Drug and Alcohol Addiction

Is drug addiction is a disease, not a choice? Or it is a choice and not a disease? Drug Addiction has become a serious issue in society today, with an increase in controversy leading towards the topic of whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Addiction and disease are two different things and understanding them is very important when it comes to drugs and how it affects the mind and body. Several people tend to jump the gun and think that drug addiction is a disease, when in fact it is a choice. Some scientists believe that that drug addiction is a disease and to an extent that it makes people powerless to control its prevalence, on the other hand some scientists believe that addiction is a choice and that people have

Addiction to substances represents one of the most insidious diseases known to mankind. Given the serious nature and sensitivity that surrounds addiction, the only viable path to recovery from this disease tends to be through spending time in a reputable drug and alcohol rehab treatment center. Any efforts to try to classify all addicts into one group represents nothing more than an exercise in futility.

Marijuana has been deeply studied in the past few decades and has shown scientist many things that weren’t evident before. Marijuana has been linked to many health issues good and bad. It has shown to reduce stress and anxiety, help with headaches, lower blood pressure and one of the most evident and positive health affects is that it has been shown in many studies to stop and even kill cancer cells in the body. There are however negative effects that have been looked into and studied by scientist. These include, blocking memory formation, psychosis, and an increased risk of depression while using marijuana regularly. Not everything revolving around marijuana is a “health issue” though, the biggest reason that people use marijuana today is because it simply makes people feel good. That is a positive effect.

These are cases that happen far too often. Matt addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. The entire family suffers when a loved one has an addiction. Because it’s very hard to watch someone you love struggle with alcohol or drug addiction. My stepfather is an alcoholic and has a severe problem with controlling his addiction. He can’t live without it on a daily basis although he works every day he is not cautious of his drinking addiction around other employees. It is a very frustration situation to my mom because she has to deal with his problems daily. Although he has a serious problem he always refuses to get the proper help, he needs to recover. I believe people continue their addiction because it becomes a lifestyle for them and everything that happens they believe alcohol or drugs will only make it better. They also continue these addictions without regards to the important things in life. They tend to forget about family, job, careers and everything that might be successful for them in life.

The term addiction holds many different meanings in today’s society, but in the past it has been referred to as a sort of devotion to something. Over time, a more modern definition of the term has developed that links addiction to harmful involvement with drugs that eventually has potential of produce withdrawal or tolerance in an individual (Alexander & Schweighofer, 1988). Although the word addiction holds a more general meaning in a modern context it pertains to any kind of compulsive use. Current psychological authorities refer to drug addictions as substance abuse rather than simply an addiction for many reasons; the two conditions can be differentiated by the specificity of the substance being

When you find out that someone you deeply care about is using drugs or drinking alcohol excessively it can be a scary situation. These substances will not only change their typical behavior but can also cause serious long term damage to their bodies. Not only is it hard drugs that can be an issue; prescribed drugs can cause damage as they are very addictive. It is something that no family wants to have to deal with and can be a daunting task if it is the first time it has happened. Having to step in and take away a substance which is starting to play a larger and larger role in their life can be a very hard thing to do. Sometimes it is tough to know if you should be stepping in as you do not want to make their situation worse, however it’s a catch 22 as doing nothing is clearly not the best option when it comes to substance addiction. These addictions rarely stop on their own so having someone push the user in the right direction is always a necessary step in their recovery. If a family member is scared to inhibit them then they can become an enabler to their habit, some reasons for this may be they do not want to deal with the stresses of the users withdrawal, maybe they have tried before and the user lashes out at them for trying to make them stop, or maybe they are just too scared to say anything.

Alcohol and drug addiction is an ailment that is quite difficult to understand for most of the people especially those who had not undergone the pains and travails that a person addicted to alcohol and drugs undergoes or suffers from it. Such an addict is required to be treated like a patient suffering from a disease. Addicts live in a world of fright/fantasy and embarrassment when it comes to acknowledging that they are addicted to drug or alcohol. Therefore, society must need to help these addicts/patients in their struggle for freeing themselves from the addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Marijuana is a plant which has been used by our ancestors for medication and recreation. Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, also known as ‘Cannabis sativa’. The general effects of marijuana has short term and long term effects. Short term effects like change in mood, impaired body movements, difficulty in thinking, memory, etc. Whereas, long term effects consists effects like addiction, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, breathing problem, etc. (Drug 2015) Legalizing marijuana has been a big question among our generation now. It has several benefits. Despite the good facts about marijuana, people are still pointing out the negative impacts of it. Legalizing it has been a big debate among people. The legalization of marijuana in the United States would drastically reduce crime in our cities and form a more productive society through its positive uses.

Illicit drug use during pregnancy is a problem with potentially serious irreversible effects for the mother, fetus and extending to the developing child, however there are solutions to help eliminate or improve this epidemic such as education, assisted programs, rehabilitation, or prosecution. What are illicit drugs? Illicit drug addiction may be one of the most dangerous types of addictions. In general, illicit drugs are those that are illegal to make, sell, or use. They include cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, and hallucinogens. Health Professionals consider abused prescription medications, alcohol and tobacco, all drugs, even though these ones are legal, they are mind altering, addictive, and are considered dangerous to a fetus (www.healthline.com).

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines drug abuse as, “ It becomes drug abuse when people use illegal drugs or use legal drugs inappropriately.” This may include; the repeated uses of drugs to produce pleasure, alleviates stress, and/or alters or avoids reality. The perception of addiction and substance abuse has been widely known for many years, but the medical community has failed to accept and publicly this issue among it own members. Drug abuse by nurses is prevalent in today society, The American Nurses Association (ANA) estimates that six to eight percent of nurses use alcohol or drugs in the workplace. To put into perspective, for every ten active working nurses, one uses alcohol or drugs in the workplace.

Addiction and substance abuse is a crime that has plagued the U.S. ever since the early 1900 's and from that point on has been an uphill battle for the U.S. to stop. But even with everything the U.S. has tried nothing that has been done has even made a dent in the drug war. Drugs just continue to hit the very streets that innocent people live on. Today people walk right outside their house and just around the corner, there is some guy that has the ability to sell them drugs. That is why the war on drugs in the U.S. has failed miserably because the number of people and high schoolers that are using drugs is still increasing, drug tests do not do anything to discourage using drugs and almost everyone knows how to cheat the tests, and legalizing drugs, such as marijuana and other low level drugs, would allow the U.S. to have more control over drugs in the end.

Addiction is awfully commonly associated with drugs and alcohol. Addiction is not only related to drugs or alcohol, but it is also tied with things and activities. Addiction to drugs or alcohol are quite similar yet slightly different to addictions to activities and other things. Addiction to drugs and alcohol over time leads to a buildup of tolerance, causing the user to need more of what they are addicted to in order to experience the same or more of an effect than they once needed to attain the same effect. They take drugs to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms. Addicts start putting people close to you at risk and jeopardizing your social life just for a little more of what you are addicted to. Addiction to an

There are many people and organizations in our culture that are trying very hard to make sure that Drug Addiction is NOT seen as a disease or as the result of genetic or biological predisposition. These people have a strong personal and social interest in an entirely nonphysiological model of addictive human behavior. Their perspective of social problems is based primarily on a philosophical orientation with a social perspective, heralding socio-political correctness as its goal.

They speed up the action of the brain. They make people feel more alert, more confident and less tired.

In conclusion, understanding addiction is crucial aspect when it comes to prevention, treatment, and recovery.