Most people associate dangerous addiction with the use of illegal drugs, but substance abuse consists of any dangerous dependence, including alcoholism and reliance on prescription drugs. For centuries, substance abuse was regarded by society as a personal failing or moral fault, and addicts were shunned and forced to the fringes of the community. Substance abuse today is recognized as a disease, typified by the brain becoming reliant on certain substances to deliver neurotransmitters like dopamine or serotonin. Street drugs like marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamines react with the brain in a similar way to legal addictives, such as alcohol, tobacco, and inhalants.
These substances all increase the production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, resulting in various "highs,"
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Drug testing kits are now readily and cheaply available for home use to help stop the addictions privately. Substance abuse is worth the efforts being made to combat it, because the damage caused by addiction is extensive and far reaching. Almost every aspect of society, from the legal system and the medical field to families and schools, is touched in some way by the destructive power of substance abuse, and the battle to prevent dangerous addictions will always be one worth fighting.
Help put a stop to substance abuse and chemical dependency by interfering and impeding at the first signs of addiction. Openly talking to the individual about your concerns and the effects of their addiction is the first stride towards acceptance and recovery. Do not be afraid to drug test at the first signs of misuse. This is especially true of prescription pills abuse as many individuals do not view Oxycontin or Vicodin as habit forming because of a
Substance use disorders are relevant to the adolescent development. Abu-Shakra and Cox (2014) describe the pathway by which substance use disorder is effected by externalizing behaviours. Externalizing behaviours include impulsive or aggressive behavers. Many studies contribute to this discourse. In this paper, I will summarize the chapter provided by Abu-Shakra and Cox (2014) and will mention other studies that add to the discourse.
Substance abuse is the harmful or dangerous use of any psychoactive substances including drugs, alcohol and even tobacco. The term ‘Substance Abuse’, as understood today was first used in 1987’s DSM-IIIR, before that social & cultural factors were not considered. Even with that change, many Americans still today consider drug and alcohol abuse to be moral weakness or character defect.
Mountains in South America. It is a widely available and highly addictive drug because of its abuse potential.
Drug addiction is a serious issue nowadays, and it's beginning to overcome many individuals. Drug addiction has always been a struggle within various communities. Addiction has grown to bigger issues and is now affecting the nation. Addiction does not happen overnight. People who become addicted to drugs have been introduced to them over a period of time. Drugs have been around since the beginning of history.
Whereas having a psychological dependence is a sense of need for a specific substance, either for its positive effects or to avoid negative effects. (Shultz, 2003).
In order to successfully decrease the cases of drug addiction, society needs to remember that we cannot change the physiological effects of drugs, but we can prevent individuals from turning into them. In other words, the primary focus should be on the individual and not the drug.
Addiction- a primary, chronic, neurobiologic disease, with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. It is characterized by behaviors that include one or more of the following: impaired control over drug use, compulsive use, continued use despite harm, and craving. The difference between addiction and abuse is often times unclear. It’s a difficult call to make as a family member or a close friend that is dealing with a person like this in their life, but ultimately it is a call that only the addict can make for themselves. There are tons of different sources and tests and questions out there that can be done that can
Drugs users should be treated not belittled for their use of drugs. Addiction is defined as a condition in which a person engages in use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences. Society has been increasingly seeing that drug rehabilitation programs are more accessible (Economic Voice Staff, 2014). They are becoming more accessible because people are speaking up and not wanting their loved ones to suffer and be
The term “alcoholism” describes a drinker who is mentally and physically dependent on alcohol, and who would most likely have withdrawal symptoms upon trying to quit. This dependence prevents most alcoholics from being able to control when they drink and how much they drink. For that reason, alcoholics usually drink to excess despite the consequences. Alcoholism, like any addiction, is a chronic disorder which involves continued use despite negative consequences and requires ongoing treatment and management. This research paper will cover many aspects of alcoholism including the causes and effects of drinking and different treatment approaches.
In society today, Substance abuse comes in many different forms. Such as prescription to illicit drugs. Anyone is susceptible to developing some sort of substance abuse. Because many people use, abuse or will develop some sort of substance abuse dependency in their lifetime. They will develop a dependency on a substance .Whether it may be legal or illegal.
According to the United Nation, drug abuse kills 200,000 people worldwide each year. Substance abuse is a huge issue we are fighting in today’s world that everyone seems to ignore or pretends not to notice. Although there are many factors to contribute to someone’s drug addiction, fortunately many treatments are available to save that person from the horrible life they would suffer from. Substance abuse is not just heroine, amphetamines or cocaine it also could be alcohol, prescription pills or club pills (roofies, ecstasy, LSD…). These are just to name some of the many types of drugs people get addicted too.
The disease model: This theory states that an individual who abuses drugs requires medical treatment rather than moral punishment or exhortation. This theory also justifies spending money to research substance abuse in the same way that money is spent to research other diseases. However, usually the term disease is reserved for a state in which we can identify an abnormal biochemical or physical condition. No abnormal biochemical or physical condition has been found in the case of substance addiction, although mounting evidence suggests that some individuals are genetically predisposed to addiction more so than others. Nevertheless, this theory continues to appeal to researchers, and an intensive effort is always being made to identify the physiological “switch” that establishes addiction after exposure to a drug (Lee, 2010).
People addicted to substances and people who abuse substances are different. Those who abuse drugs have control over their lives, while those with an addiction have a disease that affects many aspects of their life. An addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disease because the use of the drug changes the brain structure and how it works. These brain changes can be long-lasting. One definition of abuse is the inappropriate use of any substance, especially those that alter consciousness (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamines). An individual can abuse drugs without being an addict to that drugs. The drug abuse definition centers around the way a person uses the drugs, while the drug addiction definition includes the
Drugs have been an essential to the American experience, from the very beginning. During ancient times, psychoactive substances have been used by priest during religious ceremonies, shaman healers for medicinal purposes, and also it was socially approved by the general population for their use of alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Stimulants are an epidemic in society by affecting the youth and its on going trend of usage.
Many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It is often mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles or willpower and that they could stop using drugs simply by choosing to change their behavior. In reality, drug addiction is a complex disease, and quitting takes more than good intentions or a strong will. In fact, because drugs change the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse, quitting is difficult, even for those who are ready to do so. Through scientific advances, we know more about how drugs work in the brain than ever, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive lives.In some cases criminal or anti-social behavior occurs when the person is under the influence of a drug, and long term personality changes in individuals may occur as well. In addition to possible physical, social, and psychological harm, use of some drugs may also lead to criminal penalties, although these vary widely depending on the local jurisdiction.The initiation of drug and alcohol use is most likely to occur during adolescence, and some experimentation with substances by older adolescents is common.Drug addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure