Introduction
Michael Kuhar argues that addiction is a biological vulnerability that human beings share with other mammals. He states that addiction should not be viewed as a moral failure. According to him, the brain is greatly involved in addiction progression. He uses animal models to explain how the brain works and why it is easy for some people to suffer from addiction than others. Kuhar explains that the brain system has a rewarding behavior that includes the process by which several neurotransmitters activate some brain regions like the corticomesolimbic circuit. Kuhar has examined the brain and found a similarity between different kinds of pleasures such as alcohol addiction, internet overuse, and gambling. This comparison shows that drug abuse cannot be viewed as a moral failure. Kuhar’s scientific examinations made him come to that conclusion.
Is drug abuse a moral failure?
Addiction is a relapsing and chronic brain disease, and its main character has a continuous urge to seek drugs, even after knowing their negative effects. Drug addiction is a brain disease because it alters the brain’s structure. It is also similar to other types of diseases because it affects the healthy functioning of the entire body (Kuhar, 2011). People become addicted to drugs due to various reasons, and one of them is the environmental factor. These are a person’s surroundings and the influences that the person lives with. One aspect of the environmental risk factors is home and family (Coakley et al., 2021). Trinny Woodall states that she was an unconfident teenager. She moved to London when she was sixteen to stay with her mother’s sister. The aunt had wild friends, and she felt the need to fit in. Considering that she originally had low self-esteem issues, she felt that fitting in such a group would boost her confidence.
Most teens are at great risk of developing a drug addiction, especially if they live in unfriendly environments, such as those of people who abuse drugs. Teenagers are at an age where they feel that they are old to be children, which triggers them to want to experiment with the wild things that adults do, such as taking drugs (Coakley et al., 2021). This feeling is worse if a teenager is surrounded by adults who constantly abuse drugs. Trinny states that she began by taking drugs for fun and trying to make friends with her aunt’s visitors, only for it to become an addiction (Coakley et al., 2021). There is a high possibility that she would not have become an addict if she had been in a different environment. A nurturing environment with clear rules of conduct and protective factors shields a teenager from indulging in drug abuse.
Another environmental risk factor contributing to Trinny’s addiction is the availability of drugs. When Trinny was living with her aunt, people would come over to the house to use drugs for fun (Nelson, 2013). One night, the adults gave her cocaine, and she took it because she felt that it would help her connect with them, fit in, and make friends. The first experience was not good, because she sweated a lot and spilled cocaine on the floor. However, she still took it because she thought it would bravado her (Nelson, 2013). She adds that after sniffing the cocaine, she felt a strange feeling of confidence, making her feel like she had finally achieved what she had been craving. This feeling motivated her to keep using cocaine and alcohol, and according to her, it was fun for about four years.
From her narration, it is clear that she did not go out to look for drugs. Instead, she was in an environment where people were abusing drugs, increasing their availability. Most teenagers are like the sixteen-year-old Trinny, and they only fall into the trap of using drugs because drugs like cocaine and alcohol are readily available (Coakley et al., 2021). The increased availability of drugs and a lack of proper understanding of the risks involved can trigger addiction, as in Trinny’s case.
Trinny mentions peer pressure as another environmental risk factor that dragged her into drug addiction. She states that she would use drugs during the weekend with her friends, and they felt like it was a rite of passage (Nelson, 2013). Friends have a significant influence on a person’s actions. Having friends who consume drugs can trigger a person to sink deeper into consuming drugs, and this contributes to addiction (Coakley et al., 2021). It is easy for peers to motivate and encourage each other to carry on with the behaviors of drug consumption because it is fun when doing it as a group. If Trinny had a different kind of friend, maybe she would have stopped drinking and using cocaine early enough before it had gotten out of hand.
Social stressors and other environmental risk factors cause addiction. Trinny talked about her husband, an addict, who went to over ten rehabilitation before getting better. When a person indulges in drugs and becomes an addict, their lives begin falling apart, which causes them to be stressed, leading to more levels of addiction (Coakley et al., 2021). Maybe this was the case for Trinny’s husband, making it hard for him to quit drugs. Trinny admits that drug addiction caused problems in her personal and social life, leading to a chaotic lifestyle (Nelson, 2013). This, in turn, might result in stress and might cause the person to continue consuming drugs instead of trying to change their lifestyle.
The first step is to identify the relationship between depression and anxiety and alcohol abuse in undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic (Coakley et al., 2021). This action plan links alcohol abuse and anxiety levels among undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus resulted in mental health problems amongst many people, the youth included. The youths’ mental distress, depression, and anxiety may have resulted from environmental contributors such as failing to connect physically with their peers, lacking internet access, and failure to have proper coping mechanisms (Coakley et al., 2021). Remote learning was also a contributor to anxiety and depression among young people because they were forced to make fast adjustments.
Adjusting to this lifestyle was not easy for them, especially because they also needed to perform in their studies. Due to mental distress, many young people seek solace in alcohol (Coakley et al., 2021). Drug abuse was their coping mechanism to the new lifestyle that they had to adapt to quickly and perform well in their studies. The study on alcohol abuse by American undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that alcohol sales increased greatly during the pandemic. This indicates that mental distress goes hand in hand with alcohol abuse.
The second step of the action plan is proposing recommendations that will help the affected students in Hult. Alcohol abuse among young adults has increased alarming (Coakley et al., 2021). The main recommendation of this action plan is for the schools and the government to develop prevention services for young adults during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinicians should reach out to the students who have been affected greatly by the pandemic by being displaced and having to live in remote areas with no access to the internet (Coakley et al., 2021). Additionally, a program such as psychoeducation of symptomology helps the students develop a sense of belonging to society and access self-help programs and free housing within the campus.
Conclusion
In conclusion, drug addiction is a major issue affecting a notable percentage of society. Some people begin addiction at a young age, and this calls for the adults in society to look out for teenagers and protect them from exposure to drugs. People should also avoid environments that will make them develop an addiction, such as having friends who are drug users. A person’s environment plays a key role in causing addiction. People should be careful when interacting with any risk factors because it is easy to drain into addiction without noticing. The COVID-19 pandemic caused mental distress in many people, especially young undergraduate students. The government and the schools need to develop support systems that help young undergraduate students cope with unexpected changes.
References
Coakley, K. E., Lardier, D. T., Holladay, K. R., Amorim, F. T., Mechler, H., & Zuhl, M. N. (2021). Mental health severity is associated with increases in alcohol consumption in young adult students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 39(3), 328-341. Web.
Kuhar, M. (2011). The addicted brain: why we abuse drugs, alcohol, and nicotine. FT Press.
Nelson, F. (2013). “Trinny Woodall: My Cocaine Addiction, and How I Overcame it.” YouTube. Web.