When it comes to addiction, we often think that only those struggling with addiction are affected. This couldn’t be further from the truth because the effects can be far-reaching to the individual’s family and loved ones, their co-workers, and even the community at large.
Substance abuse is recognized as a social problem for a reason. We live in communities and our lives are interconnected. When individuals resort to using drugs, the consequences snowball to affect us all.
The Impact of Drug and Substance Abuse on the Community
Here are 3 major ways substance abuse affects your city:
- Increased Crime.
Perhaps the most noticeable effect of substance abuse in your city is the impact it has on crime rates. Addiction-related crimes include driving under the influence or more direct ones such as robbery or other violent crimes committed while under the influence of drugs. Addiction can be an expensive habit to maintain and when individuals run out of cash, they may resort to robbery and other crimes.
This directly affects your city because taxpayers’ money will have to be used to fund more police officers and jail personnel to deal with those convicted of such crimes. Additionally, courts can easily become overburdened with increased drug cases, diverting attention from other deserving cases.
Increased crime in a neighborhood can also affect property values in the area. Once an area gets a bad reputation, property prices may plummet and people may decide to move out.
- Increased Health Care Costs.
Substance abuse also puts a strain on health care. Those struggling with addiction are more prone to health issues including serious ones such as heart attacks and organ failure. This puts pressure on health care and emergency services, diverting these critical resources from others who may require them. Addiction also increases the demand for mental health resources, substance abuse research, and treatment, using up resources that would have gone to other causes.
- An Increase in Domestic Violence.
This may not be considered a community or city problem but it is. Families with a loved one dealing with substance abuse are often strained. Violence may erupt due to disagreements over money and neglected responsibilities. Children from such families often end up having a multitude of problems and need help to overcome them. Funding is then required for social welfare programs to rehabilitate families devastated by addiction and the money sometimes comes from taxpayers.
End the Cycle
As you can see, addiction has consequences that not only affect the individual but also those around them and the community at large.
That is why we at the Findlay Recovery Center in Ohio are dedicated to helping those struggling with addiction turn their lives around. We offer tailor-made alcohol addiction treatment programs, as well as residential drug treatment programs for our clients. Get in touch with us today and see how we can help you.
