The Prevalence of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Australia
The concept of addiction can be defined as an unhealthy attachment or overuse of any material. Addiction of any sort has been known to have devastating effects on both the human mind and body. It has been known to affect the usual functioning of the brain and cause cognitive changes that significantly disable an individual’s ability to think or perform any functions. However, the issue of alcohol and drug abuse has seen a significant rise in the Australian sub-continent. Although several measures under both the state and federal factions have been undertaken, this particular issue relating to healthcare has been known to affect the population considerably. Therefore, this essay intends to focus on how this issue remains a major challenge in terms of healthcare as well as the measures that have been undertaken to address this issue.
The extent of the issue in Australia and the effect of alcohol and drugs on the Australian healthcare system
According to a survey conducted by Whitfeild et al. (2018), every year about 7,000 Australians succumb to illnesses brought on by severe alcohol consumption. People may overlook how harmful alcohol may be to their health due to its legality and the fun factor that it brings forward. However, the consequences of drinking alcohol might be just as deadly as those of consuming illegal drugs. Alcohol consumption may be considered deadly, whether due to its impairment of judgement or the strain it puts on the human body. However, the popularity of binge drinking has transformed alcohol use into something that is not just legal and culturally acceptable, but also popular. Drinking is portrayed as stylish, thrilling, and life-fulfilling in many movies, TV series, and celebrity endorsements, yet it has the opposite effect in reality. Australia, has been known to have the 20th position on being one of the most alcoholic nations in the world and has been known to have atleast 30% of fatal alcohol influenced accidents each year, as stated by Sarich et al. (2019).
Other than the problem of alcohol addiction, ecstasy, hallucinogens, and amphetamines are the most commonly consumed narcotics in Australia after marijuana. Escatasy, the most popular, was taken by 10.2 percent of Australians aged 14 and over (Van de Ven et al., 2018). This equates to about 2,000,000 people and does not include the use of hallucinogens (8.4%) or amphetamines (7.3%). While there is some overlap, people who take one of these medicines are looking for a unique benefit that none of the others have. It’s more likely that these figures depict people. That suggests that the number of people in Australia who are addicted to anything is likely to be far higher than 5 million.
Healthcare Implications
In terms of its effect on the healthcare system, the following data has been collected:
There were $18.2 billion in direct costs attributed to alcohol consumption, which included medical expenses, emergency room and hospital admissions, worker absences and occupational injuries, criminal activity, traffic accidents, and the purchase of alcoholic beverages by alcoholics who are dependent on alcohol, but not by other alcohol consumers. Additionally, $48.6 billion was spent on intangible expenditures, such as years of service, which cannot be bought or sold. An appropriate cost estimate and other interventions can only be implemented if the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder can be accurately determined, however an approximate costs of over 17 million has been attributed to this issue (The $67 Billion Cost of Alcohol, 2022).
There are several issues concerning the health and well-being of the Australian citizens that are to be addressed by the healthcare system. However, with the amount of capital that is being bled into the system to combat the population who consume alcohol, several areas concerning healthcare are being affected. This includes R&D areas of healthcare that are targeted towards sourcing cures for fatal diseases such as cancer. It is also affecting issues concerning women and children health as stated by Livingston et al. (2021) as more cases of domestic violence surge due to alcohol use and women and children are known to be the easiest victims. Therefore, in both the areas, the system is stated to lose heavy capital.
West (2021), provides three models that aim to suggest the dependency of an individual on illicit substances: The same are mentioned and discussed at length below:
- The disease model
- The model of physical dependence
- The model of positive reinforcement
At the turn of the nineteenth century, the medical profession started to use the term “addiction” to describe and diagnose excessive drug usage. WHO too stated alcoholism to be a disease in the late 1950s (Avery et al., 2020). Prior to acknowledging the same, addicts and substance abusers were regarded as cursed and punished. However, with the advancement in literature, a shift in mindset prevailed that stated them to be victims rather than culprits. Therefore, the need for therapy was designated for them rather than shunning and punishment.
However, one difficulty with this particular model is that it is unknown how the ailment is spread. The presence of withdrawal symptoms led to the idea that people continued to self-administer drugs in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms (Avery et al., 2020). This is the fundamental concept behind the physical dependence model.
Theories of Addiction
Withdrawal symptoms occur when some medicines are removed after repeated exposure. The signs and symptoms of drug withdrawal are the body’s attempt to counteract the effects of the substance. Because of this, they have the opposite effect of the medicine. Trying to minimise the unpleasantness of withdrawal symptoms would be a kind of negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement may account for addicts’ continued use of the substance. Additionally, it is critical to stress that relieving withdrawal symptoms does not account for why individuals use drugs in the first place (Saitz, 2021). In certain instances, negative reinforcement may account for the beginning of drug use. However, positive reinforcement is the most probable explanation for drug use.
Lüscher&Janak (2021) state thataddictive substances act as positive reinforcers. As one is probably aware, positive reinforcement may result in the acquisition of a new response and the preservation of previously acquired behaviours. As a result, the likelihood of engaging in addictive drug-related behaviours (e.g., injecting or smoking) increases. Examining the reinforcing qualities of medications in animals is one technique to test this notion (Lüscher&Janak, 2021).
Keeping in mind the condition of the nation and its citizens due to the illicit consumption of drugs and alcohol, the federal body has put in several measures to enlighten both the law enforcement personnel as well as the citizens on the dangers of substance abuse. Initiatives such as breath testing, courses relating to responsible alcohol consumption have also been started. While many Australians continue to consume alcohol in excess, they are endangering their own health as well as the health of others in their immediate vicinity.
There is a set of regulations that must be followed: In Australia, alcohol consumption levels that minimise health hazards are established by a set of criteria known as the Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Alcohol Consumption (the Guidelines), which are published every three years (such as injury and illness) (Australian Alcohol Guidelines, 2022). These recommendations emphasise the dangers of alcohol use in terms of both short-term and long-term impacts. It is necessary to follow drinking recommendations throughout a strategy in order to identify harmful or risky drinking. This Strategic Plan supports activities aimed at preventing and decreasing alcohol addiction among the most vulnerable groups, as well as those aimed at the general community. Damages may occur in many facets of one’s life as a result of alcohol use, and efforts must be directed towards avoiding and removing these consequences.
Measures Implemented to Combat Alcohol and Drug Abuse
There are four national priorities identified in the Strategy for avoiding and mitigating alcohol-related harm in Australia: People who use alcoholic beverages, as well as those who interact with them, should be safeguarded against any damage to their health, well-being, and social well-being that might result from alcohol consumption. It is the administration of supply, pricing, and promotion; it is the lowering of the possibility of hazardous alcohol use by the administration of supply, pricing, and marketing. Individuals and systems are assisted in seeking assistance; therapy, information, and support services are made more conveniently available (Australian Alcohol Guidelines, 2022). The goal of this campaign is to increase public awareness and knowledge of the hazards of excessive alcohol use in Australia.
Conclusion
In summation, it can be understood that there is no positive outcome from dependency on addiction. However, there are numerous poor outcomes that can befall the abuser as well as its impact on the economy of the nation as well as the dent on the healthcare system has been known to be colossal. Significant steps have been taken by the respective departments to address one of the most prevalent healthcare issues in the Australian subcontinent. However, no matter what rules and guidelines are laid out by the figures of authority, the result depends entirely on the citizens. Therefore, unless each citizen understands the weight borne by an individual’s dependency on drugs, the nation’s healthcare system can only win half the battle against drug and alcohol abuse.
References
Australian Alcohol Guidelines. (2022). Australian Government. Department of Health. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/news/australian-alcohol-guidelines-revised#:~:text=To%20reduce%20the%20risk%20of,drinks%20on%20any%20one%20day.
Avery, J. J., Avery, J. D., Mouallem, J., Demner, A. R., & Cooper, J. (2020). Physicians’ and attorneys’ beliefs and attitudes related to the brain disease model of addiction. The American Journal on Addictions, 29(4), 305-312.
Day, E., & Rudd, J. H. (2019). Alcohol use disorders and the heart. Addiction, 114(9), 1670-1678.
Livingston, M., Coomber, K., de Andrade, D., Taylor, N., Ferris, J., Puljevi?, C., & Miller, P. G. (2021). Assessing the impact of Queensland’s late?night alcohol restrictions using health system data. Drug and alcohol review, 40(5), 698-707.
Lüscher, C., &Janak, P. H. (2021). Consolidating the circuit model for addiction. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 44, 173-195.
MacGowan, G. A., Dark, J. H., Corris, P. A., & Nair, A. R. (2019). Effects of drug abuse, smoking and alcohol on donor hearts and lungs. Transplant International, 32(10), 1019-1027.
The $67 Billion Cost of Alcohol. (2022). National Drugs Research Institute. https://ndri.curtin.edu.au/news-events/ndri-news/media-release-$67-billion-cost-of-alcohol
Saitz, R., Miller, S. C., Fiellin, D. A., & Rosenthal, R. N. (2021). Recommended use of terminology in addiction medicine. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 15(1), 3-7.
Sarich, P., Canfell, K., Banks, E., Paige, E., Egger, S., Joshy, G., … & Weber, M. (2019). A prospective study of health conditions related to alcohol consumption cessation among 97,852 drinkers aged 45 and over in Australia. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43(4), 710-721.
Van de Ven, K., Maher, L., Wand, H., Memedovic, S., Jackson, E., & Iversen, J. (2018). Health risk and health seeking behaviours among people who inject performance and image enhancing drugs who access needle syringe programs in Australia. Drug and Alcohol Review, 37(7), 837-846.
Whitfield, J. B., Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A., Landers, J. G., & Martin, N. G. (2018). Effects of high alcohol intake, alcohol?related symptoms and smoking on mortality. Addiction, 113(1), 158-166.
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
