Drug Abuse and Addiction
By: Michelle Krieger
What is a drug?
A drug is any chemical that
produces a therapeutic or
non-therapeutic effect in
the body. Many prescription
drugs that produce
therapeutic effects may also
cause non-therapeutic
effects if taken in excess
and/or without a specific
prescription.
What Is Drug Addiction?
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes
compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the
addicted individual and to those around him or her. Although the initial
decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that
occur over time challenge a person’s self control and ability to resist intense
impulses urging them to take drugs.
Similar to other chronic, relapsing diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or
heart disease, drug addiction can be managed successfully. And as with
other chronic diseases, it is not uncommon for a person to relapse and begin
abusing drugs again. Relapse, however, does not signal treatment failure—
rather, it indicates that treatment should be reinstated, adjusted, or that an
alternative treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and
recover.
What is Drug Abuse?
Drug abuse, also called substance abuse or
chemical abuse, is a disorder that is characterized by a
destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to
significant problems or distress.
It affects more than 7% of people at some point in their
lives. Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription
drug abuse, particularly narcotics which are prescribed
to relieve severe pain.
The Different Kinds of Substances
That are Abused:
 Marijuana
 Uppers
 Downers
 Narcotics
 Hallucinogens
 Inhalants
 Steroids
Virtually every drug
has the potential for
addiction and abuse.
Interestingly, each
drug affects the
addicts’ bodies and
brains in different
ways
Drug Abuse
How drug abuse and addiction can
develop:
• Problems can sometimes sneak
up on you, as your drug use
gradually increases over time.
Smoking a joint with friends at the
weekend, or taking ecstasy at a
rave, or cocaine at an occasional
party, for example, can change to
using drugs a couple of days a
week, then every day. Gradually,
getting and using the drug
becomes more and more
important to you.
• If the drug fulfills a valuable
need, you may find yourself
increasingly relying on it. For
example, you may take drugs to
calm you if you feel anxious or
stressed, energize you if you feel
depressed, or make you more
confident in social situations if you
normally feel shy. Or you may
have started using prescription
drugs to cope with panic attacks or
relieve chronic pain, for example.
Until you find alternative,
healthier methods for overcoming
these problems, your drug use will
likely continue.
How drug abuse and addiction can
develop continued :
• If you use drugs to fill a void in
your life, you’re more at risk of
crossing the line from casual use
to drug abuse and addiction. To
maintain healthy balance in your
life, you need to have other
positive experiences, to feel good
in your life aside from any drug use
• As drug abuse takes hold, you
may miss or frequently be late for
work or school, your job
performance may progressively
deteriorate, and you start to
neglect social or family
obligations. Your ability to stop
using is eventually compromised.
What began as a voluntary choice
has turned into a physical and
psychological need.
Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse:
 You’re neglecting your responsibilities at school, work, or home (e.g.
flunking classes, skipping work, neglecting your children) because of your
drug use.
 You’re using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while
high, such as driving while on drugs, using dirty needles, or having
unprotected sex.
 Your drug use is getting you into legal trouble, such as arrests for
disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, or stealing to support a
drug habit.
 Your drug use is causing problems in your relationships, such as fights
with your partner or family members, an unhappy boss, or the loss of old
friends
Common signs and symptoms of drug addiction:
o You’ve built up a drug tolerance. You need to use more of the drug to
experience the same effects you used to attain with smaller amounts.
o You take drugs to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms. If you go too long
without drugs, you experience symptoms such as nausea, restlessness,
insomnia, depression, sweating, shaking, and anxiety.
o You’ve lost control over your drug use. You often do drugs or use more than
you planned, even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. You may want to
stop using, but you feel powerless.
o Your life revolves around drug use. You spend a lot of time using and
thinking about drugs, figuring out how to get them, and recovering from the
drug’s effects.
o You’ve abandoned activities you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, and
socializing, because of your drug use.
o You continue to use drugs, despite knowing it’s hurting you. It’s causing
major problems in your life—blackouts, infections, mood swings, depression,
paranoia—but you use anyway
Why Do Some People Become Addicted
While Others Do Not?
Biology. The genes that people are born with -- in
combination with environmental influences -- account for
about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally,
gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental
disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction.
Environment. A person's environment includes many
different influences -- from family and friends to
socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors
such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress,
and parental involvement can greatly influence the course
of drug abuse and addiction in a person's life.
No single factor can predict whether or
not a person will become addicted to
drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced
by a person's biology, social
environment, and age or stage of
development. The more risk factors an
individual has, the greater the chance
that taking drugs can lead to
addiction.
Drug Abuse Facts:
I.
The drug that is abused can be an illegal
drug such as crack or steroids, inhalants
such as gasoline or household cleaning
solvents, or prescription drugs used
inappropriately such as abusing
codeine.
II.
According to research studies, one of
the essential drug abuse facts that
many users fail to understand is that
continuous and repeated drug abuse
often escalates into drug dependency.
III.
Ironic aspect about drug abuse is the
fact that those who abuse drugs the
most are frequently the most clueless
about the negative and damaging
consequences of their drug-related
behavior.
Effects of Drug Abuse on the Individual:
People who use drugs experience a wide array
of physical effects other than those expected.
The excitement of a cocaine effect, for
instance, is followed by a "crash" : a period of
anxiety, fatigue, depression, and an strong
desire to use more cocaine to alleviate the
feelings of the crash. Marijuana and alcohol
interfere with motor control and are factors in
many automobile accidents. Users of marijuana
and hallucinogenic drugs may experience
flashbacks, unwanted recurrences of the drug's
effects weeks or months after use. Abrupt
abstinence from certain drugs result in
withdrawal symptoms. Drug overdose is a
constant risk. There are over 10,000 deaths
directly attributable to drug use in the United
States every year; the substances most
frequently involved are cocaine, heroin, and
morphine, often combined with alcohol or other
drugs. Many drug users engage in criminal
activity, such as burglary and prostitution, to
raise the money to buy drugs, and some drugs,
especially alcohol, are associated with violent
behavior.
Effects of Drug Abuse on the Family:
The user's preoccupation with the
substance, plus its effects on mood and
performance, can lead to marital
problems and poor work performance or
dismissal. Drug use can disrupt family life
and create destructive patterns of
codependency, that is, the spouse or
whole family, out of love or fear of
consequences, inadvertently enables the
user to continue using drugs by covering
up, supplying money, or denying there is a
problem. Pregnant drug users, because of
the drugs themselves or poor self-care in
general, bear a much higher rate of low
birth-weight babies than the average.
Many drugs (e.g., crack and heroin) cross
the placental barrier, resulting in addicted
babies who go through withdrawal soon
after birth
Effects of Drug Abuse on Society:
In the workplace it is costly in terms of
lost work time and inefficiency. Drug
users are more likely than nonusers to
have occupational accidents, endangering
themselves and those around them. Over
half of the highway deaths in the United
States involve alcohol. Drug-related crime
can disrupt neighborhoods due to
violence among drug dealers, threats to
residents, and the crimes of the addicts
themselves. In some neighborhoods,
younger children are recruited as lookouts
and helpers because of the lighter
sentences given to juvenile offenders, and
guns have become commonplace among
children and adolescents.
What Happens to Your Brain When You Take Drugs?
Drugs are chemicals that tap into
the brain's communication
system and disrupt the way nerve
cells normally send, receive, and
process information. There are at
least two ways that drugs are able
to do this: (1) by imitating the
brain's natural chemical
messengers, and/or (2) by over
stimulating the "reward circuit" of
the brain.
Prevention Is Key
Drug addiction is a preventable disease. Research has
shown that prevention programs that involve the family,
schools, communities, and the media are effective in
reducing drug abuse. Although many events and cultural
factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive
drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. It is
necessary, therefore, to help youth and the general public
to understand the risks of drug abuse and for teachers,
parents, and health care professionals to keep sending
the message that drug addiction can be prevented if a
person never abuses drugs.
Getting help for drug abuse and drug addiction
Recognizing that you have a
problem is the first step on the
road to recovery, one that takes
tremendous courage and
strength. Facing your addiction
without minimizing the problem
or making excuses can feel
frightening and overwhelming,
but recovery is within reach. If
you’re ready to make a change
and willing to seek help, you can
overcome your addiction and
build a satisfying, drug-free life
for yourself.
Recovering from drug addiction is
much easier when you have people
you can lean on for encouragement,
comfort, and guidance.
Support can come from:
family members
close friends
therapists or counselors
other recovering addicts
healthcare providers
people from your faith community
“Drugs” Before and After Shots
Drug Abuse and Addiction is not
joke. Don’t believe me just watch
this video and then ask yourself is
this a joke?
Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
RJIjWlLa8MU&feature=related
Just Remember
Just Say No to DRUGS!
Work Cited Page
http://helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects
_treatment.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-addiction/DS00183
http://www.nida.nih.gov/nidahome.html