Reference no: EM1348631

There are different ways people handle socio-cultural influences regarding addiction. I agree that a child will either follow the path of their parent's influence or go the opposite direction. It seems logical that the younger they are, the more they are influenced by example and the less they know better. Once a child or teen is able to get out of the environment and learn that drug abuse is not normal behavior, they are able to make a better choice for themselves. Additionally, there are statistics showing higher levels of addiction in lower income communities. Alloy, Riskind & Manos (2005) explain that as corporations move away from the cities and into the suburbs, less jobs are available resulting in increased poverty in the inner city. When jobs are unavailable, other alternatives to make money like dealing drugs become prevalent. The outcome of drug addiction is often higher crime. "As many as 20 percent of inmates in federal prisons committed their offenses in order to obtain drugs" (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005, p. 351). I'm actually surprised by this statistic; that it is not higher than 20%. In your opinion, can these cycles of addiction be stopped? And how can mental professionals make a difference?