Drug Use And The Addiction

mothers suicide he states, “Eating oatmeal for breakfast, skipping lunch, smoking more and more dope, I’m determined to get her in the water before mid-December, the one-year anniversary of my mother’s death” (Flynn 138) These traumatic life events leave Nick wishing for a altered state of consciousness that is one of the many motives for drug use (Hart and Ksir 19). This motive is shown when he uses drugs after seeing his father sleeping on a bench. Flynn states, “I got high not long after seeing him on the Esplanade” (Flynn 176). This event is another example of Flynn using drugs in emotionally stressful times, which is an accurate portrayal of drug use and drug dependence. This need for a altered state of consciousness is extremely emotionally impactful. Due to this avoidance Nick never emotionally deals with traumatic life events, such as his mothers suicide. This emotional backup is shown when he becomes clean, “I went to meetings once or twice a week, feeling absolutely nothing on the wall over, only to leave feeling wretched. And I couldn’t stop crying. I cried every day for a year, and then the flow lessened” (Flynn 234). Nick’s outpouring of emotion after his sobriety is extremely indicative of the impact drugs were having on his mental state. This need for an altered state of consciousness is also shown when he was in high school, to illustrate, Flynn states, “Without hesitation I answered: I drink to get drunk, feel more myself when outside myself” (Flynn 99).

Addiction is complex and is often misunderstood; However, many individuals and medical professionals are now referring to addiction as a disease, not just a poor decision that is made by an individual. Addiction is a problem that spirals out of control and has the potential to absorb every thought and action while wreaking havoc on the body. According to Narcotics Anonymous, “...it is our fellowship's collective experience and understanding that addiction is, in fact, a disease. (What is Addiction?, NA, 2015)”

It commonly believed that over time, the effects of drug related cues increases the efficacy of relapse. To this end, the researchers are looking to key brain chemicals to aid in the therapeutic treatment of drug addiction. A main concern is how can drug-related cues be counteracted or reduced in patients prone to relapse. In one study, investigators found that “drug use and relapse involves learned associations between drug-associated discrete and contextual cues and drug taking…” (Bossert, Marchant, Calu, & Shaham, 2013). This is further corroborated by data suggesting with repeated drug use, an attentional bias occurs (Jasinska, Stein, Kaiser, Naumer, & Yalachkov, 2014). As a result, drug cues take over perceptual, cognitive and memory processes. This produces a priming effect, essentially putting the addict in a state of “drug-seeking” readiness. We predict that when presented with certain contextual cues associated with drug use, they will trigger a drug-seeking response in drug addicted individuals when compared to the control. We also theorize that time of day will have an effect on the intensity of the drug-seeking response.

More people disapprove of addiction more than other diseases like HIV and leprosy and conditions like homelessness and child neglect (source 6). Because of this stigma, it is very difficult for the addicts that want to receive help because of their fear of being shunned in society. If addiction was just a choice, addicts could choose to stop whenever they wanted and it would not even be a problem. Addiction is a disease because addicts need help to overcome what the substance has done to their bodies and they cannot choose to stop on their own.

Society has a worldview on how they characterize a person who is an addict, that worldview is determined from personal beliefs, family beliefs, or experiences through interacting with an addict. Usually, people assume that addiction is a choice not a chronic disease, believing that they can just stop whenever, no realizing that the drug is what “shaped” them (Gawne-Kelnar). People stigmatize a person who is an addict without complete understanding. Most people have a fixed mindset of what an addict is since a young age, but fail to realize that addiction is a complex illness and disease. Addiction is a psychological problem that interacts with the stimulation of the brain. It is a chronic disease that triggers the frontal lobes of the brain

Substance abuse and drug addiction affects people from all walks of life. Drugs are available to those who want to consume them. Even though there vast amounts of literature and other informative and preventive data, people still choose to abuse drugs. Unfortunately, most of them become addicts and find it very difficult to escape their addiction for the reason that underlying issues may be causing them to seek and use drugs. There exists a number of special populations that are identified and may use drugs to cope certain stress factors in their life.

A vast argument that many people have regarding this epidemic is that drug addiction does not come as the fault of an individual who suffers from it, but rather the

Addiction is a disease characterized by periods of sobriety and relapse of disease. This perspective on addiction is becoming more widely used concept. Most clinicians believe that sobriety is a temporary characteristic of the chronic disease of addiction. Approximately 50-60% of individuals who have an addiction relapse

Drug addiction: A Modern-Day DiseaseThesis statement: Drug abuse is a complex disease that needs enduring and extensive treatment. People who have struggled with substance abuse have often found it extremely difficult to quit due to the physical and/or mental addiction.

Addiction is a choice and by classifying addiction as a disease, we are just enabling drug addicts to take no responsibility for their own actions in their lives. By labeling addiction as a medical condition it creates a false assumption that addicts have no control over their own behavior. People become addicts because of their behavior, not their brain chemistry. The disease concept is so popular because it gives people an easy way out; if they inherited their addiction they can’t be responsible for their own behavior. The disease model of addiction is flawed for a number of reasons; first, most people who take drugs do not become addicted, but may take drugs for a period of time, then stop when they choose to do so. Many well respected professors and scientist claim addiction is a scapegoat behavior that has been incorrectly identified as a physical or mental illness, an addict is only a victim of bad science and misguided policy.

I grew up with my closest childhood friend named Ram who became addicted to drugs while studying in the last year of high school. Being with him, I knew what caused him to be addicted and the effects of addiction that he struggled with. Despite his intelligence, he was very kind and friendly. He spent most of his time with me and many other friends. We had studied together from childhood, but as we grew up, we got in different circles of friends. He joined in the company of bad friends. I told him not to be close with them, but he did not listen to me. The time passed, and due to peer pressure, he slowly got involved in taking small doses of drugs like marijuana, cocaine and L.S.D. He was telling me how he felt after taking drugs. One week, two weeks and the months went on. He was then addicted to them. I went his house and scolded him, but he did not listen. In short, the effect of drug addiction was on his health problems, academic status and economic status.

Thousands of families across the United States deal with a child or family member struggling with drug addiction; Toledo, Ohio is one of the top cities facing a heroin epidemic. Many people try to avoid the fact that this epidemic is hitting Toledo as hard as it is. Unfortunately, avoiding this situation will only allow it to grow and more people will suffer from addiction because they feel there is no way out. Craig Thomas from WTOL 11 reported that “the drug is so powerful that people will do anything to get money to get drugs. Police say heroin is causing crime that hits innocent victims.” The route from Detroit, Michigan to Toledo, Ohio is famously called Heroin Highway because of how many drugs are being transported using that route. If no changes are made in the city, more drug dealers will gain seniority throughout the city and more lives will be taken. The only solutions to help this problem are to hire more law enforcement, give the drug dealers a longer sentence when arrested for the act of dispersing a lethal drug and the best solution would be to open more detox/ treatment centers for the addicts who are ready to receive help.

I have always been told that alcoholism is a disease, and because I trusted the sources I readily accepted this as truth. Tobacco, caffeine, and even our smart phones are now been considered something people are addicted to; but when did addictions become diseases? Have you ever wondered about the idea that being a drug addict is a choice, and not a disease? Until I started researching this topic, I thought I was alone in my thoughts about this, but I have found this to be a controversial topic. Researchers on both sides stand firmly on their beliefs, whether it is a disease, or a choice. Having survived through the trauma of an addict’s life during my marriage, and after my research, I believe that drug addiction is a choice.

Have you ever dealt with the effects of drug addict? A drug is a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, which has a psychological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. The effects of drug use can vary depending on the person. According to “Causes and types of narcotic addiction: A Psychosocial View” in the Psychiatric Quarterly it says, “The causes of drugs stem from the manner of which you were introduced to it whether it be by abnormal curiosity, chance encounters with addicts and narcotic peddlers, or prolonged illness” (Ausubel). The effects of drugs can be have different effects on everyone differently depending if its for pleasure or for relieving pain Most of the effects of drugs occur in the brain, where it increases the level of dopamine at a specific site possibly giving the addict the pleasure they were feigning for (Robbins). As a child I didn’t know much about drugs except for what your parents and teachers at school tell you which is, “Just Say No.”

Drug addiction is one of society 's biggest problems and it is rampant among teenagers and young adults and one of the most abused drugs is marijuana. Cannabis sativa or marijuana usually grows throughout tropical and temperate climates and then plant 's stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds are then dried. What attracts to most users is the mind altering effect these parts produce which is addictive to some extent. It is usually smoked as cigarette, or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, in which cigars will be emptied of tobacco and refill with marijuana or sometimes it is combined with another drug. It can also be brewed as tea or mixed in food. Hashis is a more concentrated, resinous form which is sticky black liquid, hash oil. The