Substance Abuse

Check Point: Substance Abuse

When it comes to substance abuse there are many perspectives that people look at and they all have their own reasons behind addiction and substance abuse. The perspective that makes the most since to me is the sociocultural theory. Peer pressure, financial burden, availability of drugs, familial discord and similar environmental factors may come into play with substance abuse disorders. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health-Canada posits that individuals who experience prejudice, discrimination and marginalization due to cultural, racial and gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, age and other external factors may internalize feelings of trauma and social isolation by turning to the emotional numbing aspects of chemical substance use (http://www.livestrong.com/article/170234-contributing-factors-to-substance-abuse). This in my opinion in one of the biggest things that happen to the youth today in order for them to keep doing the substance to abuse it. I know that when I was growing up there was tons of peer pressure and problems floating around and that is the reason many of the kids got sucked into that web of obsesseion and began to abuse the substance of their choosing. I was a little different my parents really hammered it into my head what those substances could actually do to me and the predetermined outcome they can lead to, so I kept myself away from them. As a parent now I know that it is very hard for me to look at my kids and hope for the best, because they are not going to have me beside them every moment of their lives. I just have to hope that the job I am doing is enough for them to turn away from the pressures of adolescent life. If they do not I have the know-how of treatment that we can seek. The treatments for sociocultural theory are more of the self-help genre. Like alcoholics anonymous and narcotics anonymous. They will help you to deal with the peer pressure and the anxiety’s you have in your life....