The Affects of Drugs and Alcohol on Children

Introduction

Most adolescents experience with alcohol and other drugs. Majority of the children consume for a certain period of time while some children get addicted to it. However, few children used it regularly with the various level of physical, emotional and social. Moreover, some children develop their dependency for years and act destructively toward themselves and others.

Thesis statement

The Affects of Drugs and Alcohol on Children is growing concern in United States

Discussion

A drug is a substance that alters the normal functioning of the organism once it comes into contact with him. Some examples of drugs include alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, inhalants, steroids, marijuana or cocaine. Different drugs have different effects on the body. Some drugs can cause hallucinations (for instance, seeing or hearing things that are not actually happening) others can accelerate or reduce the activity of the organism. Pregnancy is one such critical state of women's life where she is required to take the extreme care of her health in order to deliver a healthy and a normal baby. The exposure to alcohol and any other drug in such condition is a modifiable risk and poor and hazardous for the mother and the child. During pregnancy, the consumption of alcohol can possibly cause a wide range of neurodevelopment and physical problems in for the purpose of taking a look at these potential consequences and improving the prevention strategies, this paper looks into the attitudes and knowledge of the childbearing women and the affects of alcoholism on fetus.

In the current time period, the consumption of alcohol and other drugs has taken toll in the people living all over the world. Irrespective of age, gender or any other demographic factor, the drug is seen as a habit, social status, fashion or even a necessity for the people living in the modern era. Due to such an increasing usage of the alcohol, and regardless of various intervention and prevention efforts to counter the effects during the last 30 years, the utilization of alcohol has continued to be a public threat among the pregnant women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2004), it has been estimated that approximately, 10% of pregnant women ages 18 - 44 report drinking alcohol at least once during their pregnancy. This has reported the continuous threat in childbirths and has created pregnancy consequences (Ghose, 2002, Pp. 1).

There are several physical side effects from drinking. One of the biggest problems caused by drinking is the effect on the liver that causes cirrhosis. This is when the liver is unable to function properly because of which it stops working. Other diseases caused by alcoholism are heart disease, pancreatitis, epilepsy and cancer. Moreover, it also causes brain damages and increased risk of breast cancer. Many other mental issues such as "dementia" can also be caused because of alcoholism. Moreover, they also suffer from depression, panic disorder and anxiety. In the women, "bulimia" and post-traumatic stress disorder are more common. However, men ...