Psychological And Psychological Effects Of Drug Addiction Essay

Substance abuse as well as addiction is a topic many people choose to ignore or tend to believe that it does not affect them. Addiction itself does not seek out certain types of people but can affect anyone, at any time, for any reason. Stress, per pressure, financial trouble, even genetics all play a role in substance abuse and addiction. Unlike others, I don’t see substance abusers as weak willed but instead in need of guidance and someone to talk to about their problems. That is why, when I decided to go to school I was very interested in becoming an Addiction Counselor. I am one of those types of people who really enjoy learning new things and coming up with solutions for myself or others. The biggest reason that I decided to go to college was to find a job that I was actually fascinated with and wouldn’t dread going to work day in and day out. The biggest concern I have for my future job is stability and job availability. One area that I don’t really find high on my priority list is the money. I want to be able to make enough that I can survive and even thrive at times but I’m not looking for a job just for the financial gain. If I’m going to spend my life in a working profession it might as well be doing something I love.

Chapter six talks about stimulants, like coffee (caffeine containing plants for the most part), cocaine, tobacco, and amphetamines. Many people would not consider coffee a drug, but those are usually the people that cannot go a day without it. Chapter seven talks about depressants, like alcohol, sleeping pills, narcotics, general anesthetics, and antianxiety drugs. Like coffee, many people would not consider alcohol a drug; it may be because it is legal but, when it is abused it has potential to cause more damage than many other drugs to one’s self and outsiders. Depressants depress the nervous system, reducing sensitivity to outside stimulation but in small doses they tend to make people relaxed and happy. The eighth chapter is about psychedelics, which are claimed to have the lowest potential for abuse of any of the psychoactive drugs. This chapter discusses drugs like LSD, morning-glory seeds, mushrooms, ibogaine, DMT, peyote, and ecstasy. People have been using hallucinogens since the beginning of time and most of these plants are concentrated in North and South America. The ninth chapter covers one drug only, marijuana. It is not a depressant or stimulant but has features of both, and some people even consider it a light psychedelic. The experienced high from marijuana can differ from person to person.

Substance abuse disorders are common in our society. It is a disorder that each one of us will most likely experience through a family member, friend, or our self. I felt very drawn to this topic due to the fact that I have a family that has background of substance abuse and I myself have battle the demon. Not until I struggled with my own addiction did I become more tolerable and understanding to those that have a substance abuse disorder. Substance abuse is not something anyone wants to have; it is a disorder that takes control of a person’s life. It is a beast that tears a person apart; from their being to the lives of their loved ones. This disorder is not biased in anyway; rich or poor, male or female, employed or unemployed, young or

Stimulants can be used to speed up the central nervous system making a person fell more alert and aware of their surroundings. Depressants are the opposites and reduce the activity of the nervous system and produce a feeling of calm and/or “taking the edge off”. Hallucinogenics can be used to make an individual have hallucinations and have distortions in space and

Substance abuse is the habitual use of mind altering substances (Substances). Addicts have a false or altered look on reality; they need help seeing what is wrong with the life style they are living. Nikki Sixx once said,” Addiction- When you can give something up at any time, as long as it’s next Tuesday!” Recovery is teaching a person to break old habits. Substance abuse counselors are very important, not only in the mental health field, but in society as well.

This book report will discuss addiction and the effects of alcohol on the brain according to Dr. Harold Urschel’s Science Based Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery Program as described in his book, “Healing the Addicted Brain”.

Drug abuse is on the rise. While the use of drugs like cocaine and heroin is in a state of decline in certain parts of the world, prescription drugs abuse is on the rise (UNODC, 2013). Prescription drugs that were prescribed with the intention to do well are now one of the leading causes of self-harm. Drug abuse has no gender or social class, it can affect people regardless of social status and wealth, and now more than ever we need to understand the reason behind the abuse. What psychological factors could cause an individual to abuse drugs in the first place? In this research essay, I will discuss how each one of the major school of psychology perspectives could attempt to explain a

The physical dependence model: This theory, sometimes referred to as the withdrawal avoidance model, is based on the unpleasant withdraw symptoms that can occur when an individual stops taking a drug that they used rather frequently. The specific withdrawal symptoms depend on the drug, but they are often the opposite effect produced by the drug itself. For instance, the withdrawal symptoms of cannabis include irritability,

The basis for addiction can be assigned to a combination of social, physiological and psychological aspects. Social factors highlight the fundamental tendency for humans to interact and form social groups which contributes to the commencement of addiction. The intricacy of the human brain has slowed the understanding of physiological and psychological factors, however experts agree the neurotransmitter dopamine is instrumental to explaining the cause of addiction and ascertaining successful pathways to assist addicted individuals. Analysing addiction within the domain of methamphetamine use provides an insight to the causes and potential treatment strategies for these individuals. There is no single treatment for methamphetamine addiction,

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem, driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs is an even bigger problem that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Abusing either one of these substances can lead to the death of you or the death of someone else or even cause a major change in their life like Jacqueline’s story, her whole life has been changed because of another person’s ignorance and carelessness. Therefore, you should know the facts about drug and alcohol abuse before you do something you may regret for the rest of your life.

My reflection paper is on the subject of substance abuse. As the structure of society changes, the acceptability of one drug or another changes. I have dealt with my own experiences of substance abuse personally and through family and friends throughout my community. I believe there are many underlying problems Native people face today that lead to substance abuse. So, drug use and alcoholism is not the problem in my town, those are more like side effects of something deeper. I would have to agree most with the symbolic interactionist perspective as far as the labeling theory goes. There are also many images in the media that depict the use of drugs and alcohol to make it seem like even though it is bad, it is sometimes okay. These images sparked my own curiosity to experience a fun high or a night out with friends and hopefully getting lucky. I had so many questions about drug use and alcohol. My older siblings and cousins were involved in those circles so it was only natural that me and my cousins and peers who I grew up with got into smoking marijuana and buying drinks on the weekends. I did not know at the time about the dangers of underage drinking. I also had very little knowledge of the condition of my mental health at my young age. Eventually I found out that I had an addictive personality and I got myself into a downward spiral of substance abuse.

One of the more common addictions that were mentioned is substance or drug addiction. In the medical dictionary substance abuse means, “Excessive use of a potentially addictive substance, especially one that may modify body functions, such as drugs.” The effects of substance abuse can show a discrepancy between physical and psychological effects. Essentially every drug has dissimilar physical effects on the body; they all have an effect on the brain initially in a similar manner. The physical effects of substance abuse includes; respiratory issues, cardiac issues, and even gastrointestinal issues. With these issues, they can get severe enough to lead up to further severe issues such as lung cancer, heart attacks, and kidney or liver damage, which can ultimately lead to death. The psychological effects of this addiction can be just as harmful. The psychological effects included; hypothermia, paranoia, anxiety, violent behavior, hallucinations, depression, loss of interest, loss sense of reality, confusion, flashbacks, sense of distance, and catatonic syndrome (which affects the body’s central

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.

A person’s body, in almost every aspect of its being, is addicted when one is a mild to chronic user and abuser. The nervous system, brain, and muscle tissue are all living in anticipation of the next high. So, for the addict, it is crucial that the cycle of behavior, is broken. The addict needs to pull up the anchor that keeps them from moving forward. This means changing environments, patterns and even sometimes friends and social associates.

This group of drugs cause great changes in the way people perceive and feel. They sometimes called psychedelic or mid-altering drugs. They p[produce