What Is The Best Way To Start A Research Paper On Drug Abuse?

Starting any research paper requires acknowledgment of certain basic factors intrinsic to any paper. One of those factors is having a complete understanding of what your topic of study means and this is especially important when it comes to conducting studies on a topic like drug abuse. In the following points I will list five questions to ask yourself before starting your research on drug abuse:

  1. How do you define a drug?
  2. Most people would say that a drug is a substance that you enter into you body in order to receive a mind altering effect. While this is true, there are many things that can do this that are not considered drugs forcing a line to be drawn between narcotics and everyday substances, like coffee and alcohol.

  3. What is the difference between drug abuse and usage?
  4. While some users will argue that they do not abuse the drugs they simply use it, most officials draw no such difference and consider all users to be abusers. How do we set the parameters for what is use and abuse when the people that usually set these values do not use drugs themselves?

  5. Are abusers happy with their lives?
  6. Is it right to classify a person’s lifestyle based on statistics that someone else considers accurate or is it up to every individual to do with their bodies whatever they please? The most compelling arguments that companies have against drug use is that it reduces productivity however many users will argue that this is not true and tests have been known to support both sides of this claim.

  7. How do you differentiate between a user and an abuser?
  8. The image we often see of drug abusers is that of dirty, poverty stricken, homeless people with no future, however, not all users look like this, some simply have enough money to avoid reaching to that obvious stage.

  9. How does society’s opinions concerning certain social groups affect the classification of substance abusers?
  10. Historically, there are substances that were made illegal because certain groups of people used them, not because of any adverse health effects resulting from addiction. This type of discrimination is still prevalent today with specific groups being singled out and outlawed because of their life choices. How much control should governments have on a person’s decision to alter or use their bodies as they see fit?