Substance use is frequently associated with child abuse and domestic violence. It also is a leading contributor to marital dissatisfaction, family breakups and rejection of family members. The importance of the family in understanding alcohol and drug use and abuse is underlined by these highly destructive consequences of alcohol and drug dependency on the abuser and the family. (Lala; Straussner; Fewell, 17) Peer Group plays an important part in resolving the problem as they are able to take the drug or alcohol abuser more into confidence compared to others since most people associate themselves with their respective peer group in terms of habits, tastes and concerns. It has been demonstrated that a drug abuser will definitely abide by a member of the peer group to which he belongs and obey requests of abstinence more than anyone else. Educational system also plays an important role in tackling the prevalence of the problem through imbibing a value system within the students and motivating them to be noble citizens and make contribution to the society by engagement in better careers. The role of mass media is also important for abstinence of drug and alcohol abuse through awareness generation regarding its evil effects. (the social impact of drug abuse)

Whereas the family group can, based on some situations, be the starting point of drug issues, it could also be a powerful force with regard to treatment. Family therapy has achieved more acceptances, with the underlining feature being the concurrent participation of over one member of the family in the sessions of therapy. In several societies, families are being supported and nurtured by women. They often discharge the most important responsibility in educating the young, guaranteeing that healthcare is offered and keeping links with and encouraging community help at the time of need. Hence recognition as well as efficient use of women as sources relating to prevention of drug as well as its

(the social impact of drug abuse)
V. Societal consequences if the problem is not resolved: inclusion of economic and social impact:

Substance use and its abuse lie at the vanguard of societal problem. It is widespread problem, impacting directly or indirectly the vast majority of people. The harmful impact of alcohol and drugs is damaging. On the economic front, substantial resources are spent for drug control, stopping crime associated with drug trafficking, treatment of substance abuse and consequent rehabilitation. The human cost of also amazing. Drug use and abuse demoralizes people, families and communities. It is usually recognized that the most feasible means of preventing alcohol and drug abuse is prevention. Providing interventions to individuals who are at risk prior to developing serious problems with substance abuse constitute the most important constituent of war on drugs. Fortunately, the past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the quantity and quality of scientific research on those areas critical to the advancement of prevention science. Progress has been made in explicating the impact and consequences of substance use and abuse, understanding the causes of alcohol and drug abuse, identifying precursors to use, understanding the developmental progress of alcohol and drug use disorders, and designing prevention programs that successfully avert substance use and abuse. (Ammerman; Ammerman; Tarter, 31)

The issue of preventing drug issues could apply knowledge regarding dynamics of family to deal with social and personal issues of family members which otherwise might result in drug abuse, pertaining to dysfunctional as also intact families. Family factors that might result in or intensifying drug usage are believed to include sustained or parental absence which is traumatic, ruthless discipline, failure to interact on an emotional level, disturbed or chaotic members. (the social impact of drug abuse)

References

Ammerman, Robert T; Ammerman, Peggy J. Ott; Tarter, Ralph E. (1999) "Prevention and Societal Impact of Drug and Alcohol Abuse" Routledge.

Lala, Shulamith; Straussner, Ashenberg; Fewell, Christine Huff. (2006) "Impact of Substance

Abuse on Children and Families: Research" Haworth Press.

Laufer, William S. The Legacy of Anomie Theory: Advances in Criminological Theory.

Transaction Publishers. 1999.

Merton, Robert K. (1938) Dream Machine: An Explication of Merton's Social Structure and Anomie. http://www.crimetheory.com/Merton/

N.A. (n. d.) "Drug and Alcohol Abuse and Dependence http://www.apa.org/divisions/div12/rev_est/drugs.html

N.A. Theories of Crime. http://www.hku.hk/sociodep/mss-theoretical-2002/theory01.ppt

Robins, Lee N. (2006, Mar) "The Natural History of Drug Abuse" Retrieved at http://www.addictioninfo.org/articles/592/1/the-Natural-History-of-Drug-Abuse/Page1.html

Taylor, Ian; Walton, Paul; Young, Jock. (1988) "The New Criminology: For a Social Theory of Deviance" Routledge, 1988. p. 139.

UNDP. "The social impact of drug abuse" Position paper for the World Summit for Social

Development, (Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995). Retrieved at http://www.unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf