Substance Abuse Disorder among Aboriginal People

Discuss abou the Substance Abuse Disorder in Aboriginals.

Substance abuse disorders are mainly seen to involve different types of behavioural patterns by which different individuals are seen to use different substances although they face problems that occur due to the use of the substances (Ogloff et al., 2017). These substances are mainly seen to activate the reward system of the brain and helps in producing different types of feelings. In many cases, it is seen that the activation may be so strong that individuals are seen to crave for the substances. They may be seen to neglect normal activities of daily lives and remain more concentrated on the utilisation of the drug avoiding significant activities required for better quality living (Eliott, 2015). Tobacco smoking as well as alcohol dependence is the two most common symptoms that are seen among most of the people with caffeine, cannabis, opioids, inhalants and many others. In the nation of Australia, the native group of aboriginal people are seen to have higher number of substance abuse disorders in comparison to the non-native people and are hence seen to be leading a very poor quality life (Roy & Thurston, 2016). The assignment will mainly establish the ways by which the native people have become addicted to substance abuse. It will also see the gap in health status that is present among the native and non-native Australians. Finally, the social determinants of health would be judged and following these important stakeholders for health promotion would be discussed.

Substance abuse is believed to be higher among the aboriginal people than most of the non-indigenous people. Various types of statistical data help to support the mentioned statement. The 2010National Drug strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) has put forward the information after thorough survey that  among those people in the nation who drink alcohol, the native people are seen to be 1.5 times as likely as the non-indigenous people  to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco at risky levels (Devertile et al., 2017). It was found that about 31% of the native people were seen to drink alcohol that out them at a risk of lifetime harm. It was also found that 25% of the native population was seen to drink at a level that out them at the risk of acute harm once a week. In comparison, it was seen that the non-indigenous people had shown the results of 20% in case of lifetime risk as well as 16% in case of risk of acute harm at least once in a week. Australian Institute of health and Welfare also called the AIHW had shown an approximately very high number of tobacco smokings in the nation. Approximately half of the aboriginal people like around 49.9% were seen to be current smokers and this range was double the rate of the non-indigenous who were seen to smoke (Klassen et al., 2017). Researchers have also conducted studies and have shown that native people living in the remote areas are seen to be  at higher rates ins smoking than that native people living in the non remote areas. The number is seen to be about 51% in the remote areas in comparison to the non-native areas that is about 46% (Charlton & Hanssen, 2017). If similar studies conducted on their alcohol consumption is taken, it is seen that the indigenous Australians are twice more likely as  non-indigenous as binge drinker. This accounts to be ranging from about 17% and 8% respectively. The proportion of the indigenous people was also seen to be higher than the rate of the non-indigenous people who are found to drink at a long term as well as risky or high level risk of alcohol drinking. About 51% of the native men had stated that they have used illicit drugs substances in their lifetime as well as 36% of the indigenous people management.

Tobacco Smoking and its Impact

The use of alcohol, tobacco as well as different other illicit substances are said to be both the cause as well as the effect of different types of suffering of the aboriginal people in the nation of the Australia.  Such a disorder is seen to result in serious harm to the physical health of the indigenous people. They also result in poor social and psychological conditions of the aboriginals that altogether result them in living poor quality lives. Tobacco smoking is found to be one of the most important risk factor that results in the development of heart as well as circulatory system disorders. Such disorders are mainly seen to include different types of coronary heart diseases as well as stroke and different peripheral vascular diseases. Tobacco smoking makes them also exposed to the numerous types of cancer and even respiratory diseases and even different types of variety of other conditions (Scott et al., 2015). Not only has such smoking habited results the individuals to be highly affected but also affects the other people of the family members who live in close proximity with the smokers. It is mainly seen such smoking disorders mainly result in occurrence of asthma in the children of the native families. Moreover the family members are also seen to become vulnerable to different types lower respiratory tract infections  along with the occurrence of the lung cancers and others coronary heart diseases. Tobacco is seen to be highly associated with the socioeconomic status of the people and it is indeed seen from the researches that low socio-economic people are more likely to smoke in comparison to that of the higher socio-economic status in a risky manner. Tobacco smoke disorder is found to be associated with poor diet as well as long term or high risk drinking (Shahram et al., 2017). The health impact of the smoking is well evident from the higher rates of the hospitalisations as well as the deaths from the tobacco related conditions. In the nation of the Australia, about two third of the deaths among the current smokers are mainly attributed to the smoking and the current smokers are seen to face death an average of 10 years earlier than the non smokers in the aboriginals. Thereby, tobacco is forum to be the leading contributor of the burden of the disease among the native Australians that accounts for about 12%. 23% of the gap that has been present in the health outcomes are between the indigenous and the non-indigenous people in the year 2011. Smoking was seen to have caused 93% of the lung cancer burden and about 87% of the COPD burden (Donovan et al., 2015).

Alcohol Consumption and its Implications

Both the native as well as non-native people are seen to drink alcohol widely in the nation. The low level use of alcohol is indeed seen to be associated with positive effects like that of the protective effects against certain diseases like that of hypertensions, ischemic heart diseases as well as stroke. Excessive alcohol consumptions are seen to have significant harm. It is often called the major risk factor that is associated with morbidity as well as mortality in all the populations (Pumarino et al., 2017). It is mainly seen to increase the risk of heart, stroke as well as different types of vascular disorders.  Many of the researchers have also linked excessive alcohol drinking with high levels of liver cirrhosis in the native people and different types of cancer. Apart from the physical impacts that it bring down on the people who consume them, they are also seen to have very poor social impact as well as results in occurrence of different types of crimes. Researchers have stated that excessive alcohol drinking of the aboriginal people is found to be assorted with the reporting of higher number of cases of domestic violence and even different cases of family breakdown (Ross et al., 2015). Moreover, many of the researchers have also associated with excessive alcoholism in the aboriginal people with the different types of antisocial behaviours. Moreover, it was seen that such behaviour also increases their involvement in the criminal justice system. Besides, it may result in the increase of the body weight of the individuals consuming them. The native people are seen to suffer from higher rate of obesity for which they also become associated with many other co-morbidities like diabetes and others. It also increases blood pressure along with the occurrence of depression and poor mental health conditions and even depression of the immune system. Long terms consumption of alcohol is seen to mainly result in death of brain cells as well as pancreatitis. Binge drinking is seen to be associated with death due to reasons of suicide, transport accidents, violence, burns and evenfalls. Over the period of 2013 to 2015, there were 9816 hospitalisations of the non-native Australians with the principle diagnosis of the excessive alcohol use (Marsh et al., 2015). This represented 2% of the hospitals rates of the aboriginals that exclude the cases of dialysis. The rates were found to be higher in 15 per 1000 in remote areas and lowest in the inner regional areas that is about 5 per 10000. Moreover, the native men and women were fund to be hospitalised at 4 times higher rate than the non native men and women. This shows the urgency to help the population overcome the behaviour to develop better quality life for them 9Baydala et al., 2015).

Illicit Drug Abuse and its Consequences

 The native people also use different types of illicit drug. Researchers have found considerable evidence of the harm that are caused by the illicit substance abuse among the natives. The behaviour results in contributing different types of illness as well as disorders that may be both short term as well as have lifelong impacts. Various types of accidents and others types of injures are also seen to be high among the native people who abuse illicit diseases.  It also leads to various kinds of issues in the workplace that result them to be terminated thereby resulting in financial constraints in their families and thereby increasing the pressure of the students.  This use of substances is also seen to be highly associated with ill health. These includes occurrence of HIV or AIDS as well as hepatitis C (Martin, 2016). They also result in malnutrition as well as low birth weight. Different types of cases of poisoning, suicide and many others also take place. Ineffective endocarditis that is actually inflammation of the lining of the heart also takes place. Death by self-inflicted injury as well as death by overdose is also some of the negative effects that take place on the native people who are abusing illicit drugs. The use of different types of inhalants like that of solvent abuse as well as petrol sniffing has the capability for serious self-consequences. These are mainly seen to include brain damage as well as disability and even death. Such uses are also seen to have poor impacts both socially as well economic impacts on communities (Marsh et al., 2016). This includes issues with associated different types of family as well as social disruption. This includes domestic violence, crime assaults. These are more common in the remote and rural regions where the aboriginals stay. The extent of the usage of the illicit drugs is very difficult to fathom because the drugs are illegal and therefore self-reporting is lower. The national reports, which have conducted statistical analysis, have said that the rates of use of the drugs are lower in comparison to that of the tobacco as well as alcohol use.

Education is one of the most important social determinants that is found to be directly associated with an individual developing substance abuse disorders. The aboriginals have been seen to not get the enough scope of educating themselves properly. Moreover, many of the native people are seen to drop down schooling at a very young age keeping their education unfinished. Therefore, incomplete education result them in a number of various types of problems and one of the most important fact is that they do not develop health literacy (Munns et al., 2016). Therefore, they remain very unaware of the various types of issues that may result when they take up these harmful behaviours. They do not come to understand the various negative impacts that their substance abuse is having on their health and the people surrounding them. Therefore, poor education makes them exposed to the vulnerability to abusing substances and getting tolerant to it. Another negative impact is that lack of education results the person to be not enough knowledgeable and skilful by which he can take up a proper job. Therefore, lack of education results them with situations where they become addicted to substances either due to free time or due to lack of proper jobs (Shahram et al., 2017).

The next social determinant is employment. This is in turn associated with another social determinant like the income. The native people have seen to have poor access to different types of job opportunities and therefore they are often seen to remain unemployed for a large span of their life. Although poor education is one of the reason for the employment of the native people, bit other issues also are present. There has been poor job opportunities provided by the private as well as public organisations and hence they are able to not get good jobs in their lives. They cannot have proper income required to maintain the daily activities of life sufficiently or to maintain the families (Fallon et al., 2015). Unemployment is mainly resulting the native people to encourage drug use and thereby up taking of alcohol and smoking. Unemployment gives them a large amount of free time and therefore, in order to overcome boredom, the individuals are seen to start with the use of substance and in course of time become dependent on it. Moreover, it was seen that lack of money due to poor income prevents them from getting adequate amount of healthy diet required for maintaining of their lives. Social inequalities and poor income therefore makes them quite depressed when they fail to meet up with the minimal requirements for developing a moderate quality life. Such issues results in depression and anxiety that ultimately makes them exposed to various types of impulsive activities. They tend to either drink alcohol excessively, use illicit drugs or their rate of smoking increases. Researchers have stated that use of alcohol results in development of “alternate reality” where the individuals do not go through the similar suffering that they experience in their real lives (Firestone et al., 2015). The pleasure of drinking alcohol helps them to overcome the stress and tensions that they have in their life and this makes them highly exposed to substance abuse disorders. However, another form of discussion is also seen to be intricately associated with the topic of disorders. In a large number of cases, substance abuse disorders are indeed seen to be the cause of employment and low income in many of the individuals. Individuals who are intoxicated or are suffering from substance abuse disorders are not able to  provide their best performance or are shown to conduct unprofessionalism that results in the loss of employments. They also tend to suffer from various types of co-morbid situations like headache, backache, lung issues, and many others for which they cannot work up to their full potential. They tend to leave their jobs because of this. This in turn increases their dependence on the substances and hence they are more engaged in the behaviours. Therefore, the social determinant of unemployment and lack of income are great contributors to substance abuse syndromes.

The cultural tradition of the native people is seen to support the culture of drinking as well as smoking largely. The elder citizens of the communities consider smoking as one of the part f their traditions and therefore such tradition influences the modern generation of the native individuals as well. Moreover, it was seen that native individuals state that they have to take up smoking or drinking habits to make themselves feel more involved in the society and do not feel left out. Moreover, it was seen peer pressures and social pressures result individuals to take up the habits to make they feel included but in the long term they become dependent on it or develop tolerance for it (Wilson et al., 2016). Therefore, such traditions also act as one the determinant in the community that makes them develop substance abuse disorder effectively.

A number of stakeholders should be incorporated for helping the individuals overcome the substance abuse disorders. Primary healthcare providers have one of the biggest responsibilities in this situation. They have to take up the responsibility of educating the individuals of the native origin about the harmful impacts that their substance abuse behaviours have on their health as well as on their families. They have to guide the individuals by the different preventive steps by which they can refrain from the use of excessive alcohol and other substance abuse. The healthcare ministry members should provide the policy makers with important data that would help in development of policies by which such behaviour can be restricted. One of the initiatives that government can impose is the high taxation of alcohol as well as tobacco (Fallon et al., 2015). The monitoring system for the use of illicit drugs should be made more vigorous so that the native people do not get access to the use of the disorders. Moreover, the government should be trying their best to implement job portal systems where the native people would be able to get jobs according to their qualifications and for these representatives should be employed who would be helping the native people to get their jobs and therefore help them to aspire in life and live a better quality life. Moreover, it is also seen that health care centres need to be established in each of the native regions (Baydala et al., 2015). These would help the individuals to get healthcare access to help them overcome any physical as well as mental issues that impact from substance abuse disorders. Moreover, social workers and social advocates are also needed to be appointed so that they can advocate about the issue to the different level of the government and help them not only get equal opportunities but also equal rights of access to resources.

Conclusion:

From the above discussion, it becomes quite clear that the aboriginals belong to one the ethnic group in the nation of the Australians and are highly prone to the physical and mental impacts from substance abuse disorders. There has been a huge gap in health care status between the native and non-native people. The number of native people affected by substance abuse is quite higher than the non-natives. They not only have physical and mental impacts but also disrupt their social lives and results in poverty. Improper education, unemployment, lack of income, improper cultural traditions and others result in the occurrence of the behaviours among the natives. Therefore, all stakeholders should come together and work in collaboration to help native people lead lives free from the impacts of substance abuse.

References:

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