1 Substance Abuse
Substance Abuse
Ashley Osborn
Southern New Hampshire University
Wellness IDS-402
2 Substance Abuse
Two significant values that could impact society's engagement with the topic of
substance abuse and the beliefs and biases that individuals have. Substance abuse has been
present in the world for centuries and has only gotten worse as the years come and go. Every
individual has their own beliefs, they are entitled to have them. An individual's beliefs are
formed through religion, other cultural and societal norms, experiences, and through the opinions
of others (Immigration Advisors Authority, 2018). For example, if a child grew up in a home
where they were told that doing drugs or drinking alcohol was a "sin", that would be something
that influences their beliefs. Biases can be both implicit and explicit. As you grow and learn,
experience things, your opinion will develop. Your opinion can influence all of your decisions,
all of your thoughts, your actions, etc. For example, you grew up in a home where substance
abuse was present, you have seen what it does. You have witnessed the abuser go from a healthy
individual to an unhealthy individual. You know that substance abuse is not a moral failing, it is a
choice. Whether or not you see this choice as a negative or positive, that is what determines bias.
When you involve society's engagement in a topic such as substance abuse, there will be many
different opinions that form and many different perceptions to work through.
One obstacle that could interfere with the populations engagement with substance abuse
is the biases that these individuals have (implicit or explicit). Substance abuse is a topic that has
had an effect on the lives of many individuals. If an individual has been a substance abuser and
they recovered and survived, they can have either a positive or negative bias toward other users
If an individual lost someone to substance abuse, they may be understanding toward the topic,
but still carry a negative bias. But someone who has never had any personal experience with this
topic may see abusers as having "poor personal choices, "moral failing', and defects in character"
(Fogler, 2020). The issue with substance abuse is that there are so many obstacles that can
3 Substance Abuse
interfere with the population's engagement. One of these being differences in biases from each
individual to the next.
Strategies that can be used for meeting my personal and professional goals are, to be a
learner, to make the right decisions, to listen to different options, and to constantly analyze
myself. When thinking critically, it is important to hold yourself accountable. In order to reach
my personal and professional goals, learning and being curious about my profession and the
world. Being able to educate myself willingly will aid me in reaching my goals. I need to be able
to put my own needs aside for the best decision for the group. Being resilient and being able to
come up with other options for