Milestone One: Substance Abuse
IDS 402: Milestone One
Jackie Hale
Southern New Hampshire University
March 14,2021
Milestone One: Substance Abuse
Topic
There are many people in this world who suffer from substance abuse, but unfortunately
it is not something that is considered as a "big deal" anymore because of how common is truly
has become. It is not unusual to hear about someone that we know or someone that we have
heard about that has struggled with this issue or even have died because of it. Last year was
labeled as the Deadliest Year in Drug History by Krystina Murray in an article posted on the
Addiction Center website. The cause they state is because of the pandemic and the effect it had
on everyone. Throughout this paper, I am going to highlight each of the four lenses of general
education and point out how each lens connects.
History
Substance abuse is not an unheard-of struggle. Alcohol and drugs have been around for a
very long time. Generally, when someone thinks of substance abuse, they think of someone in a
dark ally using needles trying to reach that high, or even someone in a bar all day long drinking
and then going home to continue when they are removed from the bar. Looking at this struggle
through the history lens though, this is not the case. According to Marc-Antoine-Crocq, MD.
psychoactive substances have been used by priests in religious ceremonies, healers for medicinal
purposes, or the general population in a socially approved way (e.g., alcohol, nicotine, and
caffeine) (Crocq, 2007). The article continues by stating that the issue of substance abuse was
being recorded as early as the 17th century.
Humanities
While substance abuse is common, those who study the subject of humanities record the
levels of those that are affected by this concern. One particularly popular way that is embraced
Milestone One: Substance Abuse
by users and is also well known are groups such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics
Anonymous. Both groups focus their recovery systems on a 12-step program. One article
published speaks of how spiritual things can help a recovering addict to move past the things that
the have done while under the influence (2008). Both programs listed above endorse this idea in
simple ways such as reciting the serenity prayer amongst other ways.
Natural and Applied Sciences
Substance abuse originates with the idea of the person who is struggling just wants to feel
better even if it is only a temporary solution such as drugs or other psychoactive substances that
change the way that we feel. An article published by the Canadian Mental Health Association
states the following: "...just as food and sex help humans survive and thrive but can also get us
into trouble-with our health, our relationships, our sense of self-worth-- substance use has both
benefits and the potential to lead us down an unhappy, unhealthy path" (Author: Canadian
Institute for Substance Use Research, 2013). The idea is that even though the person ma