Substance Addiction Research Papers

“The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope.” This quote from Russel Brand shows how serious of an issue drug use and addiction is, and why there is a need for more discussion on this topic to decrease the use of drugs in our country. Drug use and addiction is a large problem in our country and although many people believe there is no help, there are ways we can help put an end to drug use.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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

Mountains in South America. It is a widely available and highly addictive drug because of its abuse potential.

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 and function of the brain. (Drug Abuse and Addiction Causes). There are many cases of drug addiction and how people came to inherit their very own drug addiction, the list varies from peer pressure, childhood trauma, genetic pass down, and even mental illness. Some of the causes and risk factors for drug abuse and addiction are biological, psychological, and social factors, called risk factors, that may increase a person's likelihood of developing a chemical-abuse or chemical-dependency disorder.(Drug Abuse and Addiction: Drugs of Choice)

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

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.

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.

It is important to understand a little more about why addiction is addiction. Addictions involve physical changes to the body. With illicit drug use, nicotine, and alcohol, these changes include more than just brain chemistry, but various other organ functions.

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.

Drug addiction is a problem that has become worldwide. Cannabis, cocaine and, tobacco is abused by people on regular basis. Many individuals abuse these stimulants their entire lives. According to a report by CNN in 2016, deaths from overdoses on drug addiction are the number one cause of accidental deaths. Learning to recognize the physical or behavioral signs of drug abuse can help prevent the problem from worsening in the near future.

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