O-O-O+Overdose+-+Bad+Habits+for+Drugs


 * LISA BROWN**
 * STUDENT NUMBER: n8890161**
 * TUTOR: DR JEY RODGERS**

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ARTEFACT

The above video is a segment from Chris Lilley’s satirical mockumentary, Summer Heights High depicting one of his characters, Mr Gs’ songs, Naughty Girl, featured in the school musical memorial for a student, Annabelle Dickson, who suffered a fatality after overdosing on illicit drugs. Some of Mr G’s other lyrical works in the musical include; ‘Don’t get involved with drugs – just fill your life with hugs’, ‘When girls take drugs and then they die’ and ‘She can’t help taking the drugs on a Saturday night’. Like most satire it comments on the issues and human behaviour in society, in particular illicit drug use and overdoses amongst adolescents.

PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE

The above artefact lyrically represents adverse adolescent behaviour relating to the use and overdose of illicit drugs and the associated negative consequences. Statistics show that, in Australia, illicit drug use as well as overdoses are most common amongst adolescents and young adults aged 18-29. (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011) With such high rates of drug-related use and harm amongst adolescents and young adults what measures are required to avoid such behaviours and consequences and create higher levels of education and awareness amongst these age groups.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Statistics and data provided from the 2010 National Drug Strategy Survey show that people in age groups 18-19 and 20 -29 years were the most likely to have used illicit drugs of any form in the week, month and year prior to completing the survey. (AIHW, 2011) However, in regards to high school students, aged 16-17 years, 26.8% have used illicit substances before and nearly half had used them in the past month. (White, V & Bariola, E, 2012) Gunja, 2012 says that these age groups are also when people have most likely been known to experiment with illicit drugs and cause the onset of illicit drug addictions.

Overdoses on illicit-drugs or ingested combinations of drugs in most cases are caused accidentally however in smaller percentage of cases their intentions and suicidal. There is a vast variety of severe consequences that can result from the overdose of illicit drugs ranging from presentation to emergency rooms to cases like Annabelle Dickson’s where one can suffer fatality. (Gunja, 2012). In 2003 a total of 1705 deaths and 51 463 disability adjusted lifestyle were attributable to illicit drug abuse and overdoses.

Over the past 10 years, there has been an upwards trend amongst teenagers in overdosing on prescription drugs instead of turning to street drugs as they are evidently more easily supplied and attainable. ( Whaley, R, Smith, J, & Hayes-Smith, R, 2011) In order to help prevent this issue, Paracetamol varieties are now only stocked and available in small denominations in supermarkets and in over-the-counter stores. ( State Government of Victoria, 2013) This methodology may not be very effective in discouraging such behaviours as the prescription drugs can still be sought from various and multiple sources as well friends and family.

Council researchers have also said that education and awareness can play a key part in the reduction and influence of teenage drug related behaviours. ( Education and Health Standing Committee, 2011) The idea the illicit drug use is part of a societal norm should be eliminated and that consequential effects and harms of illicit drug use need to be conveyed more prevalently amongst teenage adolescents. Government as well as Non-government Education programs are implemented and run across the majority of state, private and independent schools. These programs aim to raise the awareness amongst as well as educate high school students about illicit drug harms, laws and effects and help them make informed and positive choices regarding illicit drugs. Some limitations that can exist for this methodology include the right that schools have to deny such programs in their school or allow speakers with drug related experiences to speak without substantial evidence to support their claims. The affect of these programs was questioned in regards to influencing actual behaviour as they are external and it was also perceived that the strategies and skills provided are adapted from adult ones and may not be easily understood by targeted students.

Recently government agencies have also been seen to address issues by providing guidelines to attempt to remove the dangers from drug experimentation in teenagers. (Drug and Alcohol Office, 2003) The Australian government has published articles that aim to inform parents and others who are likely to be the host’s for teenage parties; the scene in which most teenage drug-related behaviour occurs. The designed flyer presents the issues, scenarios and reasons behind the commonly occurring events at a party, addressing such issues as drug use, most common drugs and social reasoning used by teenagers. The article is limited by its audience and their willingness to take on what is being taught, unlike prohibition this approach aims to decrease the risks of the issue and promote a safe environment rather than decrease the issue all together.

Although the elimination of overdose behaviours would be desirable it is unrealistic to expect teenage illicit drug abuse to completely cease. Instead harm reduction or rectification through medical attention and immediate presentation to hospital is a strategy currently employed to reduce the death toll attributable to illicit drug overdoses. When overdoses occur amongst youth it is sometimes possible to provide medical treatment and prevent fatality although sufficient knowledge is required by clinicians in order to do so. (Gunja, 2012) Medical staff need to be aware of the many and various forms of illicit substances that may be available to young adolescents in order to correctly provide diagnosis and treatment to patients. Education in this regard is left mostly to the self-initiative of medical professionals and is not obligatory therefore it presents a limiting factor in the strategy to address the issue.

CULTURAL AND SOCIAL ANALYSIS

The approach to solve the growing issue of teenage drug overdoses in Australia has recently moved to mirror a direction that is being implemented, or at least discussed, world wide with promising results. The experimentation of drugs in teenagers usually leads to issues with overdosing and research also suggests that often the drugs used to overdose are not the typical ones people associated with the issue, that is illicit drugs. However, this association and lead to a form of moral panic and in the past governments have reacted with prohibition laws, often only adding to the problem and at a high cost. The current move that is seeing the most promising results aims to reduce the issue through education and a change in social status on drugs.

Education programs have been implemented in several ways. The first is into educating teenagers of the dangers of drugs, more explicitly educating teenagers on the dangers associated with individual drugs and the manner in which consumption can be harmful. The second stems from the first, government bodies aim to change the public view amounts teenagers on the social norm’s of drug consumption and use. They aim to show teenagers that drugs are not a necessary social convention in a hope to reduce the level of teenagers exposed to drugs due to social pressures. Thirdly the government has published articles informing parents and other people who act as the host for teenage parties, the scene in which most drug experimentation occurs.

These methods are early signs of a move away from pressures from moral panic, where the previous methods brought upon from moral panic have shown negative results. These programs aim to solve long-term issues and reduce moral panic in the long term.

A lot of the issues still faced stem from issues of public view. Social constructivism is one of the main causes for both the moral panic in society and the desire to experiment with illicit substances among teenagers. The moral panic in society stems from the exposure to the issue, the exposure of drug uses and overdose in Australia is strongly controlled by the media. This means that for most Australians, knowledge regarding overdosing is sourced from media stories, which highlight the tragedies that occur in Australian society. The social constructivism of the view of drugs in Australian society has in the past lead to strong prohibition laws. This side of the social constructivism represents the view of the adult population of Australia, the other side is that which the teenager faces. Due to strong laws inforcing the illegality of drug use, many teenagers seek drugs as a form of rebellion to gain social status. At parties being around friends exposes teenagers to strong social pressures, pressures to rebel and experiment often lead to adolescents’ first experiences with drugs.

The new projects set out by the Australian government address both the issues that moral panic has brought forth in the past and also the issues that teenagers face in social environments; through education of both the teenagers and the adults who host such social events.

ANALYSIS OF ARTEFACT/REFLECTION of PERSONAL LEARNING

The cultural artefact represents and highlights the use of illicit drugs amongst adolescents as well as young adults and the issues of overdosing and resulting harms caused to the people of these ages. Chris Lilly uses his character Mr G to attack difficult social issues full on, perhaps in bad taste, but without ever breaking the characters view point. The snippet of satire provides a fresh and open look into the issues of drugs and over doses, although the content is designed with comedic effects, as all satire it carry’s a strong underlying messages about the issues present in society. The artefact instills a sense of reminisce about high school years and although never personally involved with drugs or participated in a school musical production it serves as a reminder of the issues that did exist for some students and what they might have been subjected to. Through analysing and exploring the artefact I have extended my knowledge about the drug related issues present amongst teenage populations and the resulting consequences of overdosing on various types of illicit drugs. The insights gained through this assessment piece will assist in future perceptions of issues in society and how social theories can be used to help fully understand and analyse them. Through the research and information presented throughout the wiki is evident that overdoses on illict drugs among the young people is a prevailing issue in society and that the current education programs and stategies for redressing the issue are indeed necessary.

REFERENCE LIST

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2011). 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey Report. Retrieved from []

Degenhardt, L (2005). "Recent trends in the use of ‘club drugs’: an Australian review". //Substance use & misuse//, 40, p. 1241.
 * Education and Health Standing Committee. (2011). Changing Patterns in Illicit Drug Use in Western Australia. Retreived from []

Gunja, N. (2012), Teenage toxins: Recreational poisoning in the adolescent. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 48: 560–566. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2011.02082.x ||  || State Government of Victoria. (2013). Drug Overdose. Retrived from []

Whaley, R. B., Smith, J. M., & Hayes-Smith, R. (2011). Teenage Drug and Alcohol Use: Comparing Individual and Contextual Effects. //Deviant Behavior//. doi:10.1080/01639625.2010.538351

White, V & Bariola, E. (2012). Australian secondary school students’ use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the- counter and illicit substances in 2011. Retrieved from []

REFLECTION

http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/share/view/64695002

http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/share/view/64695102