Drug Addiction: And Urban Social Problem Essay

There are several concurrent urban social problems and for many years now authorities of a community have huge difficulties in eradicating these socially damaging situations. The issue of drug addiction has always been common and widespread in our society. For some reasons this worldwide predicament is very difficult to expunge thus, creating a humungous problem of our world. This shaped several individuals’ lives when the addiction to illegal substances sets in and likewise affected the future of the communities they belonged to especially their children, who of course look up to their parents for guidance. This began a long time ago but the problem is not diminishing and instead became progressively prevalent where teenagers nowadays are provided easy access to these deadly drugs by drug peddlers or pushers on the streets. Drug pushers have even become innovative on ways to introduce these life destructing substances to children just for them to earn easy money the fastest possible way. Some kids get introduced to these illegal substances without being aware what they have gotten into. Those born on the years from 1946 to 1964, were called Baby Boomers and were also exposed to drugs that significantly marked a different era in history. Mike Males, who is a teacher in UC Santa Cruz, and also a baby boomer, raised some criticisms on his own generation. He said that they are the fastest growing age group for felony arrests in California that has the biggest demographic for HIV and AIDs cases and has a one in three ratio of obese people. Since 75. 8 million Americans belong to this generation, their views and the actions dominate the society. They are in the media, fill the church pews, run the corporations thus ruling the market and sat on the Oval office (Hubler). Mike Males even described their generation as; Its members became wildly well-educated and turned â€Å"sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll† into a mass motto. Then they left all that behind to form a lot of blended, two-income, exceptionally health-conscious households. Then they became inordinately conscientious parents, rethinking whole aspects of child-rearing, but in a good way. Now they’re safely ensconced in midlife and expecting to live past 100, with no worries save for the ever higher cost of seeing the Rolling Stones. (Hubler) His story has even been confirmed by government statistics and other scholars story in saying that, †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ problems among teens are declining but problems among their baby boom parents were another matter† (Hubler). Having a population dominated by the baby boomers may have its effects to the existence of some urban problems that are still hounding our communities. It was with great dependence on their action that their kids will be able to survive as well as the future generations. However, this generation as parents, have also nurtured their children by providing the support that they needed and wanted (Value Options). They also did wjat they could to provide their children a better and content future. They were also good parents to their kids. We cannot generalize an age group belonging to different society but still the fact remains that the drug problem is still predominant in the society. On the other hand, the children of the baby boomers are referred to as the Generation Y, who are those people born from years 1980 to 1994. They are also called Echo Boomers, Millennial Generation and Generation Next. This new generation is now coming of age to work and transform the future of the humankind. The Echo Boomers are very much controlled by technological innovations that have emerged in the latest years. They have â€Å"The Baby Boomers saw the future as theirs and Generation Xers found the future disheartening, these young workers question whether they will have a future. They have spent a good deal of time watching as their parents rose to the top of the corporate ladder, balancing work and family, and they have seen their parents lose jobs as a result of downsizing and reorganizations. For this generation, work is temporary and unreliable. They are less committed to an employer, sensing that employers are less committed to long-term employment. In some respect, this group is opportunistic and will job hop to meet their immediate wants, needs and goals† (Value Options). Apparently, in some cases, this has caused some adolescents to develop some psychological ordeal full of uncertainties in what the future holds for them that some resort to alcoholism, depression, smoking and drug addiction at a young age. Some of these people gets involve in something due to curiosity and experimentation. Without the parents’ strong presence in their lives, they just may be led on the wrong path. So many events has happened during their time such as high school, college school and even mall shooting as well as the 9/11 attacks. With all these things happening, more support is needed by these people to overcome some trauma. For those who cannot get the support and guidance that they need from their elders, they turn to drugs to momentarily forget their fears, anger and insecurities especially for teenagers. Addiction results from the relationship between a person and the object of their addiction (Schaffer). The sources of drug addiction are the actual drugs that people take, of which some are prescribed for a certain illness or not. Most of these drugs cannot be faced out in the market since it is also very beneficial to the lives of those afflicted by some deadly or threatening diseases. The only way to do for these substances to be safe or away from drug abusive individuals is the control that is implemented by the government to every area. It is a responsibility that should be taken seriously by the ones in governmental positions or in power. Also a huge support from families, friends and community to those people especially the adolescents should be formed to give them the guidance they need. Many of these groups are existent today and are already causing remarkable changes in the lives of some young ones. Drugs would always be in the streets since people would still keep making them for a good or bad cause but we have to focus on what really pushes people to turn to drugs. If we go down to the root of the issue, we would know what to do to be able to stop this worsening predicament. If people’s interests in illegal substances are eliminated, then there will be no consumers for these individuals producing and selling these drugs. No one will be selling something of which no one is buying. If it is parental support that is lacking, everyone should do their best to become responsible parents and give the support their kids deserve. This boils down to family relationships since this is primarily where kids are guided to straighten out their lives and erase the confusions that bother them most which then results to having these vices. It is not fair to pinpoint on whether it is the fault of the Baby Boomers or the Generation Y that this social problem is still rampant. Both generations passed through their adolescent stages where people become vulnerable to such addictions. Everyone knows how confusing it is when we were on this phase and so we know how they should be guided and reared to become responsible and good citizens of this country. The drug problem is there because all of us need to pool our resources together and put more force in bringing this drug problem down. It is not just a responsibility of one generation or one country. It is a problem that can only be solved if every one of us would help each other and take it as our own responsibility to make this world a safe haven for the following generations. WORKS CITED Hubler, Shawn. â€Å"The Boomer Buster – Who is Mike Males, and why is he saying those awful things about people of a certain age? † 22 January 2006. Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice Press Room. 9 December 2007 . Schaffer, Howard J. â€Å"What is an Addiction: A Perspective. † 3 July 2007. Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions. 9 December 2007 . â€Å"Generation Y†. Value Options. 9 December 2007. .