Drug Addiction And Its Effects On Society Essay

Substance abuse has long been a major problem in our society, with estimations reaching as high as 250 million people worldwide that have used the illicit drug at least once in 2014, and causing more than two hundred thousand drug-related deaths each year (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2016; hereafter UNODC). However, it is not just forbidden substances that are a major cause of harms to individuals but also commonly used recreational drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco products that account for millions of deaths each year. These statistics and particularly the contribution of legal drugs to an overall ‘drug epidemic’ have caused an increasing concern in the validity of current drug classification system. For instance, Nutt, King and Phillips (2010) have recently questioned the accuracy of the present UK classification system under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (MDA) owing to a lack of specificity and transparency of classification processes, and have proposed a new rationale for drug harm estimation. The most controversy was caused by their alcohol ranking as the most harmful substance. In this essay, report on harmful drugs by Nutt et al. (2010) will be briefly introduced. Then, the controversies and criticisms that followed their findings will be presented. Finally, the critical evaluation of both arguments will follow with concluding notes on the implications of Nutt et al. findings for the UK drug classification system.

1b. List and describe briefly the major structures of the brain, as presented in your textbook, including the function of those elements that are most related to psychoactive drug reaction.

Addiction is something which any person can posses, and can experience at some point in their lives. Some people are more prone to a addiction due to outside circumstances, and even though an addict can be damaging to themselves and others around them, addiction shouldn't be considered a

Addiction can be life threatening for the person and his family. Medically, addiction is a state of mind of the affected individual, which means a mental weakness that he or she is unable overcome. When addictions are left untreated, a person is likely to develop some severe to chronic behavioral changes.

The United States is not immune to the worldwide drug addiction epidemic. Drugs pour in from Mexico daily, then distributed to throughout the country. The economic crisis in America is creating an excuse for drug use (e.g., depression, hopelessness). This chemical fix not only creates problems for the addict, but the family and community as well. Every addict has an enabler, a person who makes the addiction possible through various venues of support (e.g., financial, denial). Addicts are only concerned with their next fix and will resort to any means to obtain it (e.g., theft, prostitution, pan-handling). Some have even resorted to extremely desperate measures; for example, murder for inheritance or life insurance proceeds.

What is addiction? The most common definition is the condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity. Addiction is so much more than that. People with addiction may not realize that their problem is out of control and could be causing problems for themselves or others around them. Addiction becomes an all-time thing and interferes with usual life responsibilities like relationships, social life, work, and health. People that are struggling with addiction, often cannot quit on their own. Addiction is an illness that entails treatment,

Over the last few days at Providence Crosstown Clinic, I have gained a tremendous amount of insight into the field of addiction and substance use disorder. Crosstown Clinic is an addictions treatment clinic with an interdisciplinary team that cares for over seventy clients with substance-use disorder. Clients come into the clinic three times a day and are given either DEM (diacetylmorphine) or HME (hydromorphine). DEM is an addictive drug derived from opium that produces an intense euphoria, also known as “high”; whereas, hydromorphone is a synthetic narcotic analgesic, similar to morphine and heroin. During the first few days, I have learned Crosstown clinic began as a study to assess long-term opioid medications effectiveness, also known as the SALOME trail, to test whether hydromorphone, a licensed medication, is as good as diacetylmorphine, the active ingredient of heroin, at assisting people who suffer from chronic opioid addiction and who are not benefiting sufficiently from other treatments. I was told by the clinic nurse that the test found that hydromorphone is almost the same as DEM; however, clients prefer DEM better since it gives them a longer “high”. I have yet to work with clients with substance use disorder, and I am excited to learn more about alcohol and substance use like alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines.

“Substance Use Disorders” are new to the DSM-5. Previously, the terms “abuse” and “dependence” where used instead. In general, the DSM-5 considers a Substance Use Disorder to be recurrent drug use that causes impairment and continued use, despite substance use related problems. The DSM-5 also focuses on how substance use causes a change in brain functioning. The change is primarily responsible for intense drug cravings, as well as repeated relapses. Finally, the DSM-5 divides use into four groups, including impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Drugs have been used throughout the world for thousands of years, whereas drug use has existed here in the U.S for a little over a hundred years. Regardless of the time of existance or when and why they were created, drug use is and has always been a major problem throughout our society. From the opium addicts of the late 1800s (The Drug Policy Alliance, 2016), the Rock and Roll heroine addicts of the 1960s and 70s, to the creation of a more affordable cocaine-like drug called "crack" in the 1980 's, drugs have consistently been proven to contribute to criminal behavior, signifancantly change individuals, warp relationships, ruin lives, and even end them. Since this realization, the justice system of our country has taken many different approches to combating drugs and the problems that they create.

Substance abuse and addiction have become a social problem that afflicts millions of individuals and disrupts the lives of their families and friends. Just one example reveals the extent of the problem: in the United States each year, more women and men die of smoking related lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined (Kola & Kruszynski, 2010). In addition to the personal impact of so much illness and early death, there are dire social costs: huge expenses for medical and social services; millions of hours lost in the workplace; elevated rates of crime associated with illicit drugs; and scores of children who are damaged by their parents’ substance abuse behavior (Lee, 2010). This paper will look at

One out of ten Americans over twelve are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and only eleven percent of those people get treated. Having an addict who is going through withdrawals while staying with you as they go through the process of trying to recover from the use of drugs that they use is not one of the best experiences to have while growing up. They go through different side effects from not using the drug. These side effects sometimes make it unbearable to be around them.

Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well.

Drug use in America is one of the major issues we face and the problem has skyrocketed over the past three decades. Heroin and painkiller addictions exceed all other countries. It is important that we address some of the causes that lead to the abuse, how to treat the abuse, and how to prevent the distribution of illegal prescription drugs.

“Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior,” says by Alan Leshner in his article, “Addiction Is a Brain Disease” featured in the book Drug Abuse: Opposing Viewpoints. Addiction has a variety of meanings depending on what your viewpoint of addiction. According to dictionary.com, the concrete definition of the word addiction is, “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.” Basically various doctors and therapist consider addiction to be a genetic disorder. “Provocative, controversial, unquestionably incomplete, the dopamine hypothesis provides a basic framework

A drug is a chemical substance applied into treating, diagnosing and preventing one from disease infections or a substance that is used by a person to enhance his or her physical and mental state in the perceived effect. Drugs used for different purposes and their effect depend on which cause for usage. It causes both positive and negative consequences directly to the user and in the long-run it affects the whole society or community. Drug addiction is the activity of uncontrollable dependence on a substance by the user no matter the harm caused by its usage. It is a habit that has been in many years hard to curb especially among the youths. “We must recognize that substance abuse and addiction is a disease, not a moral failing or easily abandoned self-indulgence,” (Califano, 2008).The cases of drug abuse have been on the rise over the recent years and resulted in crimes. The cases have a great effect affected the society in general since the reliable energetic youths have turned to drug abuse. However, some measures have been initiated to mitigate, curb and treat drug addiction in the society as outlined in the essay.