Nearly 4.6 million ER visits in the United States were related in some way to drugs in 2009. Drug abuse not only affects individuals, but also can have far-reaching consequences that affect family, employment, personal health, and society as a whole. Drugs is a medicine or any other substance that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. Drugs are used to treat ourselves when we get sick. Drugs abuse is the habitual taking of addictive or illegal drugs. There are different kinds of drug that have a different effect when ingested in the body.
Those drugs that can harm the body and there are many kinds, but I will be talking about only two, which is Stimulants and Depressants. Stimulants are a substance that raises levels of physiological or nervous activity in the body. Stimulants do not necessarily mean they are bad, but you can become addicted to it easily and some example are caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamines. Some of these are in the food we eat like cafe and the others
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They enhance certain chemicals in the brain, these chemicals cause increases in blood pressure, alertness, attention, heart rate, energy, and respiration. Stimulants are a class of drugs that consists of illegal drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA (ecstasy), as well as legal drugs such as nicotine, caffeine and prescription medications such as Ritalin and Adderall. These drugs increase alertness, energy and attention and boost mood. People usually use stimulants to lose weight without trying, meet a deadline at work or school without losing focus or catching any shut-eye. While stimulants used to be prescribed for a number of health conditions, their adverse effects have limited their legal use to a few disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Stimulants can be injected or smoked or swallowed for longer lasting but less intense
In this day and age, drugs are being prescribed without hesitation. In fact, many of these drugs are being prescribed for children with various disorders. One of these disorders is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An estimated five to ten percent of children are diagnosed with this syndrome (Taylor 11). One of the methods to treat this disorder is to use stimulants, specifically Ritalin. This method is controversial because it has many side effects and its long-term effects are unknown. It can also lead to addiction. Approximately two to three percent of elementary school children are taking some kind of stimulant to treat ADHD (Taylor 64). Since so many children are taking this medication, new problems have arisen.
Drug abuse is the misuse or overdose of any medication or drug, including alcohol. Many people abuse drugs to deal with everyday life. “Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the
Anti-depressants are something that many people take. Not only do they help with depression issues, but they can also help with others. For example, many people take these types of medications to help with certain health conditions, like ADHD and anxiety as well.
Stimulants are a type of medication prescribed to treat various medical conditions. A stimulant is a drug that excites any bodily function, more specifically those that increase brain and central nervous system activity (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). When stimulant medications are taken, dopamine and norepinephrine levels are increased which helps transmit signals between nerves in the brain which increase brain activity. This medication promotes the brain to be alert, increase motor activity and, wakefulness which why it is prescribed to treat many medical conditions.
One in ten Americans are prescribed an antidepressant that they are told to take daily. Ronald Elson, a psychiatrist at the University of California stated that the use of antidepressants have increased 400% since the 1980s (Lancet, 2004). So what are antidepressants? Antidepressants are a class of drugs to diminish symptoms of depressive disorders, and other conditions such as: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), bulimia nervosa, and many more. Antidepressants also come in multiple differents forms (Kwon, 2013). There is the most commonly prescribed class called, SSRI (Selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors), and others being, NDRI (Norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitors), TCA (Tricyclic antidepressants),
One of the most common types of prescription drugs is a stimulant. Stimulants are a class of drug that elevates that mood of the user and increases their energy and alertness, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, nicotine, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine, which is also know as MDMA or ecstasy (NIDA, 2013). When a legitimate prescription for stimulants is written it is usually for disorders like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHA. ADHA is characterized by the inability to concentrate and being very hyperactive; it is estimated that eight percent of children ages four to seventeen and three to four and a half percent of adults suffer from ADHA (NIDA, 2009). The reason why
The medical use of amphetamines was common in the 1950/60's when they were used to help cure depression and to help the user lose weight. An amphetamine is a drug that is a stimulant to the central nervous system. Amphetamines are colorless and may be inhaled, injected, or swallowed. Amphetamines are also used non-medically to avoid sleep, improve athletic performance, or to counter the effects of depressant drugs. Amphetamines are addictive. Because of this, when the user discontinues use or reduces the amount that they use, withdrawal symptoms may occur. Some withdrawal symptoms are as follows: severe exhaustion, deep sleep lasting from 24 to 48 hours, psychotic reaction, extreme hunger, deep depression, anxiety reactions, and long but
Drugs some use them to escape pain, others use them for pleasure, and some use them to just fit in. Either way drugs are a harmful substance that may seriously affect the body. Drugs mess with the brain in ways that we couldn’t even imagine. From destroying brain cells that help with critical thinking to destroying cells that give us the ability to feel pleasure. Drugs take the place of our natural body functions of the body. They fool receptors of the body and make it to where our bodies produce less of what we need. Over a period of time this may produce very severe consequences on the body. With all the risks involved with drugs it’s a wonder why some people use them.
As a stimulant of the central nervous system, amphetamines are prevalently used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. ADHD is a psychiatric disorder “characterized by hyperactivity, irritability, mood instability, attention difficulties, lack of organization and impulsive behaviors” (medicalnewstoday.com), while narcolepsy is a neurological disorder causing “excessive daytime sleepiness and irresistible sleep episodes” (medicalnewstoday.com). To a lesser extent, amphetamines are also used in the treatment of depression and obesity. Anyway, amphetamines take effect only when it works on dopamine.
Probably one of the most common forms of psychoactive drugs is stimulants. Stimulants are a class of psychoactive drugs that elevate mood, increase feelings of well-being, and increase energy and alertness. Nearly everybody has tried a stimulant and many people rely on them every single day. The best example of this is the drug caffeine, which is in many of the sodas or coffee we drink. Other forms of stimulants include: cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, nicotine, and MDMA. An additional common stimulant is nicotine, which is found in various types of tobacco. Stimulants change the way the brain functions by inhibiting neurons, which are nerve cells. These nerve cells communicate using neurotransmitters . One of the neurotransmitters they affect is dopamine, which makes people feel good. Dopamine can be released naturally by simply doing something you enjoy such as riding a bike or eating your favorite food. While these drugs may give the user pleasure, continual use may render their dopamine system useless. This will give the user little to no pleasure, which is often followed by an increased amount used in order to chase that high (NIDA).
Stimulants are used medically to treat a variety of conditions. People who suffer from ADHD use stimulants to improve concentration and focus, as well as reduce restlessness and hyperactivity. Cancer and AIDS patients use stimulants to offset the sedative effects of opiods. Commonly stimulants are used to relieve headache. Furthermore, stimulants can reduce sleepiness
The effects of drug use can vary from person to person, but usually they fall along the lines of affecting the people around you, your body, your health, and drug use usually correlates with mental health problems. Due to the fact that drugs are chemicals, they can alter the brain and body permanently, even after the use has discontinued. In some cases, drug abuse can end in fatality.
Recreational drugs refer to chemical substances that can cause changes to your mind. This is a psychoactive drug that affect people psychologically by changing their sensory perception, moods, thinking and behaviour. Recreational drugs can cause changes in mind because they are literally impacting the functions of neurotransmitters. These chemical substances are not used for medical reasons, instead they are used for leisurely purposes. Recreational drugs are divided into three groups which are stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens.
Drug abuse is generally defined as the use of a drug with such frequency that the user has physical or mental harm or it impairs social abilities. Drugs are used as pain killers to avert physical and/or emotional pain by providing the user with a temporary escape from life’s realities. Even though, they cause different, more serious problems with only a short escape from life’s agonies.
One drug that affects the body greatly is meth. This is just one of the drugs that can kill you. All drugs can be addictive but some are more addictive than others and cause you to keep using them. These drugs are not meant to be abused they are for medical use only. They can harm you though, and very badly harm others too! These drugs cause you to see things, hear things, and they just mess with your mental and physical state in general.