college essay about family drug addiction

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The Impact of Substance Use Disorders on Families and Children: From Theory to Practice

The effects of a substance use disorder (SUD) are felt by the whole family. The family context holds information about how SUDs develop, are maintained, and what can positively or negatively influence the treatment of the disorder. Family systems theory and attachment theory are theoretical models that provide a framework for understanding how SUDs affect the family. In addition, understanding the current developmental stage a family is in helps inform assessment of impairment and determination of appropriate interventions. SUDs negatively affect emotional and behavioral patterns from the inception of the family, resulting in poor outcomes for the children and adults with SUDs. Social workers can help address SUDs in multiple ways, which are summarized in this article.

INTRODUCTION AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The family remains the primary source of attachment, nurturing, and socialization for humans in our current society. Therefore, the impact of substance use disorders (SUDs) on the family and individual family members merits attention. Each family and each family member is uniquely affected by the individual using substances including but not limited to having unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her. For children there is also an increased risk of developing an SUD themselves ( Zimic & Jakic, 2012 ). Thus, treating only the individual with the active disease of addiction is limited in effectiveness. The social work profession more than any other health care profession has historically recognized the importance of assessing the individual in the context of his or her family environment. Social work education and training emphasizes the significant impact the environment has on the individual and vice versa. This topic was chosen to illustrate how involving the family in the treatment of an SUD in an individual is an effective way to help the family and the individual. The utilization of evidence-based family approaches has demonstrated superiority over individual or group-based treatments ( Baldwin, Christian, Berkeljon, & Shandish, 2012 ). Treating the individual without family involvement may limit the effectiveness of treatment for two main reasons: it ignores the devastating impact of SUDs on the family system leaving family members untreated, and it does not recognize the family as a potential system of support for change. Two theories important to understanding how and why SUDs impact the family are attachment theory and systems theory.

Attachment Theory

It is estimated that more than eight million children younger than age 18 live with at least one adult who has a SUD that is a rate of more than one in 10 children. The majority of these children are younger than age 5 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2010). The studies of families with SUDs reveal patterns that significantly influence child development and the likelihood that a child will struggle with emotional, behavioral, or substance use problems ( Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2003 ). The negative impacts of parental SUDs on the family include disruption of attachment, rituals, roles, routines, communication, social life, and finances. Families in which there is a parental SUD are characterized by an environment of secrecy, loss, conflict, violence or abuse, emotional chaos, role reversal, and fear.

Relationships serve as the communication conduits that connect family members to each other. Attachment theory provides a way of understanding the development and quality of relationships between family members. John Bowlby (1988) developed attachment theory through the clinical study of mammalian species and humans. He postulated that at the time of an infant's birth, the primary relationship, usually with the mother but not always, serves as the template for all subsequent relationships throughout the life cycle. This relationship forms a subsystem within the larger family system. It is through this relationship, at a prelanguage level, that infants learn to communicate and relate to their environment. They do this through crying, cooing, rooting, and clinging. The way in which the primary caretaker responds to these cues will establish the quality of the attachment. Generally, if the child experiences the primary caretaker as responsive and nurturing, a secure attachment will form. If the child experiences the primary caretaker as unresponsive or inconsistently responsive, an insecure attachment may form that can result in a variety of problems including anxiety, depression, and failure to thrive.

A parent with a SUD, who is mood altered, preoccupied with getting high or spending significant amounts of time recovering from the effects of substances, may miss the opportunities to foster healthy attachment. Consequently, the intricate attachment system that is built on hundreds of thousands of reciprocal and implicit interactions between infant and attachment figure will be affected. Eye contact, tone, volume and rhythm of voice, soothing touch, and the ability to read the needs of the infant are all intricate building blocks of attachment. Healthy attachment is a psychological immune system of sorts. Just as humans need a physiological immune system to fight off disease and illness, likewise, the relational attachment system provides protection against psychological problems and illness. Without a healthy attachment system, a child is much more vulnerable to stress and therefore more susceptible to having problems with trauma, anxiety, depression, and other mental illness. Attachment theory posits that the quality of the parents' attachment system that developed in infancy will affect their ability to form healthy attachments to their own children and with other adults.

Family Systems Theory

Family systems theory grew out of the biologically based general systems theory. General systems theory focuses on how the parts of a system interact with one another. In general systems theory an individual cell is one example of a system, and in family systems theory the family is essentially its own system. Key concepts in both theories are feedback, homeostasis and boundaries that are defined and operationalized in this section. Family systems theory was developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Nathan Ackerman, Jay Haley, Murray Bowen, Salvadore Minuchin, Virginia Satir, and Carl Witaker, among others were highly influential figures in this movement and developed its applications to psychiatric treatment. Out of this theory multiple models of family therapy developed including but not limited to strategic, structural, experiential, and more recently the multisystemic family systems therapy (MFT) model. All the family therapy models share the basic principal of family systems theory that is that the individual cannot be fully understood or successfully treated without first understanding how that individual functions in his or her family system. Individuals who present in our clinical settings can be seen as “symptomatic,” and their pathology can be viewed as an attempt adapt to their family system so as to maintain homeostasis.

Homeostasis refers to the idea that it is the tendency of a system to seek stability and equilibrium ( Brown & Christensen, 1986 ). The idea of homeostasis is key to understanding the effect of SUDs on the family in that each family member tends to function in such a way that keeps the whole system in balance even if it is not healthy for specific individuals. For example, a latency-age child may cover up her father's drinking by cleaning up after him if he is sick, getting him into bed after he passes out, and minimizing his drinking to her mother. Her efforts allow his SUD to continue with limited consequence and keep the family system at relative equilibrium by reducing fighting between the mother and father. Although that adaptation may keep the family system in a state of equilibrium, it also serves to maintain the problem. Feedback refers to the circular way in which parts of a system communicate with each other. The process of feedback is how the parent–child attachment relationship is formed. In a family system, a wife may identify that she abuses pain pills because her husband ignores her and she is depressed. The husband may in turn state that he avoids his wife because she is always morose and high on pain pills. Each person's behavior becomes reinforcing feedback for the other. Boundaries define internal and external limits of a system and are established to conserve energy by creating a protective barrier around a system. In a family they regulate interpersonal contact. In a healthy family, boundaries surround the parental subsystem and the child subsystem by keeping them separate. In a family with a parent who has a SUD, boundaries around the parental and child subsystems are typically permeable as the parental subsystem does not function well as a cohesive unit. Boundaries around the family itself are rigid to maintain the family secret of substance abuse. Healthy boundaries are important in the normal development of a family and children.

FAMILY IMPACT

Genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of SUDs. Given that the family in which one is raised influences both of these, it is important to explore the impact of SUDs on the family. Studies looking at the relative weight of these influences show that both add contribution and impact ( Haber et al., 2010 ). The impact will vary depending on the role and gender that the individual with the SUD has in the family. For example, if an adolescent child is identified as having a SUD, this will affect the family differently than if a parent has an SUD. The attitudes and beliefs that family members have about SUDs are also of importance as these will influence the individuals as they try to get sober and will influence the efficacy of treatment interventions. For example, if a parent sees a SUD as a moral failing and thinks his or her adolescent child should just use “will power” to quit, this will be important to know if the treating therapist is working from a disease model of addiction. Education with the family about SUDs, their development, progression, and treatment will be needed. When family members have appropriate education and treatment for themselves they can play a significant role in the abusers' recognition of the problem and acceptance of treatment. The evidence-based family treatment Community Reinforcement And Family Training (CRAFT) has demonstrated its effectiveness in increasing the rate at which abusers enter treatment ( Roozen, de Waart, & van der Kroft, 2010 ).

When one person in a family begins to change his or her behavior, the change will affect the entire family system. It is helpful to think of the family system as a mobile: when one part in a hanging mobile moves, this affects all parts of the mobile but in different ways, and each part adjusts to maintain a balance in the system. One consequence of this accommodation can be that various family members may inadvertently sabotage treatment with their own behaviors as they respond to the change in the individual using substances. For example, if an adult son tries to get sober and his retired father feels as if he has lost his “drinking buddy,” he might express to his son that he can have “just a couple beers at the game.” This will put pressure on the son to continue his use so as not to disappoint his father. These behaviors can be seen as an attempt to maintain the comfortable equilibrium of the system because as one person changes it upsets the equilibrium of the whole family system including extended family relationships. Family therapy can be a useful intervention where the therapist can assist and support the son in setting limits with the father saying he does not want to drink at all and suggesting alternative non-drinking-related activities. Individual therapy can be used with the son to affirm his decision to remain sober and reinforce the importance of his establishing his own identity as a nondrinking person.

We know that individuals who grow up in a family where there is an SUD are at significantly higher risk to develop SUDs due to genetic and environmental factors ( Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992 ). It is essential to assess for active substance abuse in the immediate and extended family. Knowing that an individual with an SUD grew up in a family with an SUD has significant implications in treatment. Active substance abuse in the family of a client who is trying to get clean will also put that client at risk for relapse.

Developmental Stages of the Family

Understanding the family's specific developmental stage can help with assessing the interventional needs of a family. Carter and McGoldrick (1989) identify eight stages of the family life cycle and corresponding developmental tasks. SUDs can disrupt these developmental tasks depending on who has the SUD and at what developmental stage the family is in when the SUD develops. Table 1 is an adaptation of Carter and McGoldrick's family life cycle stages as applied to families with SUDs. When families do not move through the life cycle and get stuck, individual members can exhibit clinical symptoms. It should be noted that blended families with stepparents and stepchildren have their own developmental needs that are impaired by SUDs as well, but those are not detailed in this table.

Impact of SUD on Family Life Cycle Stages

Note . This table has been adapted from Carter and McGoldrick's (1989) model of the stages of the family life cycle. Modifications have been made to Column 2 to identify concepts relevant to the family with a SUD, and Columns 3 and 4 are contributions of the authors of this article.

SUD = substance use disorder; AA = Alcoholics Anonymous; NA = Narcotics Anonymous.

Impact of Parental Substance Abuse on Children

Clinicians have speculated that what are called “attachment disorders” may occur at elevated rates among children affected by alcohol, in part due to abuse and neglect (when these have happened), and in part because of alcohol-related deficits in cognitive and social-emotional functioning that lead to less resilience ( Coles et al., 1997 ). Studies indicate that between one third and two thirds of child maltreatment cases involve some degree of substance use ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1996 ). The negative consequences of having one or both parents with a SUD ranges from covert damage that is mild and may play out when a child or adolescent is having difficulty establishing trusting relationships with people, to being overly emotionally responsible in relationships and taking on adult roles much younger than developmentally appropriate. An even more severe impact can begin in utero with maternal substance abuse that causes damage to the growing fetus resulting in birth defects, fetal alcohol syndrome, and/or fetal alcohol effects. These difficulties may cause disabilities that require early intervention and often ongoing and social and mental health services. Social workers can help by encouraging their clients who abuse substances to use precautions to prevent pregnancy and providing education about the risks of maternal drug use on the developing fetus. If a social worker is working with a pregnant client with an SUD, referral to a Perinatal Addiction Clinic and/or high-risk pregnancy OB/GYN clinic is indicated.

As previously mentioned, all primates learn how to regulate their affect from their primary attachment figures through the attachment system and modeling. Parents who have substance use problems will likely have their own affect dysregulation that may have preceded or resulted from their substance use. Consequently, development of healthy affect regulation will be difficult for children and adolescents to achieve. This can result in children and adolescents having an increased risk for internalizing problems such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and so on or externalizing problems such as opposition, conduct problems (stealing, lying, and truancy), anger outbursts, aggressivity, impulsivity, and again substance abuse. Children may present to a social worker in direct practice at community mental health center or a school setting. Social workers can assist these clients by looking for signs and symptoms of parental substance use while observing the child's behavior in social settings and in play behavior. Social workers should look for how the child's presenting symptoms serve a function in the family system to maintain homeostasis. Providing family therapy, parent training and education, play therapy, social skills training, and coping skills training either in individual or group therapy in an outpatient, school or in-home therapy setting are ways that social workers can be helpful. Sometimes a referral to Child Protective Services will be indicated.

Parental Substance Abuse and Child Abuse and Neglect

A parent with a SUD is 3 times more likely to physically or sexually abuse their child. The sequalae of this is that these children are more than 50% more likely to be arrested as juveniles, and 40% more likely to commit a violent crime ( USDHHS, 1996 ). Children who have experienced abuse are more likely to have the externalizing disorders such as anger, aggression, conduct, and behavioral problems whereas children who experience neglect are more likely to have internalizing disorders (depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, poor peer relations). Incest has a very high association with parental substance abuse as do all types of sexual abuse. About two thirds of incest perpetrators report using alcohol directly before the offending incident ( USDHHS, 1996 ).

Although active substance abuse can impair attachment and healthy modeling for affect regulation, sometimes the consequences of severe and ongoing substance abuse on the part of a parent can result in parent and child separation. This separation could be because of parental incarceration, long-term treatment or an intervention on the part of child protective services that removes the child from an unsafe or high-risk home environment and places him or her in an out-of-home placement such as foster care, relative placement, or a group or residential home. In extreme cases, the separation may be due to the substance-related death of the parent from overdose, motor vehicle accident, or medical complications due to substance abuse. The significant increase in out-of-home child placements in the 1980s and 1990s closely paralleled the pandemic drug addiction in the United States during those decades ( Jaudes & Edwo, 1997 ). Any long-term separation will have a negative impact on the child's ability to attach, regulate affect, and can lead to a trauma response of numbing or hyperarousal (inability to discriminate and respond appropriately to stimulus). These impairments in the psychological emergency response system are directly related to, and substantially increase, subsequent traumatic victimization. Maltreated children of parents with a SUD are more likely to have poorer physical, intellectual, social, and emotional outcomes and are at greater risk of developing substance abuse problems themselves ( USDHHS, 2003 ).

Social workers can help by using trauma-informed, attachment-informed, and systems-based approaches to direct practice in individual therapy and family therapy with special attention to multigenerational trauma and substance abuse. The role of the social worker may include providing in-home therapy supporting parents in being more effective with parental supervision, providing structure, and facilitating healthy caring communication. Social workers may serve on multidisciplinary teams to advocate for a child who is adjudicated, abused, and/or neglected. In addition, social workers may provide expert testimony in courts and participate in permanency planning for children in out-of-home placements. Lastly, social workers play an essential role in specialized courts (family courts, mental health courts, adult drug courts, and juvenile drug courts), providing a unique person in environment and multisystems lens to helping children and families. Specialized drug courts have been shown to produce favorable outcomes for the whole family ( Burns, Pullman, Weathers, Wirschem, & Murphy, 2012 ).

Parental Substance Abuse and Child Social and Emotional Functioning

Many children living in a home where there is an addiction develop into “parentified children.” This occurs when the caretaker is unable to meet the developmental needs of the child, and the child begins to parent themselves and perhaps younger siblings earlier than developmentally appropriate. In a phenomenon called “reversal of dependence needs” the child actually begins to parent the parent.

Case Example

Ashley was a 15-year-old female who was referred to treatment by her school counselor for self-injury. She is a classic “hero” child who has excellent grades and is well liked by her peers. Her parents separated when she was age 5, and she lived with her biological mother until she was 12. Her father obtained full custody of her after being contacted by the domestic violence shelter where she was living with her mother and younger brother. They had moved to the shelter after a domestic violence incident involving her mother's boyfriend. Her biological mother was alcohol dependent; she had difficulty keeping a job and moved frequently. In fifth grade, Ashley changed schools 7 times in a single academic year. Her mother worked as a waitress and a bartender and would often go out drinking after her evening shifts. Ashley then became the caregiver to her younger brother. From age 9 she remembers her mother coming home, being intoxicated sometimes in a black-out, and Ashley helping her into bed. She remembers caring for her mother at night, cleaning up her vomit, wiping her face, and tending to her younger brother in the mornings by getting his breakfast and helping him get ready for school. She stated to her therapist that she remembers thinking, “If only I take really good care of her, maybe she'll be able to take care of me someday.”

In reversal of dependence needs, the parent's needs are placed before the child's. This sets the child up for a potential lifetime of inability to set healthy boundaries in relationships and make the important triad connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It creates a lack of self-awareness and sometimes an over awareness of others' needs. In the literature one can find these difficulties well-documented under children of alcoholics and adult children of alcoholics research ( Berkowitz & Perkins, 1988 ; Cork, 1969 ; Hecht, 1973 ; Morehouse & Richards, 1982 ; Stroufe, Egeland, Carlson, & Collins, 2005 ; Tarter, 2002 ; Zucker, Donovan, Masten, Mattson, & Moss, 2009 ).

Communication is a significant social skill for interpersonal effectiveness. Parents with a SUD may have difficulty with assertiveness and direct communication. Many subjects are covertly “off-limits” to discuss. Children in these families also often witness the convergence of poor communication and affect dysregulation with their caregivers that frequently results in domestic violence. Although these difficulties may not be overtly diagnosable with a physical or psychological disorder, the patterns have significant developmental, social, and interpersonal consequences. Common emotions these children experience are anxiety, fear, depression guilt, shame, loneliness, confusion, and anger. They may believe that they caused their parent's SUD, or perhaps they are expected to keep the drug use a secret from others in the family or in the community. Perhaps they recognize their parent is mood altered or in withdrawal but are told that, “Your dad is just sick; he needs his medicine.” A parent's moodiness, forgetfulness, and preoccupation can create a chaotic and unstructured, unpredictable environment that leaves the child guessing and asking the questions, “What is going to happen next?” and “What is normal?” Children may present in community mental health settings with a variety of presentations. In terms of diagnosable mental and emotional disorders, children affected by parental substance abuse are virtually at higher risk for nearly every childhood disorder in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-IV-TR ; American Psychiatric Association, 2000 ). Of most significant correlation are the following: eating disorders, behavior disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and SUDs. Social workers can help by evaluating the function of the presenting symptoms through a family systems perspective. Social workers can help children and families have more direct and honest, yet developmentally appropriate communications; and helping youth to deal with covert and overt emotions that are related to their parent's substance use. Social workers can achieve this through the provision of play therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy in a variety inpatient, outpatient, in-home, and community based settings.

Parental Substance Abuse and Educational Functioning

Educational problems are also characteristic of some children affected by parental substance use. Problems with unexcused absences in childhood can turn into more serious truancy problems in adolescence and culminate in school dropout. In early childhood, parents read less and provide less learning-based stimulation to their infants and toddlers. In school-age years, parents are less available to provide assistance with homework, monitor school performance, and track assignments. These children may have difficulty with attention and concentration due to increased anxiety levels related to a chaotic home environment. Unstructured bedtimes and mealtimes as well as witnessing domestic violence and safety issues all contribute to an increase in learning problems and behavioral problems for these children at school. It is difficult for children to focus on higher order thinking and learning when basic survival needs are not met. Similar to the home environment, communication between substance abusing parents and teachers and the larger school system is poor. Many parents struggling with an SUD had difficulty with the school system in their own school-age years and avoid interacting with it due to their own anxiety or shame.

The role of the social worker may include providing school-based supportive services to the youth as well as connecting clients with afterschool care, tutoring services, or mentoring agencies such as Big Brothers Big Sisters. In-home and outpatient family therapy and education, supporting parents in being more effective with parental supervision and discipline, providing structure, rewards, and consequences for school attendance and performance and supporting parents in communicating with the school systems can help as well. Social workers can also help by participating in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, making school referrals for special education, and requesting psychoeducational and neuropsychological testing. Referral to a child and adolescent psychiatrist for a medication evaluation may also be helpful as well as assisting teachers with behavioral interventions in the classroom.

The Impact of Substance Abuse on Parents of Adult Children

As children transition into adulthood they are still strongly affected by their parents as their parents are by them. One of the factors that can perpetuate SUDs is the enabling that family members frequently engage in. Enabling is a form of accommodation that protects the individual with the SUD from fully experiencing the consequences of his or her substance use. An example of enabling is when the parents of a 25-year-old man repeatedly bail him out of jail and pay for lawyer and court fees generated as a result of drug-related arrests. The parents are attempting to help their son and maintain homeostasis in the system by preventing him from going to jail, however the secondary effect is that the son experiences no consequence to his use. As a result, his SUD is more likely to continue. Parents and grandparents do not always agree on how to “help” an adult child with an SUD. Social workers can encourage parents of adult children to seek their own help in Al-Anon and Nar-Anon. These are 12-Step programs for family members that will help them disengage with love, so that they stop enabling and begin to care for themselves. Often parents blame themselves for their children's substance use and feel responsible for fixing the problem. In Al-Anon and Nar-Anon they receive support from other family members and learn they did not cause the SUD, nor can they control it or cure it.

How Social Workers in Nonaddiction Settings Can Help

It is beyond the scope of this article to present in detail how to assess for an SUD, and social workers inexperienced in this area should refer patients to those who specialize in the treatment of SUDs. However with the prevalence of SUDs in the general population being at least 10%, and higher for those presenting with mental health problems, social workers in all settings will find themselves working with individuals with SUDs. All clients, and especially those with known or suspected SUDs, should be reassured of confidentiality. Due to the shame and stigma associated with having an SUD, this is of utmost importance to obtain accurate information. Clients should be asked if they believe they have an SUD and can be informed of how the social worker typically helps those with SUDs. Social workers need to educate themselves about the clinical and community resources in their area available for the treatment of SUD and refer to these resources when indicated. This includes outpatient substance abuse programs, methadone clinics, intensive outpatient programs, detoxification, and residential settings as well as self-help meetings.

Most social workers are mandated reporters so this can present an ethical issue for those who work with individuals with SUDs, especially those with dependent children. Many patients know this and may withhold information about their substance use out of fear of being reported to Child Protective Services. Mandated reporters should disclose this role to their clients and be specific about what circumstances require reporting, while also emphasizing they will do everything they can to assist clients in obtaining the help they need. Being honest in this way helps establish rapport. Social workers should be aware of their own biases, if any, regarding substance abuse. Only if clients feel a positive therapeutic rapport and trust the social worker will they disclose substance use.

SUDs affect families and children in every area of their development. Social workers have opportunities to intervene and change the trajectory of these potential problems at many junctions. When assessing any client is it essential to inquire about substance use history in the family, in the individual, and current use. There is a way to do this that is sensitive and does not put the person on the defensive. Motivational interviewing strategies can be employed to build rapport, increase motivation for change, and decrease resistance ( Miller & Rollnick, 2002 ; W. R. Miller & Rose, 2010). In addition a variety of objective measures can be presented as part of your normal evaluation (Michigan Alcohol Screening Test [MAST; Selzer, 1971 ], Drug Abuse Screening Test [DAST; Skinner, 1982 ], and Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory for Adolescents [SASSI-A2; Miller, 1999 ]). Assessment not only of the individual in front of you but of their family members as well such as parents, siblings, and extended family members may be needed. One way to approach this is with a genogram ( McGoldrick & Gerson, 1985 ). Genograms can reveal SUD patterns in a visual way and help to obtain family details of substance use without directly asking about the problem thereby decreasing defensiveness.

Once a substance use problem has been identified, educating the client about what it means to have a SUD, the treatments available, and the stages of recovery can be useful. Clients can be encouraged to share the impact of the substance use on themselves and on their family system. Encouraging clients to share their feelings related to their experiences in the family is important as it helps them to break the silence so often associated with living with an SUD, and it can also increase their awareness about cognitive and behavioral patterns that contribute to the SUD. If through the assessment it becomes clear that your client or someone in the family would benefit from treatment specifically for his or her SUD, facilitating a formal evaluation or referral to treatment will be helpful. An undetected SUD can cause treatment of any type of problem to be ineffective.

Following are some specific steps that social workers can take to be helpful when a SUD is suspected or identified:

• Routinely assess for SUD problem and refer the individual to a specialty clinic for further assessment or treatment when indicated.
• Assess for past/present SUD in family or origin
• Explore feelings
• Explore impact on children and extended family
• Know the structure of the family that the individual you are working with comes from (i.e., blended family, single-parent family).
• Know the developmental stage of the family that the individual you are working with comes from (family with teenagers, aging family).
• Family therapy, couples therapy
• Play therapy, social skills training
• Parent training
• Psychiatric services
• Coordinate with school systems to help clients access school-based services, after-school care, and tutoring. Help parents with advocating in the school system for their children if psychoeducational/neuropsychological testing is needed or the development of an Individualized Education Plan.
• Facilitate referrals to specialized courts is indicated: adult drug court, teen drug court, family court.
• Educate clients with SUDs about pregnancy prevention and provide education about risks of drug exposure on fetus.
• Inform about AA, NA for the patient with a SUD and Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, Alateen for family members. Provide location and times of meetings in their area.
• If there are safety issues with regard to children or the elderly, Child Protective Services or Elder Protective Services referral may be needed.
• Ask questions about if the current living situation is physically safe or if there have been past or present incidences of domestic violence.

Individuals with SUDs cannot be understood and treated effectively without considering the impact on the whole family. Addictions researchers have confirmed the reciprocal relationship between the disease of addiction and the environment. All persons influence their social environment and in turn are influenced by it. The family system must be factored into the understanding of the disease development and maintenance as well as be included in the efforts necessary for successful ongoing treatment. The earlier we can intervene in the progression of an SUD, the better the outcomes for all family members. For further readings on this topic SAMHSA TIP #39 ( Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004 ) provides an overview of substance abuse treatment and how to incorporate the family, and TIP #24 ( Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004 ) is a guide to substance abuse services for primary care clinicians.

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The Effects of Substance Use on Families

Part 1: how substance use impacts the family system..

Posted March 25, 2022 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

• A family is a system, and what happens to one member happens to the whole.
• Each family copes and responds differently to a substance use disorder.
• However, there are common patterns in families' responses, including taking time to discover the problem, living with it, and separating from it.

On a family road trip, our adventurous driver wondered what would happen if he put the car into reverse while we were coasting downhill. Long story short, we ended up in Nowhere, Utah, stranded for several hours, waiting for a tow truck. Unsurprisingly, the vehicle—which is designed as an efficient, coordinated system—needed several repairs because once one part was thrown into chaos, other systems went awry as well.

Families, like vehicles, are similarly coordinated systems, with each person relying on others to make sure everything functions and everyone is taken care of. When an individual struggles with a substance use disorder (SUD), oftentimes, treatment is focused only on that one individual as if that person is the only one impacted.

But family members can feel great pain over a loved one’s SUD and are left to grapple with the consequences and the added stress all on their own. As a result, those with loved ones who struggle with a SUD often have to guess about how to manage their own emotions as well as added responsibilities and other practical consequences of the afflicted person’s impact on the family.

In this two-part series, we will elaborate on the potential impact that a SUD can have on a family, as well as tips for families struggling with a SUD.

Impact on the family system

Substance use leaves its mark on any family that encounters it, though each family’s experience with SUDs is unique. One research group termed their model of how SUDs affect families the Stress-Strain-Coping-Support Model, which is a broad-based model for describing how SUDs impact a family system. The group suggests that families suffering from SUDs tend to have the following experiences:

• Stress: Both individual family members and family life tend to suffer when there are struggles with a SUD. Stress levels in the family increase due to the negative impact of the SUD on them.
• Strain: Members of families with a SUD begin to show their strain through increased physical or mental health problems of their own.
• Coping: Family members are often forced into the dilemma of determining what course of action is best. This is usually a fraught process that can bring up conflicts among family members, even when those family members are not struggling with SUDs themselves.
• Support: Families attempt to understand what is happening and why; in this process, families typically seek out resources and information to develop an understanding of SUDs. At these times, families are often at the mercy of the resources available to them and how others in their circles react to the problems at hand.

While not every family struggling with a SUD will go through these experiences, the model demonstrates the general difficulty that SUDs pose for families. It is easy for family members to feel guilt , shame , stigma , or blame for the presence of a SUD, and these types of responses tend to compound an already stressful situation. It is important for family members to know that the process of “coping” or deciding what the best response is may be conflictual, confusing, and complicated. It is normal to have different responses at different times and to have different opinions than other family members. While it is hard to have patience, to tolerate “what if” fears, and to take others’ perspectives, ultimately, the stance of listening first is what will best support the family in the long run.

Common patterns in families with SUDs

Adapting to a family member’s substance use is a family’s way of trying to stay interconnected despite the disruptions caused by the presence of a SUD. Through close examination of families with one or more members with a substance use disorder, one researcher noted three common ways that families try to adapt to substance use in the family:

• Discovery: Because the SUD is often hidden, it takes time for families to recognize that another member is suffering from a SUD. Families may initially notice only small changes—physically, emotionally, or behaviorally. The fear of “what ifs” can sometimes cause panic . Because of shame or stigma, families may try to manage the SUD themselves without seeking professional or needed support.
• Living with the SUD: Oftentimes, family members find themselves in a long-term, increasingly stressful dynamic with a loved one whose SUD begins to damage family relationships. Even still, family members feel compelled to try to protect their loved ones from physical harm or death as much as possible. Sometimes this means family members can become involved in the struggling member’s life (or substance use) in uncomfortable and unwelcome ways in order to do damage control.
• Expulsion (separation): In circumstances when SUDs have had a significant negative impact on family members, families may come to a point at which they feel they must separate themselves from the loved one with a SUD or set strict guidelines for contact. Such a decision is often made knowing the member with a SUD will be placed at higher risk. Such an effort is typically made after many years of struggle when family members feel they have no other recourse. Similarly, this may be an effort for family members to preemptively protect themselves against the fear of their loved one’s death. Under the best circumstances, this type of decision would be made after efforts to get the family member who has the SUD (and the family) professional treatment and with the support of a mental health professional.

Every family’s experience is different, yet most families make efforts to remain connected—and to continue to be a functioning system—even when a SUD is brought into the family. Not all efforts are successful, but families undoubtedly experience increased stress, distress, and conflict as they attempt to adapt to a person with a SUD. It is imperative that at such times all family members seek care and support to maintain each person’s well-being as much as possible.

In our next blog post, we will discuss possible ways for family members to pursue their own well-being in the midst of the chaos that a SUD can create.

About the Authors

Elizabeth Laney, Ph.D., is a staff psychologist at The Menninger Clinic. She has a doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. Dr. Laney’s clinical interests include training of psychologists, psychoanalytic treatment of trauma and attachment trauma, psychodynamic treatment of personality disorders , as well as motherhood and women’s issues.

Wendy Jamison, LPC, LCDC, earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She has experience working in psychiatric facilities, a corporate employee assistance program, and as a coordinator of a chronic pain recovery service. She has been working with people who struggle with substance use disorders since 2005.

Mind Matters is a collaborative blog written by Menninger staff and an occasional invited guest to increase awareness about mental health. Launched in 2019, Mind Matters is curated and edited by an expert clinical team, which is led by Robyn Dotson Martin, LPC-S. Martin serves as an Outpatient Assessment team leader and staff therapist.

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Essay on Drug Addiction

Students are often asked to write an essay on Drug Addiction in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Drug Addiction

Understanding drug addiction.

Drug addiction is a serious condition where a person feels a strong need to take drugs, even if they harm him. It’s not just about illegal drugs like cocaine or heroin, but also legal substances like alcohol and prescription medicines.

Causes of Drug Addiction

Addiction often starts with trying drugs out of curiosity, peer pressure, or to escape problems. Over time, the person needs more of the drug to get the same effect, leading to addiction.

Effects of Drug Addiction

Addiction can harm the body and mind. It can lead to health problems, affect school performance, and damage relationships.

Overcoming Drug Addiction

Overcoming addiction is possible with professional help. This can include therapy, medication, and support groups. Remember, it’s never too late to seek help.

250 Words Essay on Drug Addiction

Introduction.

Drug addiction, a complex yet critical issue, has been plaguing societies worldwide. It is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive, or uncontrollable, drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences and long-lasting changes in the brain.

The Mechanism of Addiction

The path to drug addiction commences with the voluntary act of taking drugs. Over time, a person’s ability to choose not to consume becomes compromised; seeking and consuming the drug becomes compulsive. This behavior largely results from the effects of prolonged drug exposure on brain functioning. Addiction impacts parts of the brain involved in reward and motivation, learning and memory, and inhibitory control over behavior.

The Impact of Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is a relapsing disease. Relapse is the return to drug use after an attempt to stop. Relapse indicates the need for more or different treatment. Most drugs affect the brain’s reward circuit, causing euphoria and flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy activities like taking drugs, leading individuals to repeat the behavior.

In conclusion, drug addiction is not just a societal issue but a global health concern requiring comprehensive strategies for prevention and treatment. Understanding the deep-rooted causes and effects of drug addiction is the first step towards combating this problem. It is crucial to educate individuals about the potential risks associated with drug use and provide support for those struggling with addiction.

500 Words Essay on Drug Addiction

Drug addiction, a chronic disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences, is a global issue that affects millions of individuals and their families. It is a complex condition, a brain disease that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence.

The Science of Addiction

People often underestimate the complexity of drug addiction, viewing it merely as a moral failing or a lack of willpower. However, scientific research has revealed that addiction involves changes in the structure and function of the brain. Drugs alter the brain’s communication system, disrupting the way nerve cells send, receive, and process information. Certain substances can mimic natural neurotransmitters, leading to abnormal messages being sent through the network.

Factors Influencing Drug Addiction

Several factors contribute to the likelihood of substance use turning into addiction. Genetics play a significant role, accounting for about half of a person’s risk of becoming an addict. Environmental factors, such as family life, peer influence, and socioeconomic status, also play a part. Early use of drugs can interfere with a young person’s brain development, increasing the risk of later addiction.

Social and Economic Impact of Drug Addiction

Drug addiction has far-reaching social and economic impacts. It can lead to broken families, child neglect, and loss of productivity in the workplace. Economically, the cost of healthcare, legal issues, and loss of productivity due to addiction is in the billions. Drug addiction also fuels other social problems like violence, property crime, and the spread of infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis.

Prevention and Treatment

Prevention strategies aim at helping individuals develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make healthy choices and change harmful behaviors. Schools, communities, and media campaigns can provide this education. On the other hand, treatment approaches include behavioral therapy, medication, or, ideally, a combination of both. It’s important to note that treatment needs to be tailored to the individual, as there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Overcoming Drug Addiction as an application essay topic?

<p>SO basically, an essay that I have written says the following things in the following order…</p>

<p>-(intro) basically saying that I am not asking for some sort of sympathy, and that I only want to be heard. I also add that I the following is qoute “not the most common approach to exalting one’s self”.</p>

<p>-(body) Explaining the emotional root of problems I had, turned into disrespect, drug use and family issues. </p>

<p>-Got sent to a school away from my house, and recreated a sense of pride. Came over alot of issues … yadda yadda, I did an alright job at that.</p>

<p>-Makes references to my family and how highly they think of me; that I agree with them…</p>

<p>-(closing) saying that above all, I believe in myself and what I have done, and that is what it is that makes me who I am {kind of thing}…</p>

<p>So is this a good approach to an essay?? Any ideas???</p>

<p>I would only write an essay about getting over a drug addiction if they already knew about your drug use (if you had to explain it after checking the box for “have you been arrested?” or something) Otherwise I would probably not bring it up as it doesn’t put you in the best light, even if you no longer use drugs.</p>

<p>But, then again, I don’t know you, and if you think that topic is what best defines you, then maybe you should write about it.</p>

<p>maybe i could explain that I just had issues & struggles? but than again it isnt really as powerful that way… hmmm…</p>

<p>Colleges or businesses do not like to admit/enroll/hire a self purported past, current or future drug additct.</p>

<p>I would encourage you to focus your essay on aspects of your life that demonstrate intellectual curiosity, drive (and examples) of making a difference in your community, etc. Start off positive and stay positive.</p>

<p>I think that your proposed topic is of high risk. You may find some sympathetic readers. More likely you’ll find one or two readers who would become concerned after reading your proposed essay.</p>

<p>it seems like an interesting, genuine idea that most readers would misunderstand.</p>

<p>if the essay reader is the stuffy administrator that i always imagine must be the only sort of person who can manage to work in an admissions office, they probably wouldn’t fully appreciate the topic.</p>

<p>The best advice I ever heard about college essays was, “Don’t write about something you wouldn’t talk about on a first date.” Writing about your recovery from drug addiction is high risk proposition. Well written it can be a compelling story, but depending on the reader it may plant an uncomfortable seed of doubt in their mind. The main point of the essay is to get to the “second date” (admissions), being too personal upfront may be a turn-off.</p>

<p>The other way to look at it is from a risk-reward basis. If statistically you’re at the upper-end (75th%-tile or higher) for a particular school then you’re likely going to be admitted regardless what you write about, so why risk turning the reader off? If you’re in the bottom quartile for a particular school it seems unlikely that your story is going to be enough to overcome the academic competition you’ll be facing. So the only place the essay might work is in a borderline case, some place where you’re average but a compelling story of overcoming adversity could be enough to tip things in your favor. But even there the risk is that they’ll be turned away by the possibility of your slipping back to your old ways. I just don’t see the payoff.</p>

<p>The reader of your essay has the privilege of anonymity. They don’t have to look you in the eye or even call you after reading it. That makes it easy for them to act on prejudice. And they will.</p>

<p>Don’t do it.</p>

<p>If you read *The Gatekeepers,<a href=“about%20college%20admissions”>/i</a> you’ll see this is a bad idea.</p>

<p>I suggest that you only use an essay like this if you are explaining a period of very poor grades and can demonstrate a turnaround or are explaining a police record - and I would recast the essay accordingly if you do use it. Otherwise, congratualtions on getting your life together.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t do it.</p>

<p>If you were convicted for drug use, there’s a space on the CommonApp where you’ll have to explain yourself. So even if you were convicted, that’s where you’d write such an explanation. If you weren’t convicted, it would be a very unwise move if you wrote your main essay about your former drug use. While it’s admirable that you overcame strife and emerged a better person, no college will take what you’re saying in a positive light. A former drug addict was still a drug addict at one point, horrible as it sounds. So I’d pick another topic. That’s just me, though.</p>

<p>You could write it well and it would still be extremely risky. Colleges are looking to build communities of diverse, interesting, talented people, a community that won’t include drug addicts, past or present, if they can help it. There are more relevant and positive things to discuss in a college essay.</p>

<p>Congratulations for overcoming your addiction, however. Best of luck with your applications.</p>

<p>I sadly have to agree with what everyone else has said. </p>

<p>I will re-emphasize the points that (provided they wouldn’t know otherwise about the drugs) you should definitely avoid this essay at safety and match schools. This essay could work at a high reach, and it may be a good idea to use it if you don’t think you have a shot at admission using a more typical essay. </p>

<p>Not saying you should use it at all or even half your reaches, because it’s nice to get into a couple reaches. But maybe experiment around with one of the HYPSM-type schools that you think would be cool to be admitted to but you aren’t like dying to attend.</p>

<p>I think drugs is a little too much. Some conservative people might not like it.</p>

<p>cause if it<code>s not I suggest you not write about drugs, use of them or overcoming the use them! Why don</code>t you write the words, I USED TO USE DRUGS, across your forehead! Use this topic to motivate people off of drugs but please don`t use this topic to try to get into college. This is either a joke or your head is still a bit fogged up!!!</p>

<p>Honestly I think the college essay is about showing colleges who you are as a person beyond things like stats and EC’s. If this is what best defines you, if this shows the person you are, then I think it’s the best topic for you. HOWEVER, approach it with extreme caution, and know that there are going to be schools that drop your application on the spot, just as there are going to be people who will refuse to hire you simply because of your past. Ultimately what matters is that you know you’re past it, and that you’ve grown from it, if you know that then some school will take you, someone will hire you etc… There are always going to be haters, even for smaller things, for example a lot of my friends distanced themselves from me when I was suffering from depression, I’m not saying they’re close to the same as I’m sure you went through way worse, but it’s just an example. Hardships show you who and what are important in your life, and that defines who you are. If that is the person that you want colleges to know, then write about it, after all you want to be accepted for who you are, not who you think they want you to be. Just my two cents.</p>

<p>You’re thinking out-of-the-box, that’s for sure!</p>

<p>I suspect you’ll get a chance sometime to write about this AFTER matriculating.</p>

<p>I don’t see how “Colleges are looking to build communities of diverse, interesting, talented people” could not include recovered drug addicts. In fact, I’m sure they do, though it’s not necessarily known to the community. I think I’m pretty interesting and talented. And the presence of someone who has already been around that block in a setting where many will succumb may prove invaluable.</p>

<p>I suggest a separate letter to the campus substanse abuse counselor at the college you’ve decided upon. Tell your story, and offer yourself as a student resource to other students who utilize the counselor.</p>

<p>Congratulations!</p>

<p>DoS - 7/21/81</p>

<p>You already got great advice in the posts on this thread. I will just chime in as someone who is a college counselor. </p>

<p>I would advise against this topic for the essays. There may be other places on the application where this would come up such as having to explain transcript irregulatiries or having to answer questions about being arrested or suspended. In other words, if you HAVE to report the drug use on other parts of the application, explain it there. But do not use the main essays for this. and if you don’t have to reveal you past drug use anywhere on the application, I would avoid “telling all.” In other words, if you have recovered (bravo to you!) and there is no suspension, arrest, or transcript irregularity to explain, I would not even reveal past drug use anywhere on the application. But even if you have to disclose it elsewhere in the application, I would still not use the main essays for this topic. And if you do have to explain an arrest, suspension or transcript irregularity, in that explanation of extenuating circumstances (not the main essay), provide specific reassurances that the past situation will not prevent you from participating in college fully.</p>

<p>The main essay, however, should be used to highlight more positive aspects of your background or interests. </p>

<p>Generally, avoid revealing mental health problems such as drug use if you don’t have to and if you have recovered. Give the adcoms reasons to admit you and not be concerned about admitting you. There must be a lot of wonderful positive things about you…show them those qualities in your essays.</p>

<p>I think you should go for it.</p>

<p>1) Colleges are looking to build diverse communities. We’ve said this before. They want students who grow from their interactions. If you are a recovered drug addict, you have a very unusual perspective (for your age) and would add something unique to the campus dialogue.</p>

<p>2) Since you have already overcome drugs yourself, you could be a good influence on other students experimenting with drugs. The “I’ve been there, let me tell you something about drugs” approach is harder to come by than the puritanical “I’ve always said no to drugs” proselytizing approach.</p>

<p>3) Overcoming a drug addiction shows steely self-discipline and emotional maturity. Whatever you were, they are admitting or rejecting what you are now.</p>

<p>4) Talking frankly about your past mistakes, asking for understanding rather than forgiveness or leniency, takes self-confidence.</p>

<p>5) Handling a sensitive subject well will show strong writing skills.</p>

<p>Definitely not. This is coming from a former undergrad admissions counselor.</p>

College Essay: Path to Recovery

I remember when my friend handed me the oblong, white pill with little red  specks. I knew what it was, but I thought I was different from my family. I soon realized that I was exactly the same. At 13, I knew the difference between the Vicodin in my hand and the Oxycontin I was dependent on. Both were prescription opioids (stolen from my father) meant to stop physical pain. With my underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, and the descriptions from those I had met in the hospital, I knew this would help my emotional distress, as well. As soon as the drug reached my brain, the hamster wheel slowed. And then, it stopped. 

Hi, my name is Nickel, and I’m an addict. The word addict is a loaded term. Most will think of people on the streets shooting up – not a high schooler, let alone an eighth grader. Or they think of the 12-step recovery program known as Alcoholics Anonymous. Stale coffee, chain smokers and, of course, the iconic introductions. Stereotype? Sure. But still mostly true. Alcoholics Anonymous is far more than a fellowship of old men drinking bad coffee. It gives people hope. I am one of those people. We are people within the grasp of a deadly disease that, if not arrested, will send us to institutions, jails or our graves. There is no cure for this disease, but treatments used in 12-step programs can rein it in, and recovery is then possible. 

May 3, 2020. I am in my bathtub (fully clothed) and praying to anything, to anyone to cure me of this disease. I know I am sick, I see the red flags. Rock bottom has its claws in my neck.

May 3, 2021. Bagel time! It is my one-year celebration of sobriety. My friends and I sit around eating bagels and drinking (good) coffee. We pass around my 12 sobriety coins, the weight in my hands seemingly lifting the weight off my shoulders. Chattering and chipper, we tell stories about the scars on our bodies and hearts.

 That night, I went to the aforementioned Alcoholics Anonymous. My acceptance speech was long and dreary. I ranted on about how I felt I was constantly racing against the clock. 

Something changed that night. We’ll call him Bart for anonymity’s sake. Bart listened intently to my ramblings, and when it came time, he said something I still think about. He told me time was my greatest ally. It seemed so wrong to me. Why would I want to be allies or even friendly with this thing that consistently mocked me from one step ahead? Cynical and pessimistic, I didn’t believe Bart or anybody wanted the best for me. But having someone not only hear me, but see me, made me feel less alone. 

When I decide on my own course, I end up where I was three years ago. But when I keep an open mind, listen and allow my higher power to guide me, I can admit to my powerlessness. I can move toward controlling what I can and leaving what I cannot. Freedom springs from this choice. Recovery is not only the accumulation of days sober, but the spiritual and emotional progress we make in those days. I can waste time on booze and oblong pills, or I can use it to better myself and help those who are at a crossroad on the yellow brick road, thinking it is their only path to happiness. That’s the deception of addiction. Once the curtain is pulled back, you see the true motivation this disease has for you. Only through the tenacity, camaraderie and inner serenity I have found through recovery have I been able to return to Kansas, Toto in tow, ready to do the hard work of staying sober and paving a new path to the future I have reclaimed. 

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108 Drug Abuse Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best drug abuse topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on drug abuse, 💡 most interesting drug abuse topics to write about, ❓ drug abuse research questions.

Drug abuse essays are an excellent way to learn about the issue and its influence on various groups and populations while demonstrating your understanding.

Various substances, including alcohol, narcotics, and other mind-altering products, are a popular method for recreation in some communities.

However, they are prone to result in addiction, psychological as well as mental, and lead the person to pursue another dose before anything else.

In doing so, he or she can eventually ruin his or her life, which is why most drugs are currently banned around the world. This article will offer you some tips that will help you write an excellent essay and receive the top grade.

Youth is a major demographic that is affected by addiction issues due to drug consumption. Young people are impressionable and prone to search for new sensations. Drugs can offer a sense of novelty and provide an experience they have not had before, leading to considerable appeal.

Considering that young people are generally not wealthy and have to focus on work to succeed in life, essays on drug among youth can use a variety of excellent topics. You can offer your ideas on the reason for the phenomenon’s existence and ways in which it can be prevented.

However, remember that the purpose of the programs should be to help the people who are at risk.

There are many other drug abuse essay topics that you can explore, with poverty being a prominent example. Despite their conditions, many people turn to substance abuse to try and escape the unpleasant aspects of their life.

These population segments are more likely to suffer after acquiring a drug habit than young people because they generally receive less attention.

Furthermore, poor neighborhoods with relatively low amounts of surveillance by law enforcement are likely to house drug dealers who prey on vulnerable people.

You can discuss this topic or discuss a variety of other ones, as the relationship between poverty and poor outcomes has been researched deeply.

Here are some additional tips for your essay:

• Try to use examples to illustrate your points about various aspects of the issue. Drug addiction essay quotations from people who are affected by the condition or have overcome it can offer valuable insights. They also legitimize your findings by providing parallels with the real world.
• Alcohol essays are an excellent choice, as the substance is legal and available to everyone without much difficulty. Nevertheless, its effects can be devastating, especially if a person’s consumption is chronic.
• Try to write a drug abuse essay outline before starting work, as it will help you to organize the essay. Select some prominent ideas that you want to discuss and organize them in a manner that represents a logical progression. You do not have to discard all of the other concepts, as you can make them sub-headings under your main titles.
• Be sure to include a drug abuse essay introduction and conclusion in your work. They will help you provide a structure to the essay and make it easier for the reader to understand your ideas. The introduction should describe the topic and provide the thesis, and the conclusion should restate your main points.

Visit IvyPanda for drug abuse essay titles, and other useful samples on various subjects to help you with your writing work!

• Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse Drug trafficking contributes to drug abuse in the society. Drug trafficking also contributes to increased criminal activities that affect the security of citizens.
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse For along time now, drug and alcohol abuse in the society has been a problem that affects the youth and the society at large. This paper highlights the problems of drug abuse and alcohol drinking […]
• Drug Abuse and Current Generation Drug abuse also breeds an array of behavioral problems among young people, which may affect their suitability to fit in the society.
• Drug Abuse & Its Effects on Families Focusing on the family seems to be by far, the most known and effective way of finding a solution with regards to the “war on drugs” since it more promising to end the vicious cycle […]
• Social Media Impact on Drug Abuse Thus, social media platforms definitely contribute to the misuse of various drugs by romanticizing their consumption and making “social drug use” acceptable among users.
• Consequences of Drug Abuse The endless stream of drugs, obtainable to the individuals with little or no restrictions, poses a serious inquiry. When assessing the advantages of using pharmaceutical drugs, it is essential to consider the severity of health […]
• Drug and Substance Abuse Many experts consider addiction as a disease as it affects a specific part of the brain; the limbic system commonly referred to as the pleasure center.
• Prevention Research: The Fight Against Drug Abuse It is agreeable that US’s ‘War on Drugs’ has been an effective substance abuse prevention plan despite the hiccups that the program faces and its inability to attain some of its designated mandates within the […]
• Reasons Behind Youth’s Engagement to Drug Abuse in the 21st Century Although youths in the 21st century engage in drug abuse due to several factors, it suffices to declare factors such as the rising unemployment status, peer pressure, and their hiked tendency to copy their parents’ […]
• Substance Abuse: Prevention Strategies and National Benchmarks Still, this desire to get away from problems by means of substances instead of making effort to improve an individual’s environment contributed to the evolution of the challenge of substance abuse into a real public […]
• Merton’s Argument of Deviance: The Case of Drug Abuse The most prominent example in support of Merton’s argument in relation to drug abuse is that cultural and social circumstances play a crucial role in defining people’s desire to engage in drug use.
• Drug Abuse Among the Youth Essentially, this case study will allow the evaluation of the prevailing cases of drug abuse among the youth. In this regard, the pain and peer pleasure cannot be persevered to allow an explicit cure of […]
• Drug Abuse, Aggression and Antisocial Behavior The use of abusive drugs can cause anger in people because of the effect they have on the brain. An example of how alcohol can cause aggression in a person is that it impairs an […]
• Prevention Programs: Drug Abuse Resistance Education This program focuses on handling peer pressure among youths, a crucial cause of drug abuse in the country. The program is also grounded on sound research, which offers the critical elements vital to handling the […]
• Teenage Drug Abuse in the United States The problem of teenage drug abuse inflicts a threat to the future society and health state of the overall population in the United States.
• Drug Abuse and Prevention Strategies When specialists deal with preventative factors, they pay attention to both mental and physical ways to resist the drug. The symbiosis of these procedures is exceptionally efficient in terms of the drug rehabilitation process when […]
• Drug Abuse Effects on Health and Nervous System These numerous damages severely affect the quality of the brains work and the health of the nervous system. While discussing the effects of drug addiction, it is essential to notice that it has a devastating […]
• Drug Abuse. “Nine Years Under” Book by Sheri Booker The book is thought provoking and important because it allows representing the difficult social situation and the problems of gang violence and drugs in the United States from the personal point of view.
• Drug Abuse in Adolescents and Its Causes Scientific research shows that the development factors for adolescent drug abuse are not limited to a set of three to five causes, but are usually linked to the integration of destructive environmental conditions.
• Youth Drug Abuse Among, Education, and Policies Although drug abuse encompasses improper use of drugs disregarding the prescriptions of medical practitioners, the principal challenges of drug abuse occasion from abuse of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.
• Drug Abuse and Society Regardless of the many intervention measures that can be adopted to solve this problem of drug abuse, the most effective intervention measure is to create awareness to youths to enable them change their behaviors and […]
• Drug Abuse as a Social Problem This poses as problem to the society because many of the people who are unemployed will resort to different ways of seeking money and pleasure.
• Drug Abuse and Its Psychological Effects The purpose of this paper is to explore in more depth the psychological effects of addiction on the family and inner circle of the addict.
• Policies for Pregnant Women With Drug Abuse Thus, out of all the offered policies, financial support for therapy is the best one, as it motivates prevention and treatment, which, in turn, causes the improvement of this situation.
• The Formative Evaluation: Program of Addressing Drug Abuse in Schools The proposed program sought to educate students about the challenges of drug abuse, its impacts on academic performance, and the best techniques to avoid the vice.
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Canada Therefore, it contributes as a central factor in the essence of the character, and it is crucial to understand the core definition and the elements that foster the ideology.
• Mitigating Drug Abuse in Pine View School The inclusion of professionals in the fields of health care, counseling, and drugs is expected to promote the delivery of desirable results.
• Drug Abuse and Its Negative Effects This paper aims to highlight what the field of psychology says about the negative effects of drugs and why people continue using despite the consequences. The main effect is that it creates a memory of […]
• Drug Abuse in Lake County, California The topic of drug abuse is essential for discussion due to the need to develop strategies to prevent and minimize the dangerous consequences of drug abuse in different regions.
• Drug Abuse Among Homeless Young Adults in New Jersey The reason why young adults in New Jersey get involved in drugs and alcohol after becoming homeless is to manage their situations in an attempt to attain the tentative pleasure of life despite their problems. […]
• Community Intervention Practices Against Drug Abuse The key features that result in successful community-based intervention on drug abuse are integrated for effectiveness and efficiency. On the other hand, drug abuse refers to the consumption of substances that elicit particular feelings and […]
• Alcoholism, Domestic Violence and Drug Abuse Kaur and Ajinkya researched to investigate the “psychological impact of adult alcoholism on spouses and children”. The work of Kaur and Ajinkya, reveals a link between chronic alcoholism and emotional problems on the spouse and […]
• Monitoring the Future: National Survey Results on Drug Use National survey results on drug use obtained by Monitoring the Future have a significant value to the development of various approaches with regard to the prevention of drug abuse.
• The Health Issues Associated With Drug Abuse It is therefore imperative to develop strategies for health promotion to reduce the number of teenagers, the most at-risk family member when it comes to drug abuse.
• Fentanyl – Drug Profile and Specific and Drug Abuse The drug has the effect of depressing the respiratory center, constricting the pupils, as well as depressing the cough reflex. The remainder 75% of fentanyl is swallowed and absorbed in G-tract.
• Cases of Drug Abuse Amongst Nursing Professionals It is noteworthy that at the top of the information, the date posted is Monday, February 14, 2011, yet against the information, the date is February 11, 2011.
• The Treatment of Drug Abuse Any medical practitioner treating a drug abuse patient has to be careful in many aspects, like: He has to be careful on the issue that if the addiction has effected the brain of the patient.
• Drug Courts and Detoxification: Approach to Drug Abuse Treatment However, since 1989, the US federal system has been providing the majority of drug abusers with proper treatment or education with the help of a drug court option.
• Drug Abuse in Adolescents Aged 15-19 Years Old: A Public Health Menace In addition, the objectives of the paper are as follows: the first aim is to analyze the collected data and produce a review of the information.
• Drug Abuse and Addiction Holimon has succeeded in reviving some of her family relations, and she is still putting a lot of effort to get ahead in this area to the fullest extent possible.
• Sports as a Solution to Youth Substance Abuse: Dr. Collingwood’s View His comments made me realize that it would be unwise by the end of the day for any parent to leave their children under the mercy of the media where they learned that doing drugs […]
• Drug Abuse in High School and College With respect to social work and the problem of substance abuse, research has been carried out in terms of investigating the relationship between drug abuse and poverty, the effects of drug abuse on the society.
• Critical Issues in Education: Drug Abuse and Alcoholism For this case, the ministry concerned has a very hard task of ensuring there are no critical issues that are left unsolved that relate to education, failure to which will affect the performance of students […]
• Biopsychosocial Experience in Drug Abuse Treatment There has to be a preventive strategy in every intervention procedure to avoid the occurrence of a disease. I find the course of treatment in this intervention beneficial for the creation of the needed preventive […]
• Addictive Behavior Programs and Drug Abuse Trends The involvement of stakeholders is an essential condition for the effectiveness of this model of work and its results, and all the roles should be allocated in accordance with the capabilities of the program’s participants.
• Substance Misuse in American Youth: A Socio-Cultural Analysis The paper analyzes studies regarding some of the most widespread types of substances, as well as discusses the role of the rap culture in the growing number of young addicts in the U.S.
• Social Behaviour as a Science: Drug Abuse in Youth Thus, the application of social psychology to the phenomenon of youth drug abuse helps to explain how social factors impact the prevalence of and risk for drug abuse.
• ACTIQ Prescription Drug Abuse The fast-acting characteristic of ACTIQ is a result of being absorbed in the mucosal lining of the mouth. ACTIQ is a synthetic drug that is available as lozenges/lollipops, which are designed to be sucked in […]
• Prescription Drug Abuse and Lebanon Students The first two authors are the representatives of the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the American University of Beirut, and Martins is from the Department of Mental Health, the John Hopkins University.
• Financial Planning for Drug Abuse Prevention in Virginia Estates Therefore, the first preferred sources for the program are the County Commission and the Alabama Department of Corrections. The program can be financed by the Montgomery County Commission in the short term and Alabama Department […]
• Addressing the Drug Abuse in Parolees and Probationers The aim of the program is to address the drug abuse in parolees and probationers during their probations and decrease the use of drugs in them.
• Problem of Drug Abuse in Schools The research worked on the hypothesis that the treatment would reduce or result in the total cessation of drug use, and better relations with family and friends.
• Prescription Drug Abuse in the United States The combination of Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are effective for the patients, who want to reduce and control the level of pain.
• Impact of Drug Abuse on Adolescent Development Therefore, it is important for counselors to consider these stages to help them address the issue of substance abuse among adolescents. In the habitual stage, most adolescents take drugs to help them modify their moods.
• Drug Abuse: Age, Gender and Addictive Susceptibility This incorporates the aspects of gender where males and females possess varying biological constitutions that might affect the prescribed treatments in the realms of addiction. It is important to consider the rapidity and susceptibility of […]
• Drug Abuse Prevention Programs Additionally, it is possible to prospect the success of the program in case the required readiness from the community can be unveiled prior to the program execution.
• The Cultural Context and Ethics of Prevention of Drug Abuse The first prevention strategy outlined in the document is the involvement of young people in all levels of the prevention program establishment. Concurrently, it is crucial to relate this technique with the subject of culture […]
• Use of Psychotropic Medications in the Treatment of Drug Abuse This is because the mental illness is, literally, the one that sustains the abuse of drugs and thus after it is healed; the patient will have no reason to continue abusing the drugs.
• Drug Abuse: Awareness Amongst the Youths This project is going to carry out a public awareness campaign with the aim of educating the young people on the hazards related to the vice of drug and substance abuse. The awareness campaign is […]
• A New Alcohol and Drug-Abuse Rehabilitation Center in Liverpool Hospital, Sydney The hospital, in response to this distress, has decided to bring help closer to the people of Liverpool by the construction of the annex facility.
• Spirituality Effect on Drug Abuse Treatment Programs The hypothesis of the study was that spirituality is appropriate in the formal treatment of addiction; the study confirmed this hypothesis.
• Drug Abuse and Religious Spirituality Concept Particularly, this high rate of relapses was determined by Olmstead et al.as a direct result of a degree of failure on the part of drug abuse treatment programs to sufficiently address the primary reason why […]
• Drug Abuse and Harmful Health Effects The principle recognizes the importance of helping drug addicts out of the activity but also sees the importance of protecting their rights to health matters if the country is to realize economic development.
• The Extent of Drug Abuse Among People in America Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Said He Lied about Crack Cocaine Use Because He Was Embarrassed Mayor lied about the use of crack cocaine The article titled “Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he lied about crack […]
• Drug Use and Abuse in America: Historical Analysis The new law was similar to the Boggs Act of 1951 in that it employed the same formula of using perceived increase in drug use in the country.
• Drug Abuse as an Ethical Issue On the side of duties and obligations, the societal norms stipulate that individuals should be caring to other members of the society especially the children and the old.
• “Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction” by National Institute on Drug Abuse The literature provides us with a report of a research that has been conducted in the US regarding the topic of cocaine and drug abuse.
• Prescription Painkillers, the New Drug Abuse of Choice Studies attribute the recent increase in the misuse of prescription drugs to an increase in the use of the Internet, which facilitates the growth of illegitimate online drug stores and uncontrolled online prescription drug sales.
• Music Analysis: Drug Abuse in Music So in this song the artist is also lamenting the dangers of drugs and the theme of the music is one that advocates against tackling the problem with issues of drug abuse by arguing the […]
• Drug Abuse: Comprehensive Review The effects associated with drug abuse tend to vary depending on an individual’s age and the phase of drug abuse that the person is in.
• Adolescent’s Drug Abuse and Therapy Success When one accepts to put up with negative peer pressure, they end up giving up the personal trusts and values thus the pressure becomes a form of a negative force.”Does peer pressure affect the decision […]
• What Are Influences That Cause Drug Abuse on Youth?
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• Why Has the American Government Not Managed to Stop Drug Abuse All These Years?
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Drug Addiction College Essays Samples For Students

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Regardless of how high you rate your writing abilities, it's always a worthy idea to check out a competently written College Essay example, especially when you're handling a sophisticated Drug Addiction topic. This is precisely the case when WowEssays.com catalog of sample College Essays on Drug Addiction will come in handy. Whether you need to think up an original and meaningful Drug Addiction College Essay topic or look into the paper's structure or formatting peculiarities, our samples will provide you with the required data.

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Example Of Illegal Drug Abuse Essay

Drug addiction is a growing serious problem that has drastic physical and emotional effects on the user and family and a long road to recovery

Illegal Drug Abuse

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Town/City Introduction The ethical issue in this case concerns drug abuse among the city workers that work in the city of London. This issue has become rampant in the city, and this has posed several challenges, which are detrimental to the individual workers, as well as their families. I have prepared this report to elaborate the extent to which my bank has an obligation to address drug abuse.

Ethical issue

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in the Criminal Justice System

. Any drug (whether medicinally prescribed or recreationally taken) will have adverse consequences on the body. Often we refer to these as side-effects when discussing doctor-prescribed medications, or as negative effects when discussing illicit street drugs. Either way, these effects are the consequences of introducing a substance other than food into the human body. These consequences may be physical, neurological or psychological, and they sometimes lead to dependence on the substance.

The need to consider whether or not the benefit of prescribing a medicinal drug to a

Essay on sociology issue.

This paper seeks to explore one of the themes in the Fisher King movie which is homelessness. The paper will first discuss the movie itself. It will basically dwell on the plot with the aim of getting the causes, risk factors, impact and the solution to homelessness as depicted in the movie. Thereafter, the paper will tackle homelessness as a sociological issue. It will explore the causes, the risk factors, the social impact and the solution to homelessness.

Review of the Fisher King Movie

Family assessment essay, the relationship between anxiety and depressant drug addiction essay.

This article explores the relationship between anxiety and depressant drug addiction. The factors that increase the risk for mental disease and substance abuse are similar. These factors include gender, race, low self-esteem, and genetics. The argument can go both directions. One direction believes that mental disorders increase the risk of drug dependency. The other direction is that substance abuse increases the risk of mental illness.

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Essay on Drug Addiction | Drug Addiction Essay for Students and Children in English

February 12, 2024 by Veerendra

Essay on Drug Addiction: Addiction refers to the harmful need to consume substances that have damaging consequences on the user. Addiction affects not just the body but also on the person’s mental health and soundness of mind. Addiction is one of the most severe health problems faced around the world and is termed as a chronic disease. A widespread disorder ranges from drugs, alcohol addiction to gambling, and even phone addiction.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

One of the most unfortunate yet common addictions that affect millions today is drug addiction. Also referred to as substance – use disorder, it is the addiction to substances that harm neurological functioning and a person’s behavior. The essay provides relevant information on this topic.

Long and Short Essay on Drug Addiction in English for Students and Kids

There are two essays listed below. The long essay consists of 500 words and a short essay of 200 words.

Long Essay on Drug Addiction in English 500 words

Drug addiction, also known as substance–use disorder, refers to the dangerous and excessive intake of legal and illegal drugs. This leads to many behavioral changes in the person as well as affects brain functions. Drug addiction includes abusing alcohol, cocaine, heroin, opioid, painkillers, and nicotine, among others. Drugs like these help the person feel good about themselves and induce ‘dopamine’ or the happiness hormone. As they continue to use the drug, the brain starts to increase dopamine levels, and the person demands more.

Drug addiction has severe consequences. Some of the signs include anxiety, paranoia, increased heart rate, and red eyes. They are intoxicated and unable to display proper coordination and have difficulty in remembering things. A person who is addicted cannot resist using them and unable to function correctly without ingesting them. It causes damage to the brain, their personal and professional relationships. It affects mental cognition; they are unable to make proper decisions, cannot retain information, and make poor judgments. They tend to engage in reckless activities such as stealing or driving under the influence. They also make sure that there is a constant supply and are willing to pay a lot of money even if they are unable to afford it and tend to have erratic sleep patterns.

Drug addiction also causes a person to isolate themselves and have either intense or no food cravings. They stop taking care of their hygiene. Drug addiction affects a person’s speech and experience hallucinations. They are unable to converse and communicate properly; they speak fast and are hyperactive. Those addicted have extreme mood swings. They can go from feeling happy to feeling sad quickly and are incredibly secretive. They begin to lose interest in activities they once loved. Substance abusers also undergo withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms refer to the symptoms that occur when they stop taking the drug. Some withdrawal symptoms include nausea, fatigue, and tremors. They stop and starting using again, an endless cycle that could be life-threatening. Drug addiction can be fatal if not treated timely. It can cause brain damage and seizures as well as overdose, heart diseases, respiratory problems, damage to the liver and kidneys, vomiting, lung diseases, and much more.

Though chronic, treatment is available for drug addiction. Many techniques are used, such as behavioral counseling, medication to treat the addiction, and providing treatment not just for substance abuse but also for many factors that accompany addiction such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Many devices have developed to overcome addiction. There are rehabilitation centers to help people. After treatment, there are numerous follow-ups to ensure that the cycle does not come back. The most important is having family and friends to support the effect. It will help them build confidence and come over their addiction.

The United Nations celebrates International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on the 26th of June. Drug addiction impacts millions and needs to be treated carefully to prevent further harm to the individual and letting them live a better life.

Short Essay on Drug Addiction in English 250 words

Drug addiction refers to taking substances that are harmful to our bodies. They cause changes to a person’s behavior as well. Many people take these drugs to feel happier and better about themselves. These dangerous substances make the brain produce a chemical that makes us happy, called dopamine. Producing large amounts of these causes the person to take the drug consistently.

Some of the drugs include alcohol, nicotine, and other unhealthy substances. Taking these substances can lead to many symptoms. These include unable to think correctly, cannot remember things, and unable to speak clearly. They steal and keep secrets from their close ones. Those addicted cannot sleep; they become happy and sad quickly. They stop doing the activities that they liked doing. They are not aware of their surroundings. Taking these dangerous substances can cause many health problems such as vomiting, unable to breathe, brain, and lung damage. It also affects their family, friends, and work.

Drug addiction is life-threatening. However, people with this addiction can be treated and helped with therapy, counseling, and taking medicines along with rehab centers. They do follow-ups to ensure that they never retake these drugs. They must have their family and friends to support them as they recover.

10 lines About Drug Addiction Essay in English

• Drug addiction refers to taking harmful substances that affect a person’s brain functions and behavior. It involves taking legal and illegal drugs, and the person is unable to stop using them. It is also referred to as substance- use disorders
• Harmful drugs include alcohol, cocaine, heroin, opioids, painkillers, nicotine, etc.
• The harmful drugs cause an excessive release of dopamine or the happy hormone, which causes the person to take more.
• Drug addiction can affect mental cognition, including decision making, judgments, and memory. It also causes speech problems.
• It can cause anxiety paranoia and increased blood pressure. They have erratic sleep patterns and isolate themselves. It causes problems in their personal and professional relationships.
• Those addicted become moody, hyperactive, and hallucinate. They also engage in reckless activities.
• They experience withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop using substances. These include nausea, fatigue, and tremors.
• It can have many effects on the body, such as brain damage, seizures, liver and kidney damage, respiratory and lung issues.
• Treatment is available. It includes behavioral therapy, medication, rehabilitation, as well as a follow-up to prevent relapse.
• The United Nations celebrates International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on the 26th of June.

Frequently Asked Questions on Drug Addiction Essay

Question  1. What is drug addiction?

Answer: Drug addiction, also known as substance – use disorder, refers to the dangerous and excessive intake of legal and illegal drugs. This leads to many behavioral changes in the person as well as affects brain functions.

Question 2. Why does drug addiction occur?

Answer: People become addicted to these drugs because they want to feel happier. The drugs cause a chemical called dopamine, which induces happiness to be released. The brain starts to increase dopamine levels, and thus the person becomes addicted to the drug to match the increasing levels.

Question 3. What is the difference between dependence and addiction?

Answer: Dependence and addiction vary. While dependence is an intense craving for the drug by the body, addiction also refers to the changes in behavior and bodily functions due to repeated use of the drug, which has severe consequences.

Question 4. Can we treat drug addiction?

Answer: Yes, drug addiction can be treated. The various treatment methods are behavioral counseling, medication, and treatment of anxiety and depression. There are rehabilitation centers available. This is followed by a check-up to prevent relapse.

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• Drug Addiction Treatment

Addiction can take hold of someone at any period of life. However, there are some times when people are more vulnerable to the lure of substance abuse. For many individuals, college is one of those times. Between rigorous new academic requirements, living on their own and being exposed to numerous brand new social circles, college students are at risk for developing an addiction regardless of their prior knowledge of or relationship to drugs and alcohol.

With the right awareness, college can be a transformative experience that sets a young adult on the path to success. Without it, the path they head down might be toward lifelong addiction. Understanding the risk of addiction and how it can affect students is paramount for those who are college-bound themselves as well as the people who care about them.

Why Students Turn to Drugs

Common drugs on college campuses, the results of addiction in college, identifying a drug or alcohol problem, get back on track with gateway, drug use and addiction on college campuses.

It’s no secret that one of the new experiences on almost any college campus is being exposed to alcohol and drugs. It’s a major plot point in enough summer comedies that both parents and students may consider the possibility with some trepidation. Some schools have codes of conduct that expressly prohibit drinking and substance use, but these agreements may not carry the weight parents and administrators hope.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released their  latest data on substance abuse in college  students in 2016. The report presents statistics on full-time and part-time college students ages 18 to 22, and the numbers are worrying. These are the numbers to know:

• More than 30% of full-time students took part in binge drinking during the previous month.
• About 20% of students had used an illicit drug during the previous month.
• On an average day in the year preceding the survey, 2,179 full-time students took their first drink of alcohol.
• On an average day in the previous year, 1,326 full-time students tried an illicit drug for the first time.

These statistics demonstrate the disturbing number of young adults who opt to try alcohol or an illicit substance every day, but even these numbers only account for the first time use. This crucial finding helps illustrate the pattern of ongoing substance use:

• On an average day, 1.2 million students drank alcohol, and nearly 704,000 used marijuana .

Given that the study represents the habits of 9 million full-time students, it’s clear that college kids are partaking in substance abuse at alarming rates. Interestingly, part-time students do not display significantly lower levels of this behavior.

Binge drinking is one of the most perilous and most common forms of substance abuse on college campuses. The 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveals that, of the students who drank alcohol in the past month, nearly  35% reported binge drinking . Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion for men and four or more drinks on one occasion for women. This type of risky drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, as well as behavior that harms others, such as assault.

The problem of drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses has been a constant since these types of studies were introduced. Finding out why college students are so susceptible to substance abuse is key to preventing it.

Every student has their own reasons for turning to drugs or alcohol. These reasons are varied and most students experience more than one before they decide to try a drug or start drinking to the point of abuse. These are five of the most common factors in college student drug use.

1. Curiosity

College is often the first time young adults feel free to “let loose,” and this newfound freedom is usually backed by a strong desire to try new things. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol tend to fall into this category. People don’t set out to get addicted to any substance. Addiction usually starts with consumption just to try out a new sensation.

New college students are experiencing the end of adolescence. Their brains are still  not fully developed , which affects their decision-making abilities. In situations where an adult brain would weigh the options and decide not to take a new type of drug or have a second drink, a college student’s curiosity can easily get the better of them.

2. Peer Pressure

Many parents and authority figures recognize the dangers of peer pressure and take measures to ensure young adults don’t give in to it. However, there’s simply no denying that if everyone else is doing something, it’s hard not to do it yourself. If a student has entered a situation where the majority of the people around them are drinking to excess, it becomes harder to resist when another student offers a drink.

Alcohol is the most common culprit for peer pressure because it’s so socially accepted. Marijuana is another drug of note because of its increasing state-level legality.

College students are experiencing a totally new format for their education. They move from rigidly structured classes and activities to having to create and follow their own schedules. About  43% of full-time undergrads are employed , adding yet another source of stress to their plate. Alcohol and marijuana are both marketed as a means of relaxation, making them appealing to some college students who feel overwhelmed.

Many students don’t realize that drugs and alcohol are dangerous and unhealthy paths to relaxation until they start skipping morning classes due to hangovers or failing to complete assignments because their motivation is being sapped by marijuana. It’s imperative for college students to learn stress and anxiety management techniques so they are less tempted by the temporary solution of intoxication.

4. Availability

Unfortunately, one of the factors in the prevalence of college drug abuse is that the substances are available. There is always someone with an older friend willing to buy alcohol, and parties may be a popular place for local drug dealers to stop by. Not every party is a hotbed of substance abuse activity, but it’s likely that a student will be offered drugs during at least one gathering. Even without someone pressuring them, students may take the sheer availability of a substance to mean it’s not that dangerous.

5. Self-Esteem

College students don’t always have a well-formed self-image, and any issues with self-esteem may be exacerbated by the variety of new social situations they are expected to navigate. If a student makes friends with a group of people who are frequently intoxicated, they may start to feel like they are more fun or interesting when drunk or high.

Theoretically, students can be exposed to any type of drug, including the life-threatening opioid fentanyl. However, some substances that are particularly common to college campuses. Here are five of the drugs a student is most likely to encounter during their college days.

Unsurprisingly, alcohol is the number one drug of abuse on college campuses. It’s uniquely positioned for abuse because of its pervasive role in our culture. It is completely legal for anyone over 21, and students see advertisements glamorizing it wherever they turn. In many states, you can walk into any gas station with your valid ID and walk out with enough alcohol to get multiple people dangerously drunk. Some states even allow hard liquor to be sold in the grocery store.

Even if a student is not yet of age, alcohol is not hard to obtain. Alcohol is almost a focus at parties, especially in fraternities and sororities. If a student wants to get drunk, they likely won’t have to look far to find a free or cheap source of alcohol.

2. Marijuana

Marijuana use among young adults has spiked alarmingly over the past few years. A  new study  concludes that around one in five students will become first-time users of marijuana, whereas the chances of first-time use are closer to one in ten if not attending college. Although marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, multiple states have set up thriving markets for the drug. The normalization of marijuana has led to it achieving a status near alcohol’s on college campuses.

Marijuana is harder to hide than alcohol due to its intense odor, so it’s less common to find in dorm rooms and on campus. In legalized states, it’s easy to get someone over 21 to purchase marijuana for you, but in other states, students must engage with drug dealers who often peddle other, more dangerous substances.

3. Prescription Stimulants

One worrying trend is students using prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes. Drugs like Concerta ® , Ritalin ®  and Adderall ®  are prescribed to people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and help them live their lives more normally. College students without ADHD use prescription stimulants as “study drugs” to study longer with greater focus. Young adults ages 18 to 25 are responsible for  60% of non-medical use  of the drug Adderall.

For the most part, students who abuse these  prescription drugs  get them from other students or family members. It’s also fairly simple to get a prescription for the drugs, as the symptoms of ADHD are easy to memorize and report to a physician.

Cocaine is one of the substances for which we have little data on college students specifically. While cocaine use in the general population has been steadily declining, there is some evidence that it may actually be increasing among college students. One of the  largest studies on the matter  indicates that by the end of the fourth year in college, 36% of students had been offered cocaine and 13% had used it.

Cocaine is especially popular in fraternities and sororities. It’s also more common among students  who work in food service .

5. Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines , namely Xanax ® , are becoming a serious issue on college campuses. Also known by its generic name alprazolam, Xanax is the  most commonly prescribed psychotropic medication  in the United States. This medication is what’s known as a “downer” and is used illegally as a means of relaxing and alleviating stress. However, most college students are unaware of the medication’s side effects and the extreme difficulty of recovering from this type of addiction.

Like prescription stimulants, college students usually get benzodiazepines from someone who has a legitimate prescription and is selling off their supply.

College students often don’t grasp the consequences of substance abuse and addiction while they’re in school. They may feel like their addiction is under control and that they can stop at any time. Many assume they will be able to stop using drugs or drinking once they graduate and move on to adult life. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case once substance abuse begins. Here are three areas where the effects of substance abuse make a significant impact.

Students may assume that drug and alcohol use won’t affect them physically because they are young and healthy. While youth and a healthy body may delay the onset of serious health problems, there will be inescapable physical consequences to continued substance abuse. Here are some examples of what different substances do to a student’s health.

• Alcohol:  Drinking affects every body system and is the  third leading cause  of preventable death in America. Alcohol can cause irreparable damage to the liver, heart and brain in particular.
• Marijuana:  Evidence on the effects of marijuana is scant due to its federally illegal status, but at least one study has linked heavy use to  significant IQ loss . Marijuana extracts have also been linked to worsening symptoms in people with mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
• Prescription stimulants:  These drugs can cause high blood pressure as well as permanent damage to blood vessels, the liver and the kidneys.
• Cocaine:  Cocaine causes  significant damage to multiple organs  and the gastrointestinal tract. Its use is associated with toxic effects on the heart and can increase the risk of stroke.
• Benzodiazepines:  Abusing benzodiazepines causes issues with coordination and judgment, and can make users irritable or hostile. These drugs may also cause memory loss.

These are just a few of the health effects a student might see from prolonged drug abuse. If they are combining any drugs with each other or with alcohol, their risk of overdosing multiplies.

2. Academics

Graduating college is hard enough for a mentally and physically healthy individual. The graduation rate for students getting a bachelor’s degree at a four-year degree-granting institution is about 60%, and a student’s chances of graduating are greatly reduced by drug and alcohol abuse.

Part of the danger is damage to the brain, often caused by inflammation. Brain damage from alcohol, for example, can hinder a student’s ability to learn by impairing short-term memory and organizational components of the brain.

Another element is the loss of motivation drugs can produce. With the exception of prescription stimulants, each of the drugs previously discussed can kill a student’s drive to do the work they need to succeed. If a student is stressed or anxious, they may attempt to quell their emotions with one substance or another ⁠— a common behavioral element in the development of addiction.

Although many students don’t even consider it, substance abuse is largely illegal. Underage drinking is so common that most college-age young adults don’t bat an eye at the concept even though it could get them into serious legal trouble, including fines and even jail time, depending on the state.

Alcohol and certain drugs also alter consciousness in a way that makes an intoxicated person more likely to commit a crime. A normally well-behaved student might get drunk and vandalize school property or get into a fight. At worst, intoxication might lead to violence against someone else.

Getting in trouble with the law due to substance abuse is a huge red flag in terms of addiction, but it can also take away everything a student has worked for. They may be expelled as a result of their run-in, and jail time will make it harder to secure a good job if the student does end up graduating. Even a short series of poor decisions related to substance abuse can follow a college student throughout their lifetime.

Whether you’re concerned about your own use of a substance or are worried that a friend is going overboard with drugs or alcohol, you need to be able to identify the signs of a burgeoning addiction. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) uses the following 11 criteria to gauge the presence and severity of a substance use disorder.

• Hazardous use:  The individual has used the substance in situations that endangered themselves or others. This can include actions like driving drunk, blacking out or overdosing.
• Interpersonal problems:  Substance use has caused turmoil with family or friends.
• Major role neglect:  Substance use has caused a failure to meet expected responsibilities at home, work or school.
• Withdrawal:  After abstaining from the substance, the individual experiences symptoms of withdrawal.
• Tolerance:  The individual must consume more of the substance to obtain the same level of effect.
• Increased consumption:  The individual is consuming more and more of a substance at one time, or continues use of the substance for longer than intended.
• Inability to quit:  The individual has attempted to reduce consumption or stop using the substance without success.
• Time lost to consumption:  The individual is spending a significant and increasing amount of time using the substance.
• Health problems:  Substance use has led to psychological or physical health problems, but the individual continues consumption regardless.
• Activities given up:  Substance use has replaced one or more activities the individual used to enjoy.
• Craving:  The individual experiences a strong desire to use the substance and thinks about it frequently when not using.

College is equal parts stressful and exciting, and many students aren’t taught how to handle their newfound independence responsibly. If you or someone you care about is displaying more than three of the DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder, it’s time to get help. Without treatment, any addiction can spiral out of control and rob students of the benefits of a college education.

Gateway’s many substance abuse treatment programs  address addiction in any individual with no judgment and no discrimination. Anyone can struggle with addiction. What matters is that they get the compassionate, evidence-based treatment that offers the best chance at sustained recovery.

If you’re ready to start on the path to recovery or just want more information about addiction and our treatment options, the first step is to get in touch with Gateway. Get immediate answers on the phone at (877) 505-4673, talk to us through live chat or leave us a message via our  contact form . Gateway teaches the skills you need to live addiction-free in college and beyond.

Gateway Foundation

Gateway Foundation is a recognized leader in evidence-based addiction treatment proven to get results. Our experts in Addiction Medicine—including highly educated clinical and medical professionals and expert psychiatrists and nurses—deliver care that never stops. For over 50 years, Gateway Foundation has been helping individuals and their families recover from addictions and behavioral health issues and is the only provider that covers the entire state of Illinois with 16 facilities from the Wisconsin Border to the Kentucky Border. Gateway has specific programs focusing on substance use disorders, trauma, depression, anxiety, and other co-occurring issues. We’re licensed by the state of Illinois and accredited by the Joint Commission. We are in-network with all the major commercial insurance plans. Gateway Foundation: Addiction medicine, saving lives.

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Essay on Addiction for Students and Children

500 words essay on addiction.

As we all know that excess of anything can be very dangerous, the same way, addiction of any kind can hamper the life quality of an individual. The phrase states that addiction is a family disease as one person uses and the whole family suffers. The above statement stands true in all its essence as the addict does not merely suffer but the people around him suffer greatly too. However, that does not mean they can’t be helped. Addiction is curable and we must not give up on the person who is addicted, rather help them out for a better life.

Cost of Addiction

Addiction comes at a great cost and we need to be able to recognize its harmful consequences to not let ourselves or anyone become an addict. Firstly, addiction has major health hazards. Intake of anything is bad for our body , and it does not matter what type of addiction it is, it will always impact the mental and physical health of a person.

For instance, if you are addicted to drugs or food, you will get various diseases and illnesses. Similarly, if you are addicted to video games, your mental health will also suffer along with physical health.

Moreover, people who are addicts usually face monetary issues. As they use that thing in excess, they spend loads of money on it. People become obsessed with spending all their fortunes on that one thing to satisfy their addiction. Thus, all these addictions of drugs , alcohol , gambling, and more drain the finances of a person and they usually end up in debt or even worse.

Furthermore, the personal and professional relationships of addicts suffer the most. They end up doing things or making decisions that do not work in their favor. This constraint the relationships of people and they drift apart.

Moreover, it also hampers their studies or work life. When you are spending all your money and time on your addiction, naturally your concentration levels in other things will drop. However, all this is not impossible to beat. There are many ways through which one can beat their addiction.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Beat Your Addiction

It is best to work towards beating your addiction rather than getting beat by it. One can try many ways to do so. Firstly, recognize and identify that you have an addiction problem. That is the first step to getting cured. You need to take some time and understand the symptoms in order to treat them. Motivate yourself to do better.

After that, understand that the journey will be long but worthwhile. Identify the triggers in your life and try to stay away from them as far as possible. There is no shame in asking for professional help. Always remember that professionals can always help you get better. Enroll yourself in rehabilitation programs and try to make the most out of them.

Most importantly, do not be hesitant in talking to your loved ones. Approach them and talk it out as they care most about you. They will surely help you get on the right path and help you in beating addiction for better health and life.

Q.1 What are the consequences of addiction?

A.1 Addiction has very severe consequences. Some of them are health hazards, monetary issues, relationship problems, adverse problems on studies and work of a person. It seriously hampers the quality of life of a person.

Q.2 How can one get rid of addiction?

A.2 A little help can go a long way. One can get rid of addiction by enrolling in rehabilitation programs and opening up about their struggle. Try to take professional help and talk with your close ones to become better.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Drug Addiction — Gateway Drugs and Common Drug Abuse

Gateway Drugs and Common Drug Abuse

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Published: Aug 1, 2024

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New Arts and Sciences Faculty: Fall 2024

An outstanding group of new faculty will join the School of Arts and Sciences for the Fall 2024 semester.

Amarildo “Lilu” Barbosa, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Leadership

Amarildo “Lilu” Barbosa is a Senior Lecturer and Program Director in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Leadership program. He comes to Tufts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where he was the Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer. Prior to that, Barbosa was the Chief Diversity Officer at Lesley University and the Directory of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Student Inclusion. His academic interests have focused on strategic diversity leadership, professional development, and organizational learning and capacity building. He received his PhD from Lesley University.    

Jonah Bloch-Johnson, Earth and Climate Sciences

Jonah Bloch-Johnson is the Chang Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences. He comes to Tufts from a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the United Kingdom’s National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading. Bloch-Johnson studies nonlinear climate dynamics, which explores the ways in which the climate’s response to disturbances such as humanity’s CO 2 emissions can become stronger or weaker over time. His work has received funding from the National Science Foundation and has been published in  Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems  and  Climate Dynamics,  among others .  He received his PhD from the University of Chicago. 

Alexandra Collins, Community Health

Alexandra Collins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health. She comes to Tufts from Brown University School of Public Health where she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology. Her community-based research examines social, structural, and environmental drives of health outcomes among people who use drugs, and evaluates substance use-related interventions. She previously worked at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use and the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Her work has been published in journals such as  International Journal of Drug Policy, Journal of Urban Health , and  Social Science & Medicine and has informed drug policy related to decriminalization and the establishment of overdose prevention centers. She received her PhD from Simon Fraser University in Canada. 

Simone Dufresne, Child Study and Human Development

Simone Dufresne is a Lecturer in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development. She recently completed her PhD at Tufts with a dissertation titled “Navigating Tufts for Neurodivergent Students: Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Workshop Series at a U.S. University.” Her research focuses on how autistic individuals understand themselves and their place in society, and how interventions can support this development. She has been working in the autism field supporting youth and families for over 10 years. 

Jeremy Eichler, Music

Jeremy Eichler is the Cummings Assistant Professor in the Department of Music. He is a writer, scholar and critic .  Before joining Tufts, Eichler was the Chief Classical Music Critic for  The Boston Globe , a position he held for 18 years. He has multiple Pulitzer Prize nominations in Criticism for his work at the  Globe.  Eichler is the author of  Time’s Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance  (Alfred A. Knopf and Faber, 2023), which was the winner of three National Jewish Book Awards and named a notable book of 2023 by  The   New Yorker, The New York Times,  and NPR. In 2018 he was named a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar and is a recipient of an ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for music criticism. He also received a fellowship from Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Eichler’s criticisms and essays have appeared in  The New Yorker, The News Republic, The Times of London, The Nation, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Forward,  and  Slate.  He holds a PhD from Columbia University.  

Anne Fast, Psychology

Anne Fast is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology. She joins Tufts after faculty positions at Western Washington University and Clark University. She has extensive teaching and advising experience, and has also served as a departmental coordinator for graduate teaching assistants. At Tufts, she will be teaching courses in statistics for the behavioral sciences, developmental psychology, and gender development, among others, as well as advising students in all 5 of our undergraduate majors .  Her research interests include prosocial behavior, morality, social cognitive development, and gender development. She received her PhD from the University of Washington.

Isabela Fraga, Romance Studies

Isabela Fraga is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Romance Studies. She comes to Tufts from Stanford University where she was a Postdoctoral Mellon Fellow at Stanford Humanities Center and a Lecturer of Iberian and Latin American Cultures. Her research explores issues of personhood, subjectivity, and language in the context of chattel slavery in Latin America and the Spanish CaribbeanSpecifically, her book project traces a century-long genealogy of writings concerned with the affective lives of enslaved and free people of African descent in Brazil and Cuba, the two most lucrative coffee- and sugar-producing regions of the nineteenth-century Atlantic world.   Fraga received her PhD in Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies from the University of Chicago.

Fatima Aysha Hussain, Biology

Fatima Aysha Hussain is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology. Before coming to Tufts, she was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard. In 2021 she was awarded the Schmidt Science Fellowship. Her lab at Tufts will study the ecology and evolution of microbes living in the human vagina with the aim of using this research to design ecologically-informed microbial therapies for women’s health. She received her PhD from MIT, where she studied virus-bacteria interactions in the ocean. At Tufts she will be designing a new Virology course and co-teaching the Microbiology Lab. Her research has been published in journals such as  Nature, Science,  and  Nature Microbiology.

Jordan Jurinsky, Child Study and Human Development

Jordan Jurinsky is an Assistant Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development. He recently received his PhD from Vanderbilt University with a dissertation titled “Dynamic ecology of adolescent recovery: A mixed methods exploration of the individual, family, and school contexts of adolescent alcohol use recovery.” His interdisciplinary research examines how social contexts, such as peers, families, schools, and communities, impact the addiction recovery process of adolescents and young adults, with an emphasis on health equity and action research. He is also the Director of the Systematic Evaluation of the Association of Recovery Schools, which is developing and iterating a nation-wide data infrastructure for recovery high schools. He has published his work in peer reviewed journals such as  Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research ,  Addiction Research & Theory , and  The Journal of American College Health.

Jing Li, Economics

Jing Li is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics. She comes to Tufts from the MIT Sloan School of Management where she held the William Barton Rogers Career Development Chair of Energy Economics. From 2017-2018, Li was a Postdoctoral Associate of the MIT Energy Initiative. Her research interests lie in energy economics and industrial organization, focusing on development and adoption of new technologies. In recent work, Li has studied standardization and location choices in the U.S. electric vehicle charging industry, automaker diesel vehicle emissions control technology, and cost pass-through in E85 retail markets. Li received her PhD from Harvard

Brandon McDonald, Classical Studies

Brandon McDonald is the Rumsey Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Classical Studies. He joins Tufts from the University of Basel in Switzerland where he was a Postdoctoral Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Ancient History. McDonald’s research interests include ancient environmental history; Roman and late ancient history/archaeology; ancient disease and health; palaeoclimatology; Graeco-Roman Egypt; and Roman and late antique western Asia. He has published his work in journals such as  The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology  and is working on converting his dissertation into a monograph titled  Roman Ecology: The Interplay of An Empire, Its Natural Environment and Pathogens.  He received his DPhil from the University of Oxford. 

Emily Meehan, Mathematics

Emily Meehan is a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics. She comes to Tufts from Wheaton College where she was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor at Gallaudet University. Meehan has published research in  Advances in Applied Mathematics.  She completed her PhD at North Carolina State University.

Takeshia Pierre, Education

Takeshia Pierre is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Florida, Gainesville’s School of Teaching and Learning with a dissertation titled “Re-Authoring the Stories of Success of STEM/Health Professional Men Holding Black Diasporic Identities: A Disaggregated Approach.” Pierre’s research focuses on exploring equity in STEM and STEM-related fields. She has been published in the refereed journals  Professional Development in Education  and  Cultural Studies of Science Education.  In 2023 she was awarded a fellowship with the Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE). 

Mat Rappaport, Film and Media Studies

Mat Rappaport is a Professor of the Practice in Film and Media Studies. He joins Tufts from Columbia College where he was an Associate Professor in the Cinema and Television Arts Department. Rappaport is an artist, curator, and educator whose work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, film, festivals, and public spaces both in the United States and internationally. From 2002-2007 he was an Assistant Professor of Digital Media at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design at the University of Dayton. Rappaport’s current work utilizes mobile video, performance and photography to explore habitation, perception and power as related to built environments. He is the co-founder of  V1B3 , an installation project which seeks to shape the experience of urban environments through media based interventions. He has been awarded fellowships by the Howard Foundation, the Mary L. Nohl Fund, and the Montgomery County Ohio Cultural District, among others. He received his MFA from the University of Notre Dame.  

Daniele Santucci, Romance Studies

Daniele Santucci is a Lecturer and the Italian Language Coordinator in the Department of Romance Studies. He earned his PhD in Italian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds both an MA and a BA from the Università per Stranieri di Siena, specializing in Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. He has experience designing and teaching Italian language and culture courses in various international settings, including Italy, Australia, Belgium, and Indonesia.  His research interests include  contemporary Italian Literature, gender and sexuality studies, queer studies, border studies, environmental humanities, and second language acquisition.

Sonal Sharma, Sociology

Sonal Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology. He recently completed his PhD at Johns Hopkins University with a dissertation titled “Class-compromise and informal sector workers in the Global South: the case of domestic workers’ legal rights in India and South Africa, 1990 to Present.” His research interests include sociology of race/caste, gender and labor, labor movements, civil society, capitalism, comparative-historical sociology, and ethnography. Sharma has published his work in peer-reviewed journals such as  Critical Sociology, South Asian History and Culture , and  South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal.

Emily Strasser, English

Emily Strasser is a Professor of the Practice of Creative Nonfiction and Journalism in the Department of English. Her first book,  Half-Life of a Secret  (University of Kentucky Press, 2023), was awarded the 2024 Reed Prize in Environmental Writing from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the 2024 Minnesota Book Award. Her writing situates the personal within the global and explores themes and questions of home, secrecy, mental illness, environment, grief, guilt, and interconnectedness. Her work has appeared in publications such as  Catapult, Ploughshares, Guernica, Colorado Review, The Bitter Southerner, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists,  and  Gulf Coast,  among others. Strasser has received awards and fellowships including the Ploughshares Emerging Writer’s Contest, an AWP Intro Award, the W.K. Rose Fellowship, the Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship in Creative Writing, and grants from the Minnesota Arts Board, the Jerome Foundation, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. She was a 2019 McKnight Writing Fellow. Strasser has previously taught at Hamline University, Colgate University, Century College, and the University of Minnesota. She received her MFA from the University of Minnesota.

Dorothy Wang, Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora

Dorothy Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora starting January 1, 2025. She comes to Tufts from Williams College where she was a Professor in the American Studies Program. Previously, she was a faculty member at Northwestern University and Wesleyan University. Wang is the author of  Thinking Its Presence: Form, Race, and Subjectivity in Contemporary Asian American Poetry  (Stanford University Press, 2013), which won the Association for Asian American Studies’ 2016 award for best book of literary criticism. In 2017-2018 she was the ACLS Frederick Burkhardt Residential Fellow in the English Department at the CUNY Graduate Center. She has also been a Visiting Professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan), Lingnan University (Hong Kong), and Columbia University. She received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.