Alcohol and Other Drug Use

Assignment No 1: AASW Submission
Alcohol and Other Drug Use
Word count: 2011
Prepared by: 
Submitted to: 
Date: September 05, 2021
1. Executive Summary
Alcohol and substance use is regarded as a medical and social problem in today's society. This report aimed to present the underlying features related to the issue of alcohol and substance abuse among the adolescent population in Australia. Though there is a noteworthy fall in the percentage of teenagers and adolescents with alcohol and drug abuse in Australia, different approaches and care strategies are needed to endorse the reduction in alcohol consumption among the younger Australian population for social and economic benefits of the country. The report indicates that alcohol abuse and drugs are major public health concerns, especially among the young generation. The endeavours in this regard will help maintain the physical and mental health of the young Australian generation and provide economic benefits to the economy of the country.
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary 2Table of Contents 32. Introduction 52.1 Purpose of the Report 52.2 Issues to be Discussed and their Significance 52.3 Research Methods 62.4 Limitations and Assumptions 63. Discussion 63.1. Identification of Population Experiencing Alcohol and Substance Abuse Challenges 63.2. Literature Review 83.2.1. Issue: Lack of Parents’ Role in Preventing Alcohol Addiction among Adolescents 93.2.2. Physical and Psychological Issues among Adolescents 93.3.3 Support from the Community/National Level 94. Recommendations for Continuity of Care 105. Conclusion 126. References 147. Appendix 167.1 Marking Criteria 16
2. Introduction
2.1 Purpose of the Report
This report aims to demonstrate the alarming issue of alcohol and substance abuse among the young population, i.e., adolescents in Australia. Among Australia's young people, alcohol and drug use is a potential challenge for the health and well-being of many young people. From a medical point of view, alcoholism is a progressive disease caused by alcohol abuse, manifested by an irresistible craving for alcohol, the formation of dependence on it (mental and physical), a change in the body's tolerance (sensitivity) to alcohol, and entailing social maladjustment and moral and ethical degradation. In the late stages of the disease, there may be signs of severe organic brain damage, indicating the development of alcoholic encephalopathy. In the case of alcohol, the consequences for the healthcare provider are clear; there is a lack of empirical knowledge about the safety margins of alcohol consumption, especially for the most vulnerable population and adolescents.
2.2 Issues to be Discussed and their Significance
Alcohol and substance use can be considered a medical and social problem in today's society. Alcohol and drug use in world culture has reached alarming levels since ancient times. Although alcohol and drug use restrictions have been reduced to legally understandable, this phenomenon is considered a social catastrophe in many countries. In the context of alcohol and drug use, this is one of Australia's biggest problems. To date, youth communities have faced many problems related to alcohol or drug use. Alcohol and drug use are threatening problems, but abstinence is an extensively accepted strategy that exceeds social characteristics and national borders. Simultaneously, people were very concerned about the spread of this issue among the Australian younger generation.
2.3 Research Methods
This report is based on the analysis of authentic facts and figures and existing peer-reviewed literature.
2.4 Limitations and Assumptions
Although this report demonstrates significant findings regarding alcohol and other drugs among the Australian younger population, few limitations may be anticipated. For instance, the information is limited to the published data and does not involve primary research regarding the facts and figures of alcohol abuse among the young Australian population. Furthermore, the report focuses on a limited population in Australia, which does not apply to a wide range of populations, such as adults, the elderly, women, rural communities, refugee communities, transgender persons, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.
3. Discussion
3.1. Identification of Population Experiencing Alcohol and Substance Abuse Challenges
According to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), alcohol abuse and drugs are major public health concerns, especially among the young generation, and AASW is endeavouring to implement harm minimisation approaches to overcome this challenge (AASW, 2021). According to the "National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2019", the percentage of ex-drinkers was reported to be increased from 2016 to 2019, i.e., from 7.6 percent to 8.9 percent (NDSHS, 2020). This increase in the population who left alcohol and drug abuse is the highest figure since 2001 (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Drinking frequency among people aged 14 and older, 2001 - 2019 (percent)
According to a 2018 Australian High School Drug and Alcohol Survey, an average of 17.4 % of students drank one glass of quality alcohol a week, and 6.4 % of students drank short-term drinking. Hospitalization due to overdose or illness, alcohol-related illness, or inappropriate sexual contact results from short-term threats and drinking.
Further figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) indicated a remarkable reduction in the percentage of single occasion risky drinkers over sixteen years old (AIHW 2021). The figures were reduced to 11 percent in 2017 from 16 percent in 2011 (Figure 2).
Despite an apparent decrease in the proportion of adolescents and teenagers using alcohol and illicit drug substances, there is a need to reduce the figure further. The endeavours in this regard will help maintain the physical and mental health of the young Australian generation and provide economic benefits to the Australian economy.
3.2. Literature Review
According to Callinan et al. (2020), the consequence of alcohol and drug abuse among adolescents and the young generation is crucial to report. The age of 11 to 14 years is the primary age for starting experiments with alcohol consumption. Adolescence is the age of trial and error for "finding oneself," it is directly related to the desire to stand out, resist norms and rules, and demonstrate adulthood and independence. Adolescent alcoholism develops from 13 to 15 years old and proceeds quickly and malignantly, simultaneously causing mental and physical dependence (Kaur et al., 2021). In the body, diseases of the cardiovascular system, the digestive system progress, and brain cells are destroyed.
3.2.1. Issue: Lack of Parents' Role in Preventing Alcohol Addiction among Adolescents
Research suggested that alcohol addiction is observed among adolescents and children (Cheetham et al., 2020). Unfortunately, many parents do not see anything special because a child drinks a glass of wine at a family celebration, often allowing them to drink alcohol, forgetting that alcohol intake is harmful to health and contributes to the demoralization and corruption of children and adolescents. Therefore, parents, teachers, and educators must constantly explain what harm drinking alcohol brings to children and adolescents.
On the other hand, the role of parents in adolescent use of drugs and alcohol must also be considered (Slade et al., 2021). Parents' alcoholism has a detrimental effect on the upbringing of the younger generation. An immoral atmosphere and a narrow circle of interests in the family lead to a loss of respect for parents, isolation and anger, and moral and intellectual impoverishment of children and adolescents (Slade et al., 2021). More tha...