The Social Impact of Drug & Alcohol

Substance abuse extends far beyond the individual, creating a ripple effect that touches families, workplaces, communities, healthcare systems, and the broader economy. Understanding the profound social impact of drugs and alcohol is the first step toward meaningful solutions. While the damage is significant, it is not irreversible. Access to compassionate, professional care, such as that offered by a Virginia addiction treatment center, is essential to mending what addiction has broken. This article explores the impact of addiction on society and shares why integrated treatment is a vital path forward for collective healing.

1. The impact on the individual
2. The impact on families
3. The impact on workplaces and employees
4. The impact on society
5. Healthcare and economic consequences
6. Public safety and policies
7. Why treatment and rehabilitation reduce social harm

Addiction impacts society as a whole.

The Impact of Addiction on Individuals

The American Medical Association classified addiction and alcoholism as medical diseases in the 1950s. These disorders tend to begin during adolescence, when teenagers are more likely to give in to peer pressure. When they go untreated, they become chronic illnesses that require lifelong maintenance and care so that they don’t spiral out of control.

Individuals struggling with addiction will experience the following:

1. Being unable to quit using drugs (experiencing withdrawal)
2. Having strained relationships with everyone in their lives
3. Performing poorly at school or work due to addiction
4. Being more likely to take part in risky or impulsive behaviors

Past individual consequences, these struggles showcase the social effects of drugs on loved ones and peers.

After years of abusing drugs, individuals may have trouble finding their way back to sobriety. In fact, they often find that they are suffering from the long-term effects of substance abuse.

Physiological Consequences

On a physiological level, addiction breaks down the immune system. Even after recovering, the drug addiction impact may cause long-term health conditions, including

1. Infectious diseases (such as HIV, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis C)
2. COPD and other respiratory issues
3. Cardiovascular disease
4. Kidney damage
5. Liver disease

Chronic drug abuse can also lead to the alteration of an individual’s brain in both function and structure. This change is permanent. Drug addiction can affect the brain’s ability to remember, learn, and concentrate on things. Once rewired, the brain will always be chasing that high, making it difficult for them to focus on anything else.

Individuals struggling with substance use will suffer many long-term consequences.

Psychological Effects

Additionally, those struggling with substance abuse experience long-term psychological effects such as

1. Depression and anxiety
2. Panic disorders
3. Hallucinations and paranoia
4. Mood swings and violent outbursts
5. Secret keeping and violations of trust
6. Irrational, self-centered behaviors
7. Paranoia

While these long-term effects seem as if they affect individuals only, there is a wider social impact of drugs visible in strained resources and a lack of safety.

The Impact of Addiction on Families

The most significant social effects of drug abuse fall on the family and close friends of the person suffering from substance use disorder. The relationships between a drug abuser and their children and partner become strained. Trust is lost because they fail to honor commitments and promises (even when they want to take part).

Children find themselves unable to create trusting relationships with other people. The addict’s spouse/partner is expected to fulfill the roles of both parents because the addict is unable to do so. A drug addict’s family members will begin to deal with higher levels of stress from the added responsibility, which can cause them to develop health problems (like high blood pressure or anxiety).

The family members of a drug addict might feel embarrassed or ashamed of them. They may be at a loss when it comes to how they can help. Eventually, they may think that their only option is to take the “tough love” route. In fact, this is where families are often impacted by enabling and/or codependency and are pulled into the struggle that is common in addiction (Melody Beatty, Codependent No More, Hazelden Publishing,1986, pp 32-34).

Drug addiction can potentially lead to broken homes and living impoverished lives. Children are being taken from their homes and thrown into the foster care system because their parents are addicted to drugs. Roughly 35% of children entering foster care do so because of parental substance abuse.

The intensity and longevity of this sort of social impact of drugs contribute to the importance of family therapy for addiction as a part of one´s rehab.

Partners often unintentionally become Enablers of an addict´s behavior.

The Adult Roles Within the Family

The primary role in an addict’s family is the Addict themselves. The need for their drug of choice comes before anything and anyone else. Meanwhile, the rest of the family members take on specific roles depending on their situation.

The Enabler is a person or people in an addict’s life who pick up after the addict and keep the house clean. They make sure that all the bills are paid, and they make sure that the children make it to and from school each day. They also give the addict money, which is spent on drugs, in order to avoid conflict within the house.

In general, the enabler will be a spouse or partner. In a single-parent home, this role can fall on the shoulders of the oldest child or the child who has the closest relationship with the addict. This role helps to mask the anger, betrayal, and hurt caused by the addict.ç

The Children's Roles Within the Family

One in every five children has drug-addicted parents. Because of their substance abuse, their parent(s) are often too busy with their addiction to care about their children’s needs. Children of drug addicts are more likely to be neglected and abused than other children. This means that they might not have access to necessities like healthcare, shelter, and food. Evidence suggests that children who experience maltreatment and live with a parent who uses substances often report poorer developmental outcomes.

Children of substance users typically feel like they don’t have anyone to turn to. A child or children of an addict are eight times more likely to become drug addicts themselves. These children are more likely to isolate themselves from their peers. They may tend to fear criticism, authority figures, and angry people. They may also be more judgmental and critical of themselves and where or how they are meant to fit into the world.

What children go through with substance-using parents is an example of the terrible social impact of drugs.

Four Roles Children Take

The children will also take at least one of four roles within the family: the Hero, the Scapegoat, the Mascot, and the Lost Child.

1. The Hero is the child who takes on more responsibilities in the household. They tend to become an academic overachiever and get straight As. They may even take on some of the enabler’s roles. Their main intention, however, is to get the addict to overcome their addiction. They do all of this to attempt to convey a sense of normalcy in the family. This role helps them to cover up feelings of guilt or inadequacy. As a result, they are more likely to suffer from an overload of stress and anxiety.
2. The Scapegoat is the child who rebels by acting out and misbehaving to distract themselves from the familial turmoil. This child tends to get blamed for the family’s problems and grows to resent the addicted parent for the neglectful behaviors. As they get older, this child may get in trouble with the law. Females are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, while males may become abusive towards their own families.
3. The Mascot is the child who provides some laughter or humor during the tough times to help other family members cope. These children may grow up to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol to avoid healing from their childhood trauma as adults.
4. The Lost Child is usually the middle or youngest child. This child has trouble interacting with others and has underdeveloped social skills. They tend to be more withdrawn and spend a lot of time alone. They engage in fantasy play to distract themselves from their home life. As adults, they have trouble forming lasting relationships and making decisions (especially the important ones).

Emotional Effect on Family

Addicts are known for displaying erratic behavior, and it can put the entire family on edge. Minor disagreements may be blown out of proportion due to miscommunication. The family members may start “walking on eggshells” around the addict out of fear and confusion based on their irrational behaviors. The children in the family may become more reserved and withdrawn in an attempt to avoid upsetting their parent(s).

These homes are rarely happy and carefree. In some cases, these families may walk out on the addict, especially when the fights become violent, and the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t very bright.

This horrible cycle can only be broken with proper treatment and rehabilitation, such as prescription drug addiction treatment in Virginia. Therapy can be a valuable tool for these families in a group or an individual setting. When an addict realizes how their actions affect their families, it can help push them towards bettering themselves for a brighter future (with their families).

Substance use has an emotional toll on the family.

Poverty and Homelessness of Families

With drug addiction comes lost jobs and unstable financial situations that cause drug addicts to be only concerned about getting their next fix. This means that rent and other bills don’t get paid because the majority of the income will support the drug addiction.

When these bills aren’t paid, entire families lose their homes and live below the poverty level. They may not have access to appropriate shelter or food. This can result in entire families living on the street if:

1. Both parents are addicted to drugs
2. One partner can’t take on the responsibilities on their own
3. These families don’t have someone to help them

Even though professional help is available, these families don’t know where to start or don’t feel comfortable asking for help. They may even feel undeserving of these services or don’t think they need help from outside sources.

The Impact of Addiction on Workplaces and Employers

What are the effects of drug abuse on the community at work?

Drug addiction puts a strain on any relationships one might have with their employers and coworkers. When employees show up to work drunk, high, or even hungover, they pose a risk to themselves and anyone they might come into contact with during their shift. The chance of a work injury taking place increases. Because of this, the insurance premiums for the employer and the other employees are also bound to increase. Small to mid-sized businesses are likely to go under if their employees are using drugs at work.

Coworkers are increasingly stressed from picking up extra shifts and wondering about their safety when a drug addict shows up to work in a state of intoxication. They work harder to make sure that their place of employment stays in business.

Social effects of drugs and alcohol are visible on spheres of life, including work.

How Drug and Alcohol Abuse Affects Society

The social effects of drugs and alcohol are visible in every layer of collective well-being, and they create far-reaching consequences. Within families, addiction erodes trust and stability. At the community level, it can diminish public safety and strain local resources. The healthcare system bears a significant burden through emergency interventions, long-term treatment for related illnesses, and elevated recovery costs. On an economic scale, lost workplace productivity, unemployment, and the costs of social services place a heavy financial strain. Finally, substance use is closely linked to increased crime, including theft, violence, and driving under the influence, which impacts public safety and judicial resources. Data shows that 52% of the drivers in fatal car crashes tested positive for drugs.

Addressing these widespread effects requires a societal commitment to accessible treatment and prevention.

The Impact on the Healthcare System

As drug addiction is a chronic illness, it is treated by the healthcare system. The magnitude of addiction problems in the US is stretching the healthcare system thin. Both human and financial resources are overwhelmed. From acute situations such as overdose and treating consequences of accidents involving substance use to ongoing sobriety management, the healthcare system continuously provides support.

One of the most significant risks of abusing drugs is overdosing. According to the CDC, approximately 105,000 people died from drug overdose in 2023, and nearly 80,000 of those deaths involved opioids (about 76%). Treating drug overdoses with Naloxone and sending drug addicts to rehab tends to be expensive, especially when the recidivism rates continue to be so high. About 20%–21% of total national spending on substance abuse treatment is paid for by Medicaid. These costs are only a part of an overall impact on the economy.

The Impact on the Economy

Drug addiction is expensive. It costs a lot of money to buy the substances to fuel a drug habit. Drug addicts also have a difficult time holding jobs, paying bills, and saving money. But drug abuse also causes the economy to feel the impact. The staggering economic toll of substance abuse in the United States is undeniable. Annually, alcohol misuse and illicit drug use cost the economy an estimated $249 billion and $193 billion, respectively.

Drug abuse costs the country billions every year, due to:

1. Arrests and incarcerations of individuals for drug-related crimes
2. Treatment and rehabilitation to help addicts recover
3. Providing healthcare to drug addicts who've overdosed
4. Providing healthcare for the long-term effects of drug addiction

Unfortunately, more funds go to putting people in jail for drug-related crimes rather than pushing them to seek out rehabilitation and treatment. When, in reality, the focus should be on providing rehabilitation to drug addicts so that they can become productive members of society once more.

The Impact on Public Safety and Policies

The War on Drugs was an initiative started in the 1970s by President Nixon. Nixon’s goal was to eradicate the use of illicit drugs through escalating military and police involvement. Over the last fifty-some years, illicit drugs have become less accessible with more severe punishments. This process, however, led to the proliferation of violence and the mass incarceration of drug-related crimes.

Since the 1970s, the American government spent $1 trillion on the cause, but it failed in certain aspects. Today, the drug crisis continues as drug addiction remains a severe problem. As a result, drug policy experts are working on different reforms to help deal with the situation by focusing on rehabilitation and decriminalizing/legalizing illicit drugs.

Impact on Crime and Violence

As the War on Drugs continues, the United States continues to have crowding issues within the jail systems; every 25 seconds, someone gets arrested for drug possession. This number has tripled since the 1980s. More than 80% of incarcerated individuals have used illegal drugs. Approximately 25% of these individuals admitted to committing crimes in order to get the money to satisfy their drug habit. Additionally, 1-in-5 of those incarcerated are individuals serving time for drug-related charges, including:

1. Drug possession
2. Driving under the influence
3. Selling and distributing drugs
4. Smuggling and trafficking drugs

There is a racial issue when it comes to arrests for drug-related charges. In fact, a Black American is:

1. Four times more likely to get arrested for marijuana possession than a white American
2. Six times more likely to serve time in jail for drug offenses than a white American
3. Likely to serve more time for drug charges than a white American will serve for a violent crime

A person of color is also more likely to do a mandatory minimum sentence (and less likely to get relief from the required minimum) than someone who isn’t.

Incarceration doesn’t help because it doesn’t impact a drug addict’s drug misuse. Imprisonment for drug charges increases the odds of death from a drug overdose. These individuals are 129% more likely to overdose (and 13 times more likely to die from an overdose) soon after they get released from jail after serving a sentence.

Drug-related crimes are overusing the judicial system.

Recent Developments in Addiction Treatment and Policy

In recent years, there has been a significant shift in how addiction is treated and perceived, both in the medical community and in public policy. The focus has increasingly moved towards understanding addiction as a chronic disease that requires comprehensive treatment and support, rather than solely a criminal issue.

Policy Shifts Towards Decriminalization

Several countries and states have begun to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs, focusing instead on providing health services and support. 

Portugal's decriminalization model, implemented in 2001, has been particularly influential, showing a significant reduction in drug-related deaths and HIV infection rates. This approach treats drug use as a public health issue rather than a criminal one, emphasizing harm reduction and rehabilitation.

Community-Based Support Systems

Community-based programs have gained traction as effective means of supporting individuals in recovery. These programs often involve peer support groups, community outreach, and education initiatives aimed at reducing stigma and providing resources for those affected by addiction.

Decriminalization shifts focus from punishment to treatment.

The Social Impact of Drugs Can Be Mitigated

Addiction affects millions of people each year. With specialized treatment programs, more people can be reached, and the social impact of drugs will lessen. By offering drug rehab rather than sending individuals to jail, it is possible to decrease the impact on the country. With the proper treatment, recidivism rates will drop along with violent crime rates. More children will grow up with their families when their parents get the treatment they need to reclaim their rightful spot in society.

To learn more about how to get addiction treatment in Virginia, contact Bridging the Gaps today.

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