of drug

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addiction than other part of the population. It has also been found out that people who are
going through unemployment also struggle with drug addiction than the full time workers. It
has been find out from a research that about 9% of the employed and 17/5 of the unemployed
people suffer from drug addictions. Moreover it has also been found that people with criminal
mentality tends to be driven towards drug addiction and it has also been found out that people
who suffer from mental illness and are in a jail presently are the ones who tend to be driven
towards the substance use.
The evaluation of the proceeding of the identified problem
Figure 1: Increasing use of illicit drugs in America
Source: (Drugabuse.gov., 2020)
According to a recent report, the opioid users have gone up from 53 million by about
56% from the previous years (Drugabuse.gov., 2020). Moreover this usage had also resulted
in death among a wide range of population in the year 2017. And about 11 million people
approximately injected deaths in the year 2017. According to the report prepared in the year
2017, about 5.5 percent of the global population who are aged between 16-64 years have

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been suing drugs in the previous year. Therefore it was revealed that the drug consumption
has grown up by 30% since 2009. According to the report, the highest amount of opioid has
been used in countries such as America, Africa, and others. The Illicit drug use has also been
increasing in USA since the year 2002. This is so because approximately 24.6 million people
from America who were aged between 12 years and older had been using illicit drugs even in
the past few months. The use of the illicit drugs has increased by about 8.3 percent. The
increase in drug use also reflects a rise in marijuana which comprises of the most common
type of drug. Moreover the use of marijuana has also most been stable as compared to any
other drugs (Guise et al., 2018).
The possible solutions of the problem
The different alternatives that can be used for overcoming the problems of drug use
includes- providing access to naloxone for reducing the number of deaths, identification of all
those prescribers who provide large quantities of narcotics and taking a strict action against
them to stop the same from happening (Bhattarai et al., 2017). Moreover different mediums
of communication channels can be used such as social media. Television, radios and others
for educating families about the prevention of drug abuse, establishing and implementing the
medical guidelines for treating chronic pain and there should also be increased access of the
citizen to the different treatment programs. There should be proper awareness about good
addiction treatment among the doctors, the patients and also the families.

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References
Bhattarai, P., Vance, D., Hatefi, A., & Khaw, B. A. (2017). An in vitro demonstration of
overcoming drug resistance in SKOV3 TR and MCF7 ADR with targeted delivery of
polymer pro-drug conjugates. Journal of drug targeting, 25(5), 436-450.
Compton, W. M., Han, B., Jones, C. M., Blanco, C., & Hughes, A. (2016). Marijuana use and
use disorders in adults in the USA, 2002–14: analysis of annual cross-sectional
surveys. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(10), 954-964.
Cottrell, S. (2017). Critical thinking skills: Effective analysis, argument and reflection.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Drugabuse.gov. (2020). Nationwide Trends. Retrieved 18 March 2020, from
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/nationwide-trends
Guise, A., Melo, J., Mittal, M. L., Rafful, C., Cuevas-Mota, J., Davidson, P., ... & Werb, D.
(2018). A fragmented code: The moral and structural context for providing assistance
with injection drug use initiation in San Diego, USA. International Journal of Drug
Policy, 55, 51-60.
Kiluk, B. D., Fitzmaurice, G. M., Strain, E. C., & Weiss, R. D. (2019). What defines a
clinically meaningful outcome in the treatment of substance use disorders: reductions
in direct consequences of drug use or improvement in overall
functioning?. Addiction, 114(1), 9-15.

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Step 3: Reflection
I have been a part of an NGO that had carried out wellness programs for drug addicts.
We try to help the addicts by overcoming their disorders related to substance use by
providing them with proper support and care. We try to be available for them and their
families 24* 7 such that they can feel free to talk to us about any issues that they are going
through. I have had a good experience with the organization because I understood a lot of
things such as why long term support is needed for the drug addicts, why it is necessary to
behave patiently with them and others (Reynolds & Vince, 2017).
Before undertaking the program, I was not having an idea of handling or dealing with
people who are suffering from drug use (Sharma et al., 2016). I had never given a thought to
the fact that individuals can even engage in drug use due to their parental activities such as
due to violence at home, or due to parents addiction towards drugs and others. However after
carrying out my volunteering activities I understood that it is very important to be patient
with the drug addicts such that they can feel that they have someone who can understand
them. It can also help in their fast recovery. Therefore I feel like I have understood how to
deal with drug addicts after becoming a part of the wellness program that was conducted by
the NGO.

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References
Reynolds, M., & Vince, R. (2017). Organizing reflection: An introduction. In Organizing
reflection (pp. 15-28). Routledge.
Sharma, A., Fix, B. V., Delnevo, C., Cummings, K. M., & O'Connor, R. J. (2016). Trends in
market share of leading cigarette brands in the USA: national survey on drug use and
health 2002–2013. BMJ open, 6(1), e008813.