Paper Example - Alcohol, Drugs and Deviant Behavior

Alcohol and drugs are known as causatives of abnormal behavior. Alcohol is legal for consumption, and most people use it as a form of relaxation. They do this mostly on the weekends, in celebrations, or casually in normal daily activities. Alcohol and drugs have adverse effects on the flipside. People are aware of this, and alcohol, for example, usually is advisable to use in small quantities. Drugs and alcohol modify one's mentality. One can act unusually irritable, and they work against their usual virtues and those of society. Deviant behavior is that which is different from the moral values of a community. Abuse of drugs and alcohol is one way to explain it.

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Alcohol and Deviant Behavior

Alcohol is one major cause of abnormal action. The use of alcohol can start as a means of recreation but can turn out to cause deviant behavior. Irresponsible use of alcohol is more likely to cause abnormal behavior. Alcohol gives individual overconfidence. An individual is, therefore, susceptible to try out many things, and most of them usually are immoral behaviors. Alcohol is present in specific joints or shops. It is easily accessible for individuals who are legally able to purchase it. Therefore, individuals can buy it anytime they want, either for recreation or pass the time. Lonely people are known to consume lots of alcohol to make up for it. Individuals even have their specific preference for alcohol beverages, either by class, price, or just choice.

Deviant behavior from alcohol is more likely to occur when someone feels inadequate. Some individuals prefer doing some tasks or socializing under the influence of alcohol. It means that such people are insecure. They feel a sense of security when they consume alcohol. With time it becomes a habit, and they may increase their consumption of alcohol. It means that at this stage, they may have an addiction to alcohol. Such individuals can have moments that they feel that no one or no values have control over their behavior (Heinrich et al., 2016). They then resolve to unusual behaviors.

Many people can have insecurity over their bodies and their degree of attraction. Alcohol is a universal remedy for such vulnerabilities for most people consuming alcohol. Consumption of alcohol is also typical for youthful individuals seeking to fit in. They want to be part of a group that they deem cool. Alcohol gives them more confidence to interact with the same or opposite genders. As such, youth try to fit in, and they may end up in groups that exhibit deviant behavior. They adopt it, and they change their culture to fit theirs. Mostly, they choose abnormal behavior when they are under the influence of alcohol. They lose the sense of inhibition. Peer pressure affects teenagers primarily. Teenagers may begin to consume alcohol in their early years. Consumption of alcohol increases as they grow older (Heinrich et al., 2016). They are more susceptible to deviant behavior as they consume more alcohol. Most of them drink alcohol as a show-off or to get away from responsibility. Others consume to relieve stress.

Peer groups are particularly dangerous as their behavior is unpredictable. They think that their actions are okay, but they are risky to other innocent individuals close to them. They become abusive towards their peers and to other people. They are more likely to perform heinous sexual acts (Gilchrist, Ireland, Forsyth, Godwin, & Laxton, 2017). They may find themselves repeating these behaviors, and they become part of their lifestyle. They usually carry these behaviors to their adult life. Behavior from alcohol consumption varies between cultures. In some countries, for example, alcohol consumption is a culture, like Germany. In such states, deviant behavior is at a low compared to the United States of America. Many factors combined with alcohol consumption result in abnormal behavior.

A huge risk factor in deviant behavior with the consumption of alcohol is peer involvement. A person consuming alcohol and is with a peer group is more likely to exhibit abnormal behavior. Age is another factor, as younger individuals are more susceptible to deviant behavior. Alcohol consumption, as far as it is a form of recreation, it is an epidemic. It is one of the root causes of abnormal behavior. Without regulation, alcohol will continue being a causal agent of deviant behavior. Alcohol consumption results in violence, as drunk individuals are often seen fighting (Gilchrist et al., 2017). Weekend nights are continually prominent as alcohol drinking times. It is a regular occurrence to find drunk individuals on the streets, and they are more likely to have deviant behavior.

Alcohol is one of the triggers of deviant behavior. To reduce the prevalence of abnormal behavior, the regulation of alcohol is critical. As more people get to know and abuse alcohol, deviant behavior will increase. Awareness of abuse of alcohol and deviant behavior is necessary. Outreach should include how to drink responsibly to avoid abnormal behavior. Elimination of alcohol abuse is not easy, but ignorance will result in even more deviant behavior. Alcohol use should only be at a minimum for special occasions and for socializing.

Drugs and Deviant Behavior

Abuse of drugs is more familiar with the youthful population. They can be prescribed drugs or illegal drugs. Most people abusing them are more likely to be addicted to them. Drugs affect one's mental health, which triggers deviant behavior. Mental health is vital for any individual to have a meaningful and happy life. Drugs are a significant hindrance to good mental health. Drugs include heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and other synthetic drugs (Iudici, Castelnuovo, & Faccio, 2015). They can trigger or dampen emotions. It is one of the main reasons that people use them to induce specific feelings. These changes in emotions are a result of the effects drugs have on the brain. These changes affect the mental state of an individual.

The changes that drugs have on one's brain, it affects its functionality and some of the chemicals. It means that the brain receives different messages from the normal ones. It affects the mind in the long term and short term. These effects lead to an individual having deviant behavior, as they can hardly control their emotions. Individuals take drugs to have the sensation or feeling that they bring. It can affect the way one acts or the degree of actions that they perform. The body processes these drugs and eliminates them from the body, and the sensation or feelings go away. An individual may crave for more as a result of this.

Long-term use of drugs results typically in aggravated deviant behavior. It means that the mental state of such an individual is wanting. The use of drugs makes one meditate about their personality. They may feel inadequate, and the best way to cover for this is to engage in deviant behavior. It results in one repeatedly using drugs to temporarily get rid of these feelings (Biggar, Forsyth, Chen, & Burstein, 2016). With this, they are not conscious of drug abuse, and they affect their character and well-being. Not only insecure people use drugs. Even the most clear-headed individuals are affected by drug abuse and may indulge in deviant behavior. Drugs make one discover different feelings that they never had before. These effects can be long-term and mostly cause other mental health conditions.

Abuse of drugs affects people in different ways. There is currently no scientific explanation as to why. It is, however, most relevant to dosage or other predisposing factors like age. Examples of how drugs affect the mental state of an individual are as follows. Ecstasy, a lab drug, commonly causes euphoria or hallucinations. It is because it induces the release of serotonin in the brain, pushing them to high levels. After using the drug, serotonin levels drop. An individual is more likely to suffer from depression at this stage. Depression is one of the triggers of deviant behavior, as stress may induce ignorance (Biggar et al., 2016). One, therefore, turns to the drug for relief. Another drug is cannabis. It is either natural or synthetic. It is a highly addictive drug, although effects vary from person to person.

Conclusion

Many people live with either alcohol or drug addiction. Most of them have mental conditions, and they may not be aware of it. They are more likely to exhibit deviant behavior. Such a situation is challenging to diagnose and treat. It is because only one condition can be dealt with at a time. Anyone suffering from an alcohol or drug condition should seek medical and psychiatric help. It is also advisable to use alcohol at minimum levels as it can cause other disasters like accidents through drunk driving.

References

Biggar, R. W., Forsyth, C. J., Chen, J., & Burstein, K. (2016). The poly-drug user: Examining associations between drugs used by adolescents. Deviant Behavior, 38(10), 1186-1196. doi:10.1080/01639625.2016.1246022

Gilchrist, E. A., Ireland, L., Forsyth, A., Godwin, J., & Laxton, T. (2017). Alcohol use, alcohol-related aggression and intimate partner abuse: A cross-sectional survey of convicted versus general population men in Scotland. Drug and Alcohol Review, 36(1), 20-23. doi:10.1111/dar.12505

Heinrich, A., Muller, K. U., Banaschewski, T., Barker, G. J., Bokde, A. L., Bromberg, U., ... Nees, F. (2016). Prediction of alcohol drinking in adolescents: Personality-traits, behavior, brain responses, and genetic variations in the context of reward sensitivity. Biological Psychology, 118, 79-87. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.05.002

Iudici, A., Castelnuovo, G., & Faccio, E. (2015). New drugs and polydrug use: implications for clinical psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00267