How Drugs Affected My Life

I grew up being told that addiction runs in the family and that it is inherited. The Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism article (n.d.) does, in fact, mention that genetics play a role but other factors such as social, psychological, and environmental are also reasons to contribute to addiction. In turn, genes are not solely supported as the only cause for susceptibility. In fact, “[m]ost offspring of an alcoholic parent DO NOT develop alcohol use problems or disorders in their lifetime.” (Module 2: Etiology and Natural History of Alcoholism, n.d.)

When looking at my genogram, there are several members of my family that have alcohol and drug addictions. Some of their addictions are so severe that it has contributed to mental illness such as anxiety, depression and bipolar. The most impactful one for me was my father. He was an alcoholic and had a gambling addiction. Growing up, I thought his addictions were more important than his family, and I hated him for it. I could not understand why we did not matter enough to stop. Once my parents divorced, and my father disappeared, I convinced myself that he was not worth my thoughts or compassion. Then he returned when I was 25 years old, and I was able to gain a different perspective of him and addiction. When he returned to my life, he had drunk himself almost dead and was in the ICU. At that moment, I realized he had no control over his addiction, and he did not choose it over his family. It controlled him and every day that he did not drink was a day that he fought arduously and won. Although there would be days, he would fight very hard and

While scientists are not sure which genes are responsible for addiction, research shows that there is a strong genetic component. Someone with an alcoholic parent is far more likely to become an alcoholic than the average person. This does not mean that the addiction is inevitable, but it does mean that individuals should be careful about substance abuse issues if a family member is

This can make it difficult to tell precisely which drug is affecting an individual’s emotions. Doctors do, however, have a pretty good idea of what each narcotic can do due to research in individuals that have taken one drug at a time.

If the problems you suffer stem from severe alcoholism or addiction, you must accept that these problems are not primarily mental or free will issues. Addictions are not about will power. The problems facing addicts, alcoholics, and their families are miserable, disgusting, and infuriating. They are often hopelessly discouraging. But to imagine that an addict "could change if he wanted to" is a serious

My life was not much different from the average person’s growing up. I had a mother, father, and two brothers. We had a dog. We went on family vacations. My brothers and I played sports together. I don’t really have much to complain about. It was all, for the most part, very normal.

Ever since I was only a few months old, my birth mother put drugs and herself before anyone else, including my father and I. My father is originally from Saudi Arabia and came to America for better opportunities and to make his family proud. After a few months of living in Oklahoma, he met my mother and they ended up getting married. They soon found out that my mother was pregnant with me and they were both elated. After I was born, my father began to notice that my mother was acting strangely and not being herself; this was obviously a result of her getting back on drugs. My father did not have the prior knowledge that my mother had been on drugs and had quit them multiple times before having met him. One night my father came home from work

In “Drugs in Schools: Myths and Realities,” Peter Venturelli (2000) discusses the reasons as to why many students and young adults turn to drugs and how the increase rate in drugs encouraged schools to adopt a policy on them. It is evident that there has been an increase in the use of licit and illicit drugs among teenagers in the United States. According to Venturelli (2000), drugs are defined as “any substance that modifies body functions.” With that being said, drugs can affect an individual’s perception of reality through their attitude, personality, and behavior. The article reports an increase of drug use from teenagers aged 12 to 17 and indicates the rate has increased from “11.7 percent in 1992 to 18.0 percent in 1995” (Venturelli, 2000). As the public became aware of the results, many schools decided to implement a policy of zero tolerance for drugs for safety and education purposes. For example, drugs can create problems for students because it can affect their thinking, which can hinder their education. In addition, researchers realized that education on drugs and TV advertisements, has had little to no effects for frequent drug users (Venturelli, 2000). Venturelli (2000) thoroughly discusses the reasons as to why teenagers turn to drugs for help. Individuals between the ages of 13 through 18, also known as adolescents, experience changes as they begin to discover the world around them. Adolescents bodies begin to change as they go through puberty. For instance,

"The drugs have taken over" those are the first words I heard when I woke up in rehab, I was on the detox side and I remember having flashbacks of everything that happened while I was on the run. From what that man did to me, to using my last drug before getting caught and arrested. They were taking my vitals when they told me everything that happened like I couldn't remember it myself. I remember waking up and already being so overwhelmed with everything, like when am I going to get high next?

The consequences of alcohol include short-term and long-term effects. The short-terms effects include memory loss, recklessness, impaired judgement, drowsiness, and nausea. The long-term effects include decrease in brain size, liver disease, cancer, malnutrition, cardiovascular disease, alcohol poising, and death (American Addiction Centers, 2018).

My life has been effected by drugs. Not from me personally but from my older brother. He had a wife, family and of course the rest of us. His wife cheated on him and he told her to leave and that's when it started again. As a teenager he would smoke pot with his friend but Rhonda, his wife, made him slow up, never really quite. My brother, Johnathan, after Rhonda took herself and the kids by my brother request our of the picture, became worse with his drug use. Fast forward a few years ago he is now living in one of the houses owned by our family. Letting all his friends tear it up and trash the place. Causing fine after fine that he can't pay so he gives it to my mom to. We are living off my dads social secrecy since he got sick. We have two

I know how addictions change people. I have lived a life full of addicts. My mother has been an addict since she was fifteen. Therefore, when she got pregnant with me, she was hooked on cocaine. It would be a miracle if my mother could find a way to rehab. I believe that nothing will motivate her to stop. My mother has had six kids. She has put us through hell. She has caused many of fights with her children. My older brother has run away at least 15 times. It has got to the point where he has been put in juvenile detention and prison. His prison sentence is because of the way my mother raised him. There are very few memories I have of my mother that are pleasant. My mother took and lost so much in life.

Despite the issues regarding the scientific studies, evidence has drawn positive links suggesting people who use drugs are more likely to engage in criminal activity than non-users if simply because they are breaking the law to obtain the substance of use. Research does support this contention as people who are arrested for various crimes test positive to be under the influence of a drug at the time they committed their offense. However, the evidence remains elusive as to whether the drug use led to the crime or the crime was separate from the drug use and related needs (i.e., money to buy drugs, territorial wars, etc.). Because of inconsistent data and definitions in reporting, statistical evidence is not empirical enough to draw hard conclusions regarding the relationship between drugs, including alcohol, and crime, or to quantify how much of that crime begins with the innocent-seeming lighting up of a marijuana cigarette. In addition, when more than one drug is present, it is difficult to assess which of the two or more might have induced or inspired the criminal behavior, if any. The association between alcohol and violence illustrated through various studies makes it clear that correlations between drug use and crime are greater complicated through the presence of other dynamics such as socio-demographic and personality characteristics.

Drugs and alcohol have become a serious problem in the United States of America. People are addicted to the ingredients found in these substances. The effects that happen immediately after consuming drugs and drinking alcohol are what people desire and is often the reason they do it. Although, there are many side effects to undertaking drugs and drinking alcohol that can affect people’s body. One of the worst drugs that causes damage to the body is tobacco.

The epidemic of drug in the society is at a all time high and the society is bearing the brunt of this menace. Drug as we know is a medicine or other substance such as alcohol which has a physiological effect when administered, ingested or introduced into the body. These drugs are classified into licit and illicit, our emphasis is on the overall effect of both kind of drugs on the society.