Nature and scope of the alcohol and drug abuse problem in the United States today

Over the past 40 years, alcohol and drug abuse have been a major issue in the United States. Furthermore, this problem has even affected many individuals in prison as they depend on the substances to relieve their stress. At the same time, various studies have revealed that the use of alcohol and drug abuse negatively affects the productivity of American businesses despite making a positive contribution to the market. Drug testing in the past, employment has increased significantly, thereby showing a notable ascent in the use of alcohol and substance abuse.

However, this problem has become more important than in the past, as it has shown an increase in mortality rate among Native Americans. Katz (2017) reveals that deaths caused by drug abuse in America are growing faster than in the past. Aside from that, the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) results show that 136.7 million Americans above 12 years were using alcohol and 28.6 million individuals were using illicit drugs in 2016 (Ahrnsbrak, Bose, Hedden, Lipari & Park-Lee, 2016). As compared with the past findings, it is evident that this problem has become more significant today than in the past.

Therefore, it is apparent that the abuses of alcohol and substances will remain a major issue in the country despite the way people try to fight the problem. As long as the demand is high, new ways to produce certain drugs will always emerge. Although some drug laboratories may be seized, others countries can contribute to the production of the substances thereby increasing the use among the Americans.