Introduction
Over the decades, one of the prominent factors affecting effective healthcare practices enshrines the human behavioral habits. In this case, it is crucial to establish the interdependent concepts that render the prevalent state of drug abuse and addiction cases. Researchers argue that a significant percentage of the community members self-diagnose and prescribe for the presumably appropriate dosages (Shobiye et al., 2021). It is an initiative that risks the welfare of the ill persons and the reputation of pharmacists. The expenses on doctor’s consultancy are high. Self-treatment is an ideology that risks the robustness of the counterparts. One of the highly abused drugs is marijuana due to its impact on the human body as a recreational element. Cannabinoids is a drug with chemical compounds similar to the active component in weed: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The composition leads to elation among the victims, a condition considered as high due to the impairment of physical and mental functioning. The primary objective of a medical practitioner encompasses the protection of life of a patient. However, the regular concept of purchasing analgesics to treat symptoms poses difficulties among the professionals towards rendering optimal and efficient services.
Literature Review
There is an intersection between the textbook and the peer-reviewed article due to the relevance of the controversies arising from drug usage. Cairns et al. (2019) argue that there is an increase in psychotropic and self-poisoning from the usage of the unprescribed pharmaceuticals. On the one hand, Crowley et al. (2017) argue that it is vital to determine the statistics of substance misuse to foster the objective baseline of the widespread overconsumption of painkillers for treatment. On the other hand, analgesics entail a chemical compound that provides a solution to different illnesses, and its perversion is a significant threat to people. Both articles contribute to an essential insight into the conceptual framework of analgesics and stimulants. In addition, it is crucial to address the issue of compulsive behavior driven by the exploitation of pharmaceuticals.
Drugs contain different chemical compounds that offer particular medicinal value, while others provide recreational properties such as ecstasy. In a research, Toda (2018) indicate that analgesics enhance the promptness in treatment of short illnesses. It is an approach that families adopt with the effectiveness being measured from the change in pain intensity. The self-treatment aspect renders a solution to the decongestion of hospitals over minor incidences. However, the advice-seeking behavior also poses the risks of health complications. Toda (2018) establishes that the solution to the habit engulfs optimizing prescription and over the counter distribution of medicine to avoid developing serious conditions. Dependency on drugs is a matter that negatively affects society’s growth and development (Sikka and Bartolome, 2018). Therefore, there is a prominent effect on the utilization of pharmaceuticals in the domestic areas due to the trickle-down dynamic effect on wellness.
Drugs pose a significant risk to an individual’s health mainly because of the chemical compounds used during manufacturing. In this case, it is crucial to classify drugs based on the chemical composition due to the relational risks and impact. Researchers argue that there is a significant possibility that an individual addicted to a substance becomes dependent on a drug with similar synthetic compositions such as analgesics (de Wit and Sayette, 2018). Therefore, the categorization of medicine provides an insight regarding the peril of abuse. The legalization of drugs refers to abuse and the impact on the victims (Dewhirst and Secomb, 2017). Despite the similarity or differences in the compounds, individuals showcase dynamic body responses such as relaxation, anxiety, violence, and excitement. Therefore, the classification of drugs as either legal or illegal provides a baseline foundation to the effect on victims and the attribute of addiction.
One of the major factors involves the assessment of the common drugs found in the households, that is, analgesics. It is an initiative that indicates the major cause of medicine poisoning and the intensified rate of health complications. The main responsibility of the physicians and pharmacists involves regulating the distribution of painkillers among people to reduce the congestion (Tanweer et al., 2019). Apart from the determination of the frequency of prescriptions in residences, a different approach to alleviate the danger of self-treatment enshrines incorporating a program educating students regarding the effects of adoptive advice-seeking behaviors.
Research Questions
- What is the advice-seeking behavior when buying analgesics for pain management medication in Australia?
- What is the student’s advice-seeking behavior when buying analgesics for pain management medication?
- What is the family/healthcare professional advice in taking household drugs specifically analgesics?
Findings
The data collection fosters a profound relationship between the type of drugs in households and the relative risky advice-seeking behavior among the patients. On the one hand, the respondents indicate a wide range of medications present in the residential areas with a significant distribution variation for certain entities. According to the findings, the majority of the respondents indicated that it is prudent to have medicinal drugs in the house for the treatment of minor illnesses such as headaches. However, different pills pose various effects to the human body hence the significance to avoid the storage of the pharmaceuticals in the house. In this case, the researcher noted that while Panadol led with 50%, Cannabis sativa followed with a 40% and 10% paracetamol likelihood to be in the households despite gender and age disparity. Primarily, there is a significant use of analgesics among the Australians based on the imminent range of the dosages. This is illustrated in the diagram below:
Apart from the profound indication of the key drugs in the household, the data also showcases a profound influential value of the advice-seeking behavior. In this case, a student’s health mainly depends on the approach regarding the prompt medication strategy. According to the respondents, a significant percentage of the learners indicated that at least 47% seek counsel from the family members, 39% from medical practitioners, and 14% from other entities. Primarily, there is a proficient disparity between the tribe and the professional physicians, a factor that demonstrates the risk of increased complications among the patients. It is crucial for students to pursue guidelines from the doctors and nurses to avoid significant issues and acquire effective treatment. The students’ preferential habit is showcased in the diagram below:
In a different spectrum, the findings indicate a prominent consideration of painkillers, antibiotics and multivitamins as the major medication present in the household. It is crucial to establish the integral value of the distinct drugs in the residential area due to the trickle-down effect to the users. On the one hand, the chemical compounds intensify the promptness in treating minor illnesses such as headaches. On the other hand, the lack of insight based on the diagnostics fosters the treatment of symptoms over the major sickness element. As a result, individuals develop complications from consuming the different types of pharmaceuticals over the essence of seeking counsel from the physicians.
Apart from the profound percentage of analgesics in the households, the data indicates a proficient variation in the form of access to the medications. In this case, there are four different categories involving the attainment of the pharmaceuticals including prescription (approximately at 60%), over the counter (27%), and others (3%). Primarily, the major indicator regarding the significant amounts of painkillers in the domestic areas is diagnostic aspect on short-term and minor sickness incidences. As a result, there is profound usage of analgesics in Australia based on the advice-seeking behavior across the healthcare industry and the community.
Discussion
The prevalent state of drugs in the households poses a profound risk among the members due to the impact on health index. Although the pharmaceuticals assist in the prompt treatment of the short-term illnesses, it is vital to determine the integral value of professional advice-seeking habits. It is an initiative that attributes the alleviation of certain issues, such as complications to the body. According to the research findings, the highly affected target population is the students. The data indicates that a learner likely seeks counsel from family over the medical practitioner, a concept that confers with the wide range of medicines in the domestic region.
In a different spectrum, the findings showcase that a significant variation of the medication in the households based on the efficiency and reliance. In this case, the data indicates a proficiency and prevalent rate of analgesics such as Ibuprofen, Advil Panadol and paracetamols in the domestic area. The major concern lies in the profound risk of substance abuse and addiction among the students whose medication depends mainly on the family members counsel (Patra et al., 2018). Poor prescription of the treatment renders the exposure to a chemical compound with prominent ecstasy and relief feeling for a patient leading to significant side effects.
The different categories regarding the drug effect spectrum enshrine the stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and inhalants. Depressants cause the relaxation of the body from anxiety and stress hence the significance to the mental and physical health conditions (Jafarzadeh et al., 2021). However, the elements that mainly include opioids, barbiturates, and alcohol cause a high risk of abuse due to the chemical compounds. The substances affect the brain functioning, thus leading to dependence based on the consequential feeling. The consumption of stimulants causes a rush in the body system that boosts wakefulness and energy among the users. Excellent examples include cocaine and meth that enhance productivity and elevated pleasure feeling, a condition that improves the high addiction rates (Dewhirst and Secomb, 2017). In a different spectrum, hallucinogens pose less addiction among the users despite the negative dissociative behavior through visual and auditory receptors. Examples include LSD and PCP, whose intake is a severe immediate effect on the body’s functioning. Finally, inhalants are a category of drugs that encompasses the ingestion by puffs of dangerous materials such as gasoline, nail polish remover, and paint thinner. Although they cause relaxation, substance abuse poses serious health issues.
There is a major risk in the frequent consumption of analgesics to alleviate the pain. Different chemicals pose distinct effect to individuals based on the response system. An excellent example is Barbiturates comprising the compounds that affect the body’s system by slowing down the functioning of the central nervous system. On the one hand, it is a drug mainly used to treat sleeping disorders, psychiatric conditions, epilepsy, headaches, and anesthesia (Gordon, 2019). On the other hand, the element causes a profound risk of abuse due to its impact on the body system shutdown. An excellent example is amytal. Therefore, it is crucial to establish the limited consumption amount to avoid the likelihood of dependence.
The dynamic impact posed by the various medications renders the necessity for families to attain proficient knowledge regarding self-treatment. In this case, the relevant stakeholders plan and implement policy guidelines fostering the creation of awareness across the households. One of the challenges is the lack of insights among the students while the second issue is the high amounts of medications within the domestic areas. It is advisable that the counterparts focus on prioritizing professional diagnostics and prescription for the proper treatment of illness. The shortcoming of the approaches endangers the well-being of the residents and the social growth and development.
Conclusion
The presence of drugs in the household plays a crucial role in the abuse and addiction rates among Australians. On the one hand, the elixirs provide a solution for random headaches and stomachaches. But, on the other hand, the medications risk the health of the residents, especially among the teenagers and youths, due to the essence of overdosing to get relief. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the household owners to focus on regulating the nostrum within the house to prevent such instances as overutilization.
Reference List
Cairns, R., Karanges, E.A., Wong, A., Brown, J.A., Robinson, J., Pearson, S.A., Dawson, A.H. and Buckley, N.A. (2019). Trends in self-poisoning and psychotropic drug use in people aged 5–19 years: a population-based retrospective cohort study in Australia. BMJ open, 9(2), p.e026001. Web.
Crowley, R., Kirschner, N., Dunn, A.S. and Bornstein, S.S. (2017). Health and public policy to facilitate effective prevention and treatment of substance use disorders involving illicit and prescription drugs: An American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of Internal Medicine, 166(10), pp.733-736. Web.
Dewhirst, M.W. and Secomb, T.W. (2017). Transport of drugs from blood vessels to tumour tissue. Nature Reviews Cancer, 17(12), pp.738-750. Web.
de Wit, H. and Sayette, M. (2018). Considering the context: social factors in responses to drugs in humans. Psychopharmacology, 235(4), pp.935-945. Web.
Gordon, H.W. (2019). Differential effects of addictive drugs on sleep and sleep stages. Journal of Addiction Research (OPAST Group), 3(2). Web.
Jafarzadeh, A., Mahboub-Ahari, A., Najafi, M., Yousefi, M. and Dalal, K. (2021). Medicine storage, wastage, and associated determinants among urban households: a systematic review and meta-analysis of household surveys. BMC Public Health, 21(1), pp.1-15. Web.
Patra, P., Prakash, J., Patra, B. and Khanna, P. (2018). Intimate partner violence: Wounds are deeper. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 60(4), p.494. Web.
Sikka, S.C. and Bartolome, A.R. (2018). Perfumery, essential oils, and household chemicals affecting reproductive and sexual health. In Bioenvironmental Issues Affecting Men’s Reproductive and Sexual Health (pp. 557-569). Academic Press. Web.
Shobiye, H.O., Bolarinwa, O.A., Fasiku, M.M., Akande, T.M. and Janssens, W. (2021). What medicines do households keep in their cabinets? Understanding the possession and use of medicines at home and the role of health insurance in Nigeria. Plos One, 16(2), p.e0247591. Web.
Tanweer, H., Batool, Z., Shabbir Chudhary, M. and Mahmood, S. (2019). The social impact of substance abuse on males livelihood in punjab, pakistan. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences, 8(4), pp.pp-777. Web.
Toda, K. (2018). We Must Judge Analgesic Effect of Analgesic Medicine. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Research, 2(3), pp.57-59. Web.