Drug Abuse

Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, read articles on the following:

• Drug Abuse
• Addiction and mental illness
• Comorbidity
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
• Other drug use prevention programs

Based on your research and understanding of drug abuse, answer the following questions:

• Does addiction fall under public health and contribute to public health issues? Why or why not?
• How do prevention programs differ from intervention programs? Explain.
• From a prevention perspective, why is the age of onset an important issue in the addictions field?
• What is a gateway drug? Compare researches that explain how gateway drugs lead to severe potential addictions.
• Can gateway drugs contribute to public safety issues such as driving under the influence (DUI) and other crimes? Why or why not?
• People addicted to drugs are generally diagnosed with other mental disorders. Is this an example of comorbidity? Why or why not? Provide at least three examples of comorbidity related to drug abuse or addiction.
• According to Neal and Kendler, what are the ten possible models of comorbidity?
• Critiques whether drug abuse contribute to mental illness or can mental illness lead to drug abuse? How?