Introduction
A quarter of a billion individuals worldwide have taken drugs at some point. 12% of them are already drug addicts, unable to function on their own, and in need of specialized care (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, n.d.). Every year, at least 190,000 individuals, the majority of them young people, die as a result of a drug overdose, primarily from opioids (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, n.d.).
The United States has the highest number of drug users, with 28.6 million persons aged 12 and up (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, n.d.). This sobering number was revealed before the United Nations at the 61st session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (Trujillo, 2022). Opioid addicts are more likely to die prematurely. The death rate among heroin users is 1-3%, which is 6-20 times greater than the mortality rate among persons of the same age and gender who do not use opioids and their derivatives (Trujillo, 2022). The high death rate is attributed to somatic and infectious illnesses, suicides, murders, accidents, and other causes. However, one of the leading causes of mortality among opioid users is acute intoxication (overdose) using injectable medications (ID).
Overdose happens when the body is unable to absorb certain drugs. If a medicine is eaten in a vast amount in a short period, it can have hazardous implications, including death. Distinct types of medications cause distinct reactions in the body. Heroin and other opiates, as well as sedative substances like alcohol or benzodiazepines, reduce the body’s activity. Overdose deaths usually occur 1-3 hours after consuming the medication; thus, there is still time for aid to arrive (Heyman, 2021).
Drug addiction and drug-related crime are socially dangerous phenomena that require comprehensive measures to minimize their negative consequences. This paper will help draw attention to the problem which contributes to the problem. The aim is to find the best solution to the problem of drug overdose in society.
Alternative Solutions and Drawbacks
Attempts in both industrialized and developing nations to resist the hazards of drug growth and to construct suitable social interactions with drug-dependent populations continue. However, because of the economic and social instability that exists in many nations, the number of individuals who take drugs is only rising. Furthermore, the environment is becoming increasingly criminalized, and attempts to develop specialized facilities are sometimes illegal.
Some countries are still attempting to manage the problem through a criminal-repressive strategy, which considers the drug user as a criminal rather than a sick person in need of therapy and assistance. This approach is erroneous, according to experience and data. The drug business becomes even more latent and dangerous; increasing the number of criminal cases does not lead to a decrease in the number of registered drug users but, on the contrary, has the opposite effect.
The result of these repressive and inhumane norms is the fact that every year, thousands of drug addicts find themselves in the dock and receive actual prison sentences. Moreover, these are not defendants who were involved in the distribution of narcotic drugs but sick people. In the course of practical work with drug addicts who have already served their sentences for possession of narcotic drugs and their selective interviewing, experts have concluded that criminal prosecution of drug users has not led to the abandonment of drug use.
Repressive legislation and imprisonment, on the other hand, increased overdoses among drug users, as well as an increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other socially dangerous diseases, as well as a significant impact on the aggravation of social tensions in society and the formation of discriminatory attitudes towards people with drug addiction.
The problem of non-medical use of narcotic drugs was hidden and denied in every possible way. Drug users are still perceived as thieves rather than as sick people in need of comprehensive medical and psychological treatment. That is why there is a need to overcome stigma in drug treatment.
Society, through preventive and educational activities, should be informed about the causes and consequences of drug addiction, methods to minimize harm and public danger, to form a humane attitude towards drug users with a clear understanding of the fact that a drug addict is first of all a sick person who needs treatment and the realization of fundamental rights and freedoms. The disadvantage of this method is that it may not be effective with those who are already suffering from addiction.
Best Solution
Given the above, it can be concluded that not all current solutions to prevent overdose and drug use are effective. To address this issue, specialized ministries and agencies, public organizations, activists, scientists, and society as a whole should address topics that, in the future, with a professional and complete approach, might provide a decisive reaction to these dangers on a national scale.
Countries must define and execute specific criteria and standards for rehabilitation centers and necessary licensing and quality monitoring methods (Degges-White, 2020). It is also critical to improve the role of medical, social, and rehabilitative activities in the treatment of drug addiction. It is worth noting that states must adopt national and local preventative and awareness-raising efforts aiming at the humane treatment of drug users and reducing stigma in drug treatment.
Instead of penalizing people for using drugs, the most excellent approach is for drugs to be deemed illegal but for their usage to no longer be regarded as a criminal offense. A wide range of interventions was also required, such as prevention and public education, raising incentives to cease future use of controlled substances, harm reduction, treatment of drug-dependent persons, and aid with social reintegration.
Drug misuse Deterrence Commissions should take the role of criminal courts as the governing body dealing with substance misuse issues. Such committees should have the authority to levy civil fines for noncompliance and to recommend willing persons for treatment (Wolfe & Scharp, 2022). A competent psychotherapist should be actively involved in the process of restoring the patient to a sober life to treat drug addicts and thereby limit the number of overdoses. Within the confines of the rehabilitation center (inpatient/outpatient), the staff should strive to improve the client’s physical, emotional, and psychological health, as well as to harmonize family and other interpersonal connections, as well as to enhance employment, education, and social adaptability (Luong et al., 2019). Only then would the state be able to manage the use of narcotic substances for non-medical purposes and bring drug users back from the ranks of “lost people” to a condition of more or less full functioning within society.
Counter-Arguments and Rebuttals
The counterargument might be that, instead of psychotherapists, many nations’ public organizations and activists strive to fix the problem independently. However, because the requirements for the activities of such rehabilitation centers are not specified in the regulations of the relevant legislation (there is no mechanism of control and licensing), some cases of violations of the rights and freedoms of citizens staying in such pseudo-centers can be recorded. These infractions may include the imprisonment of drug users without their agreement, the exploitation of patients as cheap labor, and the latter’s stay in, to put it kindly, cruel circumstances.
However, by introducing controls and thorough inspections, these problems can be avoided. Another counterargument is that because drug use and possession will no longer be considered and perceived as a criminal offense, more drug users may develop an addiction. People will not feel accountable to the law, leading to a surge in substance use and resulting overdoses. However, proper introduction of policies against drug use and preventive talks can prevent this problem.
Conclusion
The issue of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance misuse is currently quite severe, and the final choice is left to lawmakers, doctors, and society. Not only should society address this issue, but everyone should be aware of the serious consequences of drug addiction and work to combat it. Drug addiction is a worldwide issue that demands immediate attention, and the longer we wait to address it, the more difficult it will be to battle and conquer this plague. The negative repercussions of this habit are, first and foremost, destructive to health and even life. Furthermore, narcotics ruin a person’s spiritual world, as well as their trust in something good, pure, and holy.
States must take immediate action, as drug overdoses are becoming a prevalent cause of death. Young people who could have lived bright, long lives, contributed to their societies, and continued their families are being deprived of their lives because of drugs. From a young age, children watch adults ruin their lives, and many children are orphaned. Other children live in an environment that leaves them with nothing to do but try drugs in the future. Unless the world takes action against this problem, society will never achieve the goal of an equal, happy society.
References
Degges-White, S. (2020). Counseling women with addictions. Counseling the Contemporary Woman: Strategies and Interventions Across the Lifespan, 285.
Heyman, G. M. (2021). How individuals make choices explains addiction’s distinctive, non-eliminable features. Behavioural Brain Research, 397. Web.
Luong, H. T., Le, T. Q., Lam, D. T., & Ngo, B. G. (2019). Vietnam’s policing in harm reduction: Has one decade seen changes in drug control? Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, 4(4), 67-72. Web.
Trucillo, P. (2022). Drug carriers: A review on the most used mathematical models for drug release. Processes, 10(6), 1094. Web.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). International standards for the treatment of drug use disorders. Web.
Wolfe, B. H., & Scharp, K. M. (2022). A (In) curable disease? Making meaning of addiction from the perspective of people in recovery from opioid use disorder. Health communication, 1-9. Web.