Drug and alcohol abuse is very costly to society as it accounts for many cases of absenteeism at work and school and increased risk of medical problems.  The core issue is that drug and alcohol abuse is a feature of society, and by bringing society into your home, workplace or school you are then also bringing with it all of the dangers associated with substance misuse.  The abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a serious social problem that erodes the overall health of our general population, increases crime and violence, disrupts personal and family relationships, hurts academic performance in schools, increases accident and suicide rates, and takes a heavy toll on the nation’s economy in lost productivity and absenteeism in the workplace.  Drug abuse includes the use and abuse of illicit drugs as well as the misuse of legal drugs.

Drugs and alcohol can and often do have a serious and sometimes very negative impact on the lives of the individuals concerned and the people around them.  Family and community members need to overcome the psychological and physical barriers associated with drugs and alcohol misuse, the “I don’t want to get involved” attitude is generally a no-win option.

Children as young as eight years old are using drugs and alcohol in an alarming trend that some community leaders have labelled as “frightening” and “extremely serious”. Unfortunately it’s a vicious circle – at home, school, on the streets, or with their peers the children may be exposed to drugs, alcohol and violence and they mirror that behaviour. Community workers, family members and health professionals should seek to engage with the child or young person in their own environment in an attempt to prevent the use of harmful drugs through education.  The use of drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine and heroine by young people is perceived to be an increasing problem in today’s society.  Illegal drugs such as marijuana and methamphetamine wreak havoc in many communities; the drug of choice for all teens – alcohol – is used by more than 10 million underage youths between the ages of 12-20 in the United States alone.  Of course, drug and alcohol abuse is by no means confined to youth.

“We need to make a stance against young people participating in this behaviour and we need to ensure people who supply drugs and alcohol to young people are held accountable”.