I live in an urban Whitehaven community that is riddled with drugs, crime, and violence. Drugs and drug abuse is a huge issue among my community. A lot of people who start doing drugs have the mindset of “ just this one time” and that gradually evolves to “ this is gonna be the last time.” People often turn to drugs to take the edge off and that feeling of relief or relaxation becomes addictive. They become dependant on that relief. They’re always going to long for that sense of euphoria or whatever effect the drug may have so the cycle repeats.
Every generation has been affected by drugs and drug abuse in some manner. The issue with drugs has hit the millennial generation harder than the previous generations. Today, a plethora of rappers and influential people of my generation promote drug usage which causes people to start doing drugs and smoking marijuanas. It’s been perceived as trendy or cool. Music has a great impact on the things people do and the way they act. Among millennials today, predominantly males, NBA YoungBoy is idolized, worshipped even, for his music. For instance, he rapped about smoking marijuanas, and his listeners, looking up to him and wanting to be like him, started smoking.
According to www.narcononojai.org, even the hippie generation of the 1960s and 1970s did not suffer as much from drug abuse problems as the millennials have. Another leading cause to drug usage amongst millennials is stress. Work stress, college debt, and financial uncertainty are huge precipitators to drug abuse. Overworking and being stressed out gets overwhelming.
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Crime is another issue in my community. People get killed and robbed frequently. Sometimes people get into bad situations and in the midst of desperation, they go out and impulsively commit crimes. In their mind, that crime, whether it be killing or robbing someone, it may be a last option. The crime issue ties into the fact that the area is povertorial. Being in poverty frequently leads to high levels of stress. Stress causes a chain reaction which leads to drug usage and abuse. An overwhelming desire to obtain basic needs becomes the highest priority. Over a course of time if those needs can not be met, then some individuals may feel inclined to commit robberies, burglaries, ect.
For instance, if a young man is struggling to get a job and he has responsibilities that he has to tend to then he gets put in a seemingly impossible situation. Being in the situation where he genuinely needs something but he can’t afford it, feeling like every other option has been exerted , can drive him to behave irrationally. People always talk about how crime is a problem but they don’t consider the reason people commit some of these crimes. A lot of belligerent behavior and hostility is a result of struggling in life.
It’s been said that “ if they’d get a job they would be alright, “ but in some cases that is easier said than done. There are other things that factor into the struggle to find employment. Location may be one factor. If a person lives in an area where there aren’t any places they can work that is close by and they don’t have a reliable form of transportation then they could have difficulties getting to work or even job hunting. Another factor may be age. A person’s age can affect their eligibility to acquire a job. A person’s schedule will also determine a person’s ability to work a job.
In poveritorial communities and households, there are usually a plethora of young children. Being a tennager growing up with younger siblings, the responsibility of babysitting is often forced upon them. Also, being poor and in a financially challenged household, college is seen as a way out. College is typically too expensive for poor people so they reply on scholarships. They’d have to be smart enough to get an academic scholarship or athletic enough for a sports scholarship. Now the youth gets pressured to babysit, get a job, maintain good grades in school, and deal with whatever situation their facing at home.
Crime is partially due to unemployment. If resources were distributed fairly and everyone were presented with the same opportunities then people wouldn`t have a reason to steal and rob. When parents are unemployed, it puts a strain on the children. For example, in poor communities people often struggle to pay their rent and utility bills. Being in that situation persuades them to ¨ hustle.¨ Even though crimes are committed at the expense of others, in their minds something has to be done no matter the risk or cost, especially if they have to get something for a younger sibling. Consequently, it’s that very thought that gets a lot of young black men incarcerated.
When parents raise children in poverty they set their children back. Their children become inconvenienced due to lack of resources. It’s a parent’s job to provide but if that parent doesn’t have anything to provide then that child must either go without what they need or find another way to get it.
