Drugs Essay, Research Paper

Drug Addiction

The extermination of illegal drugs has always been one of our most important,

worldwide issues. Ending the existence of drugs is one of the toughest and most

complicated goals we face. Despite our constant battle against them, illegal substances

continue to exist and thrive in our culture. With all the effort we put into the war against

drugs, why is there little success?

Lack of effort is not a major reason our attempts are failing. It is the lack of

understanding that leads to the misdirection and failure of our attempts. Obviously a

strong desire to use drugs exists, and it is the prevention of this desire that we need to

focus on in order to wipe out drugs from our lives. In fact, our focus is strongly on

punishing drug users, yet applying laws against committed drug crimes has not proven to

be an effective solution. Drugs are still produced and distributed everywhere, and are

taken by many. Because all types of people use illegal substances, pinpointing one specific

group to bust is not effective. Recently, we have tried to track the location of drug use.

We find places where drugs tend to be, and seek to close them down as an effort to

decrease the overall use of drugs. This has proved to be an ineffective technique because it

does not change people’s craving for drugs.

Reasons leading up to drug use still exist. Arresting people for drugs does not kill

their desire to use them. Closing down a crack house does not end the residents addiction,

it just forces them to move. Reprimanding committed crimes does not eliminate the reason

they were committed. Addressing drug offenses after they have been made is not an

effective deterrent because the desire for the drug’s effect still remains. Why is this desire

more influential than the law? Partly because the potential benefits of drugs overwhelm us,

and turn our focus away from the potential dangers and consequences. People will go to

extreme lengths to be the best, or better than what they presently are. Culture’s attitudes

toward beauty, money, power as a representation for success drives us to turn to drugs.

Drugs symbolize power, status, freedom, and the ultimate high in our world.

Drugs can help people achieve higher status, more power, as well as the overwhelming

physical and emotional escape. Ultimately, the desire for the drug high is worth the risk

– which we conceive to be very small — of being caught. In reality, the risk of getting

caught is extremely slim. Only a small percentage of all drug crimes do get caught, so our

fear of the law is minimal. Therefore, we continue to use drugs, and are rarely deterred by

the infrequent actions taken to stop what we so badly want to achieve. In addition, many

people are willing to risk getting caught, because the benefits of drugs outweigh the risks.

Despite our strong cultural expectations which encourage this rampant drug use, we

continue to rely on the law to solve the drug problem.

Today, one popular technique is closing down high-drug use establishments, the

most prevalent in our country being nightclubs. These exist for people’s pleasure, and

serve as a site of experimentation and enjoyment; in many different ways. People are

interested in all aspects of clubs, and are drawn into being a part of them. Nightclubs are a

combination of many aspects within the entertainment industry; including music, fashion,

beauty/modeling and acting. Along with working in, and striving to be a part of, these

industries comes the pressure to keep up with the competition. Those involved in these

industries compete just as much as those who are not; generally, everyone strives to

achieve what they do not have. Our cultural beliefs about success in these areas include

the use of drugs as a means of reaching our goals.

Drugs have always been closely linked to the entertainment industry, and

regardless of their illegal status, many of us succumb to the temptation. This is often a

direct result of the pressure and competition that our culture puts each individual through.

We are not easily deterred from using drugs because we refuse to give up our dreams and

goals, and often are willing to do whatever it takes along the path to success. These strong

values keep laws from stopping our drug use. While the closing of a nightclub may stop us

from using drugs there, it will not stop us from using them somewhere else. Our desire to

reach success and be accepted do not die because of an these infrequent, insignificant

actions.

When an establishment closes down, people can easily find another one which

fulfills the same purpose. Needs and desires still exist and are no less important because

there is one less way to achieve it. And they can be because drugs produce the same

effects regardless of where they are ingested. Our world is full of nightclubs and other

establishments that attract and contain high amounts of drugs. New establishments open

constantly. If one closes, the activity which would have taken place there moves

elsewhere. Cultural beliefs about beauty ideals causes this use of drugs. I have seen

teenagers influenced by older people, introduced and sometimes hooked onto drugs by

them. The lure of the physical high as well as peer pressure and the need for acceptance

all contribute to their drug use.

These reasons do not exist solely within the confines of nightclubs, rather they are

present everywhere — in schools, on streets, basically anywhere children are. Some

children find the physical effects of drugs so wonderful, that they will do anything to get it

again. Children struggling towards adulthood, independence, and confidence – without

wisdom or knowledge to make educated decisions, often go to extreme lengths to fit in.

Many have described clubs as drug headquarters where anyone can go to get any drug

they want. A drug addict always knows where and how to get what they need. And as

long as there is someone who wants a drug, there is someone else there to supply it.