Substance Abuse and Addiction in the US
The topic I chose to learn more about is substance abuse, commonly referred to as drug addiction. I learned that drug addiction is an old term and that substance abuse disorder is now used to describe the behavior of someone who keeps on using a psychoactive substance regardless of the harm done to oneself or others. The psychoactive substance used can either be legal, like alcohol and prescription medication or ilegal, like heroin and cocaine. There is a difference between substance abuse and addiction. Addiction is usually the next step for a person affected by substance abuse.
A few questions I would like to learn about the topic:
What are the roots of substance abuse? Is it caused by genetics or environment?
Why are some people affected by substance abuse while others are not?
How widespread is this problem in the U.S compared to other countries?
What are the solutions available and what are the new promising findings of researchers around the world?
Are all illegal drugs actually harmful or are there any illegal drugs with potential medical benefits?
These are all good–as you read around, you might decide to refocus a bit–but I have no concerns about these topics. In terms of refocusing, as you read you may find that to go in depth you have to narrow down your focus. But I’m not sure, so I would begin with one of these and see where it takes you. If you get stuck or confused as you start, send me an email and we can go back and forth or we can set up an appointment.