Critical Analysis of Substance Use in the UK (PSY201, Module 3)

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Substance use and society
Critically analyse the reasons why people take drugs
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................4
REASONS WHY PEOPLE TAKE DRUGS?.....................................................................................5
PREVALENCE RATES OF SUBSTANCE USE IN THE UK................................................................8
PREVENTATIVE AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES CONCERNING SUBSTANCE MISUSE..........10
THEORIES OF ADDICTION.......................................................................................................12
ATTITUDE TO DRUG TAKING.................................................................................................. 14
PUBLIC, GOVERNMENT and MEDIA....................................................................................14
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................... 16
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................... 17
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Table of Figures
Figure 1 Risk and Protective Factors of Drug Addiction............................................................6
Figure 2 Trends in drug use among adults aged 16 to 59 and 16 to 24-year-olds, 1996-2018.7
Figure 3 Trends of drug types and their consumption.............................................................8
Figure 4 deaths related to drug misuse, deaths registered in 2006 to 2016............................9
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INTRODUCTION
There are so many people who have never experienced addiction of any sort so it becomes
difficult for them to understand the logic behind substance use. But the use of substances
and drugs is becoming more prevalent in the UK which made it easier for the people to get
in-depth information and identify the reasons for using drugs and alcohol (Ogden and
Hagen, 2018). The number of people who have used the illicit substance as a minimum as
once in their lifetime is between 155 to 250 million as per the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (Pennington et al., 2018).
The teenagers and young adults are vulnerable to substance use due to the number of
reasons such as personal background, biological character, social circumstances and so on
and also results in a number of problems such as HIV, heart disease, kidney failure, lung
cancer, and liver damage and mental illness and so on. This essay focuses on critically
analysing the reasons for taking drugs by the people. It also examines the prevalence rate
for substance use in the UK. An evaluation of theories of addiction is also included in this
essay. At last, this essay reflects the attitude to drugs taking within different areas like
government, public and media.
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REASONS WHY PEOPLE TAKE DRUGS?
There are various reasons for taking drugs by people as they want to change something
about their lives. The reasons are:
Enjoyment: boredom is one of the big factors in teenagers and youth as they consistently
want to try something new and exciting (Blair, 2011). The increasing drug use within the
youth culture is evidenced as pleasurable experiences and the feelings of excitement,
connection with others and confidence.
Environment: there are many people in the communities who face the deprivation,
unemployment, poorly resourced infrastructure of local services (DrugWiseUK, 2017). In
such communities, the young people with poor job prospects are attracted to the business
of drugs supply and use as an alternative economy to gain financial advantages and status.
Curiosity: the nature of the human is to be curious and constant desire to experiment with
different experiences. People tend to try using drugs out of curiosity.
Self-medication or the defence mechanism: drugs are seen as a way to help individuals deal
with the issues and problems including traumatic experiences. It also helps people in dealing
with stress and also handles anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or other mental illnesses
(Blair, 2011).
Natural Rebellion: drugs usage can be part of natural rebellion among young people in
particular. Drugs usage may be considered as a means of defiance or linked to belonging to
any alternative culture.
Peer pressure: the people, especially youths, have considerable pressure on using legal
substances. The people, who are surrounded by those individuals who use drugs, feel
pressures to use the same to follow the suit to fit in (DrugWiseUK, 2017).
Promotion, availability and medical use: the individuals with the family history of alcohol or
substance use are more likely to develop addiction than individuals with no family
background of addiction. It becomes easy to rationalise when they see friends, family
member, role models or entertainers using drugs. People see smoking and using alcohol on
television, music videos and other entertainment and rationalise the drug use to be okay.
The drug prescribed by the doctor for medical reasons is figured as okay by people and then
become dependent upon (DrugWiseUK, 2017). The people who are physical labourers,
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elderly, anyone born with chronic pain due to abnormalities or got injured and anyone with
pre-existing injuries gets hooked on the drugs prescribed by the doctor and rationalise on
continuously using it. The drugs can be purchased from the dark web the people and can be
sent to their homes in the post.
Chase high when once experienced: the individuals, who have used the drugs, claim it to be
one of the superlative feelings of their life. Since most of the drugs are surplus the pleasure
sensors in the brain, the highs from the drugs are much more thrilling than regular everyday
joys (Blair, 2011). It is common for the individuals to become addicted to the drugs in order
to chase the initial high they once felt and become a viscous cycle which is difficult to break.
Cost: Another major factor regarding the use of the drug is value for money. The drug users
choose with their wallet and turn to cheaper drugs (DrugWiseUK, 2017). The cost of
cannabis may be about £5 which can be compared with the pint of lager which is around £3-
4 in terms of how long the effects last and ecstasy of highly variable quality may be sold at
up to £7 per tablet (DrugWiseUK, 2017).
The regular use of drugs alters the thinking patterns in the individuals’ brain and distorts the
logic and rationality. It destroys creativity. There is difference in the likelihood of developing
an addiction from one person to another. There is no single factor that determines the
addiction to drugs (Blair, 2011). The chances of taking drugs increases with the number of
risk factors associated with the individuals leading to drug use and addiction while the risk
of individuals reduces with protective factors. These risk and protective factors are either
biological or environmental.
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Figure 1 Risk and Protective Factors of Drug Addiction
Source: Blair, 2011
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Risk Factors
Aggressive behaviour in childhood
Poor social skills
Lack of parental supervision
Drug experimentation
Drugs availability at school
Community poverty and poor job
prospects
Protective Factors
Good Self-control
Positive Relationships
Parental Monitoring And Support
Good Grades
School Anti-drug Policies
Neighborhood Resources

PREVALENCE RATES OF SUBSTANCE USE IN THE UK
Substance abuse has been prevalent in various countries affecting the political, health and
educational agenda. The prevalence rate of substance use in the UK has strategically
reduced along with the associated harm to the young population (Niblett and Stats Team,
2018). According to CSEW, one among 11 adults with aged 16 to 59 years that is around 9
per cent has taken the drug in 2016/17. This equals around 3 million individuals. About 34.6
per cent of the adults aged between 16 and 59 years have used a drug at some point in time
in their lives (Flatley, 2018).
Figure 2 Trends in drug use among adults aged 16 to 59 and 16 to 24-year-olds, 1996-2018
Source: Flatley, 2018
According to the CSEW 2017/18, around 698,000 people that are 2.1 per cent of all the
adults between aged 16 and 59 years were classified as frequent drug users. The young
adults aged between 16 and 24 years are more likely to become regular drug users then the
adults aged between 16 and 59 years (Flatley, 2018). Cannabis was the most frequently
used of the three drugs by around 34 per cent of the cannabis users are classified as regular
users in the 2017/28 survey. There is long-term decline in the regular use of Cocaine powder
by 12.8 per cent in 2017/18 (Flatley, 2018).
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Figure 3 Trends of drug types and their consumption
Source: Flatley, 2018
About 7.2 per cent of the adults aged between 16 and 59 years have used cannabis which
was the highest estimate in 9 years but lower than at the initials of measurement in 1996.
Powder cocaine is the second most regularly used drug among the adults aged between 16
to 59 years that is 2.6 per cent equal to 875,000 individuals. The use of ecstasy was
relatively flat throughout its lifetime that is 1.7 per cent of the adults aged between 16 and
59 years, that is equal to 555,000 people.
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PREVENTATIVE AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES CONCERNING
SUBSTANCE MISUSE
A consecutive rise was observed in the registration of death related to drug use. 2593
deaths that are about 0.5 per cent of all deaths were registered in England and Wales in
2016 (EMCDDA, 2018). The government documented the preventive strategies for the
people including children, youths and families are downgraded with poor standard
consumption rate.
Figure 4 deaths related to drug misuse, deaths registered in 2006 to 2016
Source: Niblett and Stats Team, 2018
An effective national drug prevention system is identified by the Global international
standards to plan the programmes, policies regarding the prevention of drug use. The
promotion for the prevention of substance abuse is invested according to the resolution
57/3 (Public Health England, 2017). The national strategies included are:
 Maintenance of comprehensive training programs for understanding the mental and
psychological state of the drugs addicts.
 Promotion for early identification, diagnosis and treatment facilities and the
provision of professional care among the people.
 Increase accessibility to the information regarding the drug use and consumption
and behavioural change of the individuals.
 Provision of supportive and rehabilitative services to the individuals suffering from
suicidal and other mental imbalances (Public Health England, 2017).
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 Development of a number of agencies and helps centre for delivering of services
concerning suicidal behaviours.
Intervention policies directed by the UK government control and restrict the access to drugs
and provide quality care to the people vulnerable to drug consumption or substance use
with the aim to overcome physical as well as mental illness (Public Health England, 2017).
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THEORIES OF ADDICTION
The definition of addiction is not having control over the activities such as doing, taking,
using something, to the point where these activities can be harmful to the individual. The
addiction is commonly linked to gambling, alcohol, drugs and nicotine (Pennington et al.,
2018). It is a chronic and deteriorating disorder which is characterized by compulsive
seeking and use of drugs regardless of its adverse consequences.
According to The Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), substance
dependence is when the persistence of an individual for using alcohol or other drugs despite
the problems associated with the substance use (Patel et al., 2016). It may be diagnosed.
The tolerance to the drugs' effect may be resulted due to compulsive and repetitive use and
withdrawal symptoms when the use is stopped or reduced. This, alongside substance abuse,
is considered substance use Disorders (Patel et al., 2016).
It states the at least three of three for the criteria from seven must be met for an addiction.
The seven criteria are withdrawal, tolerance, and limited control, and Neglected or
postponed activities, Negative consequences, significant energy or time spent and Desire to
cut down. The different approaches and theories are taken into consideration in order to
demonstrate the dependency of the people on the drugs (Mahoney III et al., 2015). These
theories and approaches are:
NEUROSCIENTIFIC THEORIES:
This theory explains the impact of the drugs on the brain. The different drugs have diverse
primary actions on the brain however the dopamine reward system as well as the
endogenous opioid system are the two major pathways which have been connected as
common to most drugs (Mahoney III et al., 2015). Nicotine activates nicotine receptors
while cannabis holds tetrahydrocannabinol which affects the cannabinoid receptor in the
brain. Alcohol, opiates, and other psychomotor stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamine
and Benzodiazepines affect the brains resulting in drug dependency among people.
BIOLOGICAL THEORY OF ADDICTION
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