The Devastating Impact of Addiction on Society: Causes and Effects

This is a written summary of the contemporary issue poster on addiction. This summary will talk about the important information on the poster and expand on that. This topic is extremely important as addiction affects over one million people alone (eata.org) however, the normalization and legalization of certain habits e.g. Alcohol consumption and smoking tobacco makes it very difficult to realize when it turns from controllable social habits to addiction.

Generally, addiction is very well understood. It is known that there are multiple different things that could cause someone to develop an addiction, and it is understood that it is very difficult to overcome an addiction. The effects of having an addiction is also well understood. However, lowering addiction rates has proven to be very difficult. Covid-19 has had a huge part to play in this.

Addiction can affect anyone, however, not everyone who drinks, smokes or uses drugs forms an addiction. There are multiple reasons for this. Genetics account for approximately half of a persons susceptibility to addiction, however it is not guaranteed that this will happen. Personal experiences and a persons environment also has a part to play in forming an addiction, for example, physical and sexual abuse as a child or having familyfriends who have an addiction. Trauma is anther important factor, which links in with environmental factors. This is one of the biggest risk factors for developing an addiction. Different types of abuse in childhood can have an effect on how the brain develops and can cause psychological pain which the individual tries to numb through different methods, most using drugs and alcohol. Lastly, people suffering from mental health and issues such as low self-esteemconfidence are likely to form an addiction due to the negative thoughts and feelings they have. They enjoy the feeling that the drug has given them and want to feel it more often, causing them to reuse. Addictions take a while to develop, making them harder to quit as it becomes a part of the addict's routine and they become reliant on it.

Covid-19 has been a massive problem for people suffering with substance addictions. Before Covid-19, people could pass time and relax by going out with their friends, going for walks, shopping and even working. During the lockdown's, people were not able to carry out their normal activities and were left with a lot of free time. This caused a lot of people to become lonely and pick up old habits and as everyone was locked inside their house, no one was able to help other than through online services e.g. Face-timesocial media. A study published in BMJ Open found that more than one in three adults increased their consumption of alcohol in the first lockdown.

Addiction after a while starts affecting every aspect of life. It negatively affects mental health, physical health and professional life. Drug, alcohol abuse, smoking and gambling are the most common things when thinking of addictions, however there are a lot more which people don't necessarily think about. Shopping, food, sex, pornography, and using steroids are some of the addictions that people don't first think of. Like alcohol and smoking, addictions like sex an shopping are fairly normalized as they are seen as normal parts of life. The fact that they're not initially thought of as addictions means it takes longer for people to notice the signs, making the addiction worse.

Substance abuse changes how the brain works (addictionsearch.com) and causes many psychological effects for the person affected. Depression, Anxiety, Cravings, Insomnia and Psychosis are all common psychological effects of alcohol and drug abuse. Depression causes the addict to crave the feeling of happiness that the substance gives them, however this is only a temporary feeling, leading them to take more to avoid 'coming down'. Anxiety causes the person to become nervous and constantly wondering where their next dose is coming from. The financial struggle of having an addiction can also add to the stress and anxiety.

Long term substance addiction can cause problems such as organ damagefailure, HIVAIDS, fertility issues, a weakened immune system, memory loss and death. It also creates a lot of stress and grief for the family and friend's of the person suffering. Early drug use increases the chance of developing an addiction. For this reason, prevention programs are focused on adolescence. This is done by teaching students about mental health, drug use and different social issues PSHE class in secondary school.

Addiction is a chronic disease. This means that it can be treated, but not easily. It is also understood that not every treatment will work for everyone. Treatments can help a person stop using, stop from relapsing and start being productive in their day to day life. There are multiple different forms of treatment which have been proven successful. Detoxification allows the body to be cleared of addictive substances with medical help, this is usually used alongside other methods. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be used for multiple types of addictions and can help you identify triggers. Medication plays a huge role in recovery. It can be used to improve the addicts moods whilst reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

After completing my poster, I attended an online presentation in attempt to present my poster and explore the issue of addiction. However, I was not able to present mine due to technical difficulties. This means that I was not able to receive criticism and feedback from my class and peers. I did, however, ask my friends and family for their opinion. For the most part it was positive feedback; they all liked the simple layout as it was easy to read and get information from. For the criticism, some didn't like the monochrome scheme, however I chose to keep it as I believe it makes the information stand out. It was also suggested to involve graphs, however I could not find any graphs that involved multiple forms of addictions.

To conclude, addiction is huge problem in society. There are multiple different forms of addiction, not all easy to see at first. It is finally being treated like the disease it is, instead of seeing it as laziness from the person suffering. Schools are teaching students about it, and knowledge about different forms of addiction is becoming more common. Hopefully, with the new generation becoming more educated, future generation's addiction rates will lower as people suffering are beginning to be acknowledged and helped as much as possible rather than ignored and blamed.