Understanding Drug Use And Addiction

Addiction is a chronic brain disease that often results in some sort of relapse. Addiction is characterized by inability to control drug use which results in problems with one’s behaviors and interpersonal relationships. This disease causes compulsive behaviors such as the need to use drugs despite the many harmful consequences that affect the addicted individual and those around him or her. Although for most people, the initial decision to use drugs is a one time lapse in judgement, the brain is easily affected by these drugs if the person decides to use these drugs multiple times. The changes that occur to the brain over time will cause the addicted person’s ability to resist the intense impulses of drugs to be altered causing the addict to often give into the temptation of these drugs. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death. Drug addiction is an issue that many people deal with whether they are the addict or the addict is their loved one; but with a good source of support anyone can over come the challenges and consequences of addiction.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes addiction as a, “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences” (“Understanding Drug Use and Addiction,” 2016). Long-term use can effect and change a person’s ability to learn, judge, and make decisions. Stress, memory issues, and behavior problems are also common side effects of extended drug use. There is not one single factor that can determine if a person will become addicted drugs. However, certain risk factors have been identified as predicting higher probabilities of addiction because of a person’s biology, environment, and development. Adolescents who abuse

Drug addiction is a brain disease because drugs change the brain’s structure and how they work. Over a period of time drugs start to affect the brain by challenging an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. “Most drugs affect the brain's reward circuit by flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. This overstimulation of the reward circuit causes the intensely pleasurable "high" that leads people to take a drug again and again. Over time, the brain adjusts to the excess dopamine, which reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drug—an effect known as tolerance. They might take more of the drug, trying to achieve the same dopamine high.”, States National Institute on Drug Abuse. After long term use of drugs it affects functions such as learning, judgment, decision-making, stress, memory, and behavior. Even though an addict knows this, they still use

The article” Relapse and Craving” Alan Leshner, says he estimates that the highest prospect of success is about twenty percent of recovered addicts and eighty percent of drug addicts will relapse back into drug use. It’s interesting but scary to know that the craving of the drug can linger for months or years after one stops using the drugs. The reason why drug addicts cannot stop their craving is because the mind is unable to function normally. When a person is addicted to a drug then the brain will become activated all over the brain versus when a normal human brain is only active in some areas. Steven Hyman, M.D recommends addicted people who had reclaimed from their addiction to avoid surroundings that brings back pleasures and memories

Sometimes people quit their drug use for a sort of long period of time, but randomly start using or abusing their drugs again no matter how hard they try. This return to drug use is called relapse. People who are recovering from a drug addiction often have one or more relapses along the way. Recovery from an addiction is a life-long effort.

Every addict has their own trigger that can push them towards relapse. For an addict to overcome their addiction they must understand what their triggers are. Then it’s trying to understand how to avoid that trigger or come up with healthier coping skills to handle the triggers. According to Treating Addictions (Forcehimes, Miller Zweben, 2011) it is important to identify how the individual uses the substances, and

Addiction is defined as “a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance” (Donatelle & Kolen-Thompson, 2007, p. 263). How an addiction develops is very fascinating. Addiction is a process that evolves over time. It begins when a person repeatedly seeks relief from pain or unpleasant feelings and or situations. This pattern is known as nurturing through avoidance and is a maladaptive strategy of trying to take care of emotional needs. As a person becomes increasingly dependent on the addictive drug, there is a corresponding deterioration that responds and reacts to these situations which alters relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. The performance at work, school and qualities of an individual’s personal life diminishes. Often times, these individuals do not find the addictive behaviors or drug pleasurable, there motivation is to escape from there hopeless situations. In many cases addicts may wish to cease the abuse of a drug but the withdrawal symptoms, which can sometimes be very severe such as irritability, trembling or delirium, depending on how long an individual has used can be much more unbearable to an individual.

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars” (Chapin). Everyone has a story of struggle and often times it is heart-wrenching and not glamorous. Some past stories are ridden with abuse or neglect, struggle in physical ailments, and others with addiction. Addiction is absurd—it is a way of satisfying ourselves with every desire that ultimately strips us of the ability to function. The addict’s drug is subjective: alcohol, money, sex, controlled substances, food, or love, along with many others. Many people who struggle with the disease have difficulty uncovering the hidden wisdom of addiction. Doing so requires the daunting and often dangerous task of understanding where the problem came from, leading to a series of terror and anger of knowing that the drug can never be used again. For some, addiction is the sign that loudly screams that we need to find healing and take better care of ourselves. Recovery from addiction is far from easy; however, it does not and should not be done alone. When we realize that there is wisdom in the pain, it offers us a new perspective in which we can relate to others where it is near impossible to be lonely. We are a camaraderie who depend on others and organizations for support and survival. We help one another: we share bitter coffee and cigarettes, trade stories of how we ended up where we are, and offer support to conquer our disease together. Being a part of this damaged

There are many different types of addiction that people become dependent on and they are devoted to it. There are 2 main categories of addiction, which are substance-related addiction and behavioral or process addictions. There are 2 main types of addiction, which are physical is when a person 's body is reliant on something after a while a person’s body can crave it and then there 're psychological addictions which is when someone craves something so that is changing their mood and feelings. According to Wikipedia, addiction is “ a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequence”. When becoming addicted it is being reliant on a certain substance or an activity, physically and mentally. When addicted you feel as if you need to have it and are unable to stop taking it. Substance abuse or misuse is when you are dependent on a certain substance, most common substances are alcohol and drugs. When misusing substances it affects a person’s physical and mental health and their social responsibilities.

Addiction has been a major problem for decades and it has been increasing immensely among our society. Addiction can only harm or restrain us from reaching our goals and intervene with our everyday life. Addictions can trap anyone. Not only can the person harm their own body, ruin their relationship with their family, but it can also contribute to delinquency. There are many types of addictions, but when we hear this word we automatically think about drugs and alcohol abuse due to they are the two must common ones. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about addictions and I will discuss some of then in this paper. First we need to understand what addiction means.

Anyone can become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Over time, an addiction can have severe financial, personal and professional repercussions. Once someone realizes that they are going through the stages of addiction, the next step is to seek help. With treatment, recovery is possible.

In an examination of drugs I will discuss causes of this disease/or social dilemma. I will also discuss the effect of drugs on individuals, families and society.

Addiction is a “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.” The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most individuals, but frequent drug use can lead to brain alterations that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain alterations can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease. People in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased threat for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug. It's common for an individual to relapse, but relapse doesn't mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be constant and should be adjusted based on how the patient answers. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing desires.

“Life was good before I met the monster. After, life was great. At least for a little while” (Hopkins 1). In Ellen Hopkins novel , Crank , the main character, Kristina experiences her life collapsing due to methamphetamine. Kristina’s life had many possibilities of being successful. She was a gifted high-school student, discreet and never in trouble. Her talent was thrown away when she was introduced to methamphetamine. The reader follows Kristina 's downward spiral as she attempts to feed her addiction and deal with the consequences of the bad decisions that she has made. At one of her lowest points, Kristina gains knowledge that she is

Drug addiction is one of society 's biggest problems and it is rampant among teenagers and young adults and one of the most abused drugs is marijuana. Cannabis sativa or marijuana usually grows throughout tropical and temperate climates and then plant 's stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds are then dried. What attracts to most users is the mind altering effect these parts produce which is addictive to some extent. It is usually smoked as cigarette, or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, in which cigars will be emptied of tobacco and refill with marijuana or sometimes it is combined with another drug. It can also be brewed as tea or mixed in food. Hashis is a more concentrated, resinous form which is sticky black liquid, hash oil. The