Exploration of Health Trends: Are systematic injustice and disparities causing unequal consequences?

Abstract

While most of the world holds a heavy dependence on drug use, addiction affects society’s most vulnerable in an unbalanced manner. Although addicts are dismissed for not taking advantage of resources around them to succeed, it is not widely known how disadvantaged communities are predisposed to fail in the United States from the very moment they are born. America possesses deep, horrifying roots of systematic injustice concerning substance use, seen evidently during the crack cocaine epidemic. It is a common notion that substance addictions lead to one being impoverished; however, historical lack of opportunities and no education leads to poverty, which in turn will lead to addiction. Prevalent mental health illnesses can be associated with drug use used for coping mechanisms when individuals are presented with a lack of better alternatives or education. Creating more accessible resources and education to those who are struggling is one of the first steps in correcting existing disparities caused by historical injustices. Minorities are found to disproportionately have worse mental and physical health, a trend mirrored by history. New models of proactive care have to be implemented to address the growing health gap in our country to prevent the growing problem, most importantly at a young age before individuals follow the trend of society which predetermined some to live unhealthier lives based on social conditions.