Running head: COMMUNITY LEVEL BARRIERS 1 COMMUNITY LEVEL BARRIERS 5 Community Level Barriers Joyce Walker Ashford University Community Level Barriers Recap The group which was chosen is those people are addicted to alcohol and also abuse drugs. Substance abuse has become so prevalent in some communities. The issues have become critical that it requires programs which can ensure that people affected can be assisted. Most people are involved in substance abuse for various different reasons. The government and the society are responsible for ensuring that substance abuse and alcohol use have been mitigated. When a society has been affected by substance abuse, its economic, social and political well-being is highly affected. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the problem has been reduced or it has been avoided to ensure that the society moves in the right direction of growth and development. The individuals who are affected by these issues are also expected to play their part in helping in the fight against substance abuse (Apthorp, 2003). The youth have been identified as the group which is highly affected by alcohol and drug abuse. The young people are also at high risk of engaging in the act of abusing drugs. It is possible to control this issue through the right programs and measures. Poverty has also been identified as central to alcohol and substance abuse. In most poor communities, the level and rate of substance abuse are very high. The best program which has been identified as preventive measures. This means that people should be prevented from substance abuse. The ones who have already been involved should be taken through treatment and rehabilitation to help them recover from the effects of drug abuse. Three Critical Barriers There are various barriers which impact the well-being and the health of people who are alcohol addicts and abuse drugs. These barriers lead to the deterioration of the well-being of these people. To ensure that substance abuse has been effectively mitigated, necessary measures to overcome these barriers should be taken. One of the barriers is low-income levels of this group. This has been the main barrier affecting the well-being of these people. Most of the substance abusers are have low-income levels. This leads to poverty and stress (Monti, 2012). When people have low living standards and have financial problems, they turn to drugs for solace. This is, therefore, one of the main barriers to the well-being of people with alcohol drinking problems. The low-income factor is also a barrier since most of the rehabilitation centers are very expensive which makes the affected people unable to have access. The second barrier is community and government based. It is very hard to have access to a rehabilitation sector and also it is very expensive. The government has been unable to build many rehabilitation centers which would ensure that drug addicts are able to find a place where they can access the ...

1. Running head: COMMUNITY LEVEL BARRIERS
1
COMMUNITY LEVEL BARRIERS
5
Community Level Barriers
Joyce Walker
Ashford University
Community Level Barriers
Recap
The group which was chosen is those people are addicted to
alcohol and also abuse drugs. Substance abuse has become so
prevalent in some communities. The issues have become critical
that it requires programs which can ensure that people affected
can be assisted. Most people are involved in substance abuse for
various different reasons. The government and the society are
responsible for ensuring that substance abuse and alcohol use
have been mitigated. When a society has been affected by
substance abuse, its economic, social and political well-being is
highly affected. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the
problem has been reduced or it has been avoided to ensure that
the society moves in the right direction of growth and
development. The individuals who are affected by these issues
are also expected to play their part in helping in the fight
against substance abuse (Apthorp, 2003).
The youth have been identified as the group which is highly
affected by alcohol and drug abuse. The young people are also
at high risk of engaging in the act of abusing drugs. It is
possible to control this issue through the right programs and

2. measures. Poverty has also been identified as central to alcohol
and substance abuse. In most poor communities, the level and
rate of substance abuse are very high. The best program which
has been identified as preventive measures. This means that
people should be prevented from substance abuse. The ones who
have already been involved should be taken through treatment
and rehabilitation to help them recover from the effects of drug
abuse.
Three Critical Barriers
There are various barriers which impact the well-being and the
health of people who are alcohol addicts and abuse drugs. These
barriers lead to the deterioration of the well-being of these
people. To ensure that substance abuse has been effectively
mitigated, necessary measures to overcome these barriers should
be taken. One of the barriers is low-income levels of this group.
This has been the main barrier affecting the well-being of these
people. Most of the substance abusers are have low-income
levels. This leads to poverty and stress (Monti, 2012). When
people have low living standards and have financial problems,
they turn to drugs for solace. This is, therefore, one of the main
barriers to the well-being of people with alcohol drinking
problems. The low-income factor is also a barrier since most of
the rehabilitation centers are very expensive which makes the
affected people unable to have access.
The second barrier is community and government based. It is
very hard to have access to a rehabilitation sector and also it is
very expensive. The government has been unable to build many
rehabilitation centers which would ensure that drug addicts are
able to find a place where they can access the right care. The
other problem is that even the available care is not affordable.
As stated earlier, this group of people is mostly affected by
poverty which means that it’s hard for them to be able to cater
for their rehabilitation bills (Freeman, 2001). The third barrier

3. is rejection and stigmatization. Most of the people who abuse
drugs have been rejected by their families, and they are also
stigmatized. This is because substance abuse is considered
immoral in the society. This makes it hard for this group of
people to recover. They have no support to encourage them to
avoid alcohol and substance abuse.
Proposed
Solution
The low-income barrier can be solved in different ways. There
can be a training program to ensure that people have been
equipped with skills which they can use to earn more money.
The government can also create a conducive environment to
ensure that people can be able to do business to support them.
The education system should also be made skills oriented to
ensure that people can be able to depend on themselves after
school. The second barrier of no accessible and affordable care
can also be solved. The government should invest more in
building institutions to help drug addicts. The government
should also sponsor some of the substance abusers to ensure
that they have been rehabilitated (Fisher, Roget, 2009). The
third barrier of social rejection and stigmatization should be
solved through creating awareness and also public campaigns.

4. This will ensure that the society supports the affected group
which makes their well-being improve.
Requirements and Issues in The Proposed Program
There are various ethical legal, regulatory and accreditation
requirements for the preventive measures and also treatment
measures. It's ethical to ensure that the affected people are
willing to be assisted. The various care institutions should also
ensure that they have met the required standards to be
accredited as rehabilitation centers. The therapists to help this
group of people to recover must also have the acceptable level
of education and skills. These requirements are necessary to
ensure that the proposed program is successful.
References
Apthorp, S. (2003). Alcohol and substance abuse: a handbook
for clergy and congregations. New York, N.Y: Authors Choice
Press.
Fisher, G. & Roget, N. (2009). Encyclopedia of substance abuse
prevention, treatment, & recovery. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Freeman, E. (2001). Substance abuse intervention, prevention,

5. rehabilitation, and systems change strategies: helping
individuals, families, and groups to empower themselves. New
York: Columbia University Press.
Monti, P. (2012). Adolescents, Alcohol, and Substance Abuse:
Reaching Teens through Brief Interventions. New York:
Guilford Publications.
Running head: VULNERABLE POPULATION SUMMARY
1
VULNERABLE POPULATION SUMMARY
6
Vulnerable Population Summary
Joyce Walker
Ashford University
Jennifer Maves
Vulnerable Population Summary
The group that I have selected is people with alcohol and
substance abuse. These individuals are affected by culture or

6. ethnicity and income. Many of the individuals who have
substance abuse issues come from the minority groups. These
individuals are more likely to be susceptible to substance abuse
because they experience a poorer state of life than the white
people. The majority of them live in poor neighborhoods where
crime and drug trafficking is at a high rate. As a result of the
disappointments of poverty and the ease with which drugs can
be acquired in that environment, the individuals turn to drug
abuse so as to relieve some of their pain and stress. They have
also been severely marginalized by the society. Their needs
have not been met, and therefore they feel frustrated by their
current situation. They, therefore, decide to turn to drug abuse
to overcome their hurt feelings (Fisher & Roget, 2009).
The income of this people also affects the probability of them
being drug users. People from low-income areas tend to suffer
from alcohol and drug abuse. This is because they are frustrated
by their inability to make ends meet and advance in life
financially. They, therefore, turn to drug abuse so as to deal
with their hurt emotions.
There is an interaction of social, economic and political factors
that affect the vulnerability of these individuals. Socially, these
individuals are the minority. They do not get much support from
the society or a recognition of their needs. They, therefore, fall

7. subject to stress and use drugs to help them get over that stress.
The society in which these people live in can also influence if
the individual will fall into drug abuse. Some societies tend to
increase the likelihood of the individual engaging in drug abuse.
This is because of the ease with which an individual can get the
drugs due to the drug trafficking that is already occurring in the
place. Another reason could be the permissiveness of the
society toward drug abuse, such that they do not treat it as a
point of concern but as an everyday life occurrence. This may
make the younger generation believe that drug use is acceptable
and put them at high risk of engaging in drug abuse in the future
(Greif & Ephross, 2004). The economic factors could be coming
from a low-income background. Areas that are low income tend
to have the highest rate of drug trafficking. Therefore it is easy
to access to the drugs, and hence more people become drug
users. It can also happen because of coming from a high-income
background. There has been a significant increase in the number
of individuals who abuse drugs in the suburbs (Greif & Ephross,
2004). The majority of the cocaine users live in the suburbs as
opposed to the low-income areas. This coupled with a
permissive society that does not condemn drug abuse causes
people to be at risk of engaging in drug abuse.
A political imbalance can also cause people to engage in drug
abuse. This is because there is a high availability of drugs in

8. such an environment. The political instability causes insecurity
in the area, the borders become more permissive, and drug
trafficking becomes easier. There is a high availability of drugs
which if coupled with the other two factors cause the
individuals to have a higher risk of engaging in drug abuse.
The individuals falling in the group of alcohol and drug abusers
face numerous risks and issues. This means that they require
immediate help and this is why a program needs to be created to
help give them the help they need. They undergo a lack of
support from the society. The society tends to turn away and
shun such individuals; therefore, this may end up causing them
to turn to drug abuse to get over the rejection. They also face
significant health risks. These drugs have negative effects on
their health which should be addressed immediately.
I believe that a community program can be used to help these
individuals overcome their predicament and live healthy lives.
One of the ways of doing so is creating a program that is
dedicated to satisfying the needs of these individuals. This
program would look into the background factors that can
increase the susceptibility of the individuals to engage in
alcohol and drug abuse. This can be done by running an analysis
of each person’s background to see their susceptibility rate.
This can then be used to decide the type of treatment to be used

9. on the individual. The program will offer preventative care and
treatment for the clients. The preventative care will be given to
those who are highly susceptible of engaging in drug use and
treatment will be issued to the members of the society who have
engaged in drug use.
The preventative care will be given to the younger generation
within the society that harbors this group. This can be to the
children and other younger relatives of the individuals who
engage in drug abuse as they would be highly susceptible to
engaging in drug use in the future. They can be taken through
courses on drug abuse and its effects where their mentality on
drug use can be changed to one that does not support drug use.
This will enable them to be wearier of drug abuse. There could
also be mentorship and training programs where the children are
taught various skills after school. This would allow the children
to have a healthy after school activity that has the potential of
earning them money in the future. It will also keep them busy to
ensure they don’t wind up with the wrong company that will
influence them to engage in drug abuse (Jackson, 2006). This
will ensure that they are protected from drug abuse.
Those already engaging in drug abuse can be taken through a
short cause where the effects of drug use are explained to them.
This may encourage them to stop the practice of drug abuse and

10. engage in healthier habits. They can then be interviewed to see
the reason why they would decide to engage in drug abuse.
Solving this issue will enable them to stop their dependence on
drug abuse. They can then solve these mental issues with a
psychologist so that they can address the main cause of the
behavior (Jackson, 2006). Once this is addressed, they can then
go into a variety of treatments such as rehabilitation centers
outsourced by the program or self-help groups where they can
receive support to ends the behavior. This will ultimately help
them stop engaging in drug abuse.
References
Fisher, G. & Roget, N. (2009). Encyclopedia of substance abuse
prevention, treatment, & recovery. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Greif, G. & Ephross, P. (2004). Group work with populations at
risk. New York: Oxford University Press.
Jackson, Y. (2006). Encyclopedia of multicultural psychology.
Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications.