Drug abuse is a major problem
in the World. One of the most significant issues concerning drug abuse is the
high risk for developing an addiction. The abuse of drugs can have serious
ramifications on a person’s physical health, mental health, and overall
well-being.
Diagnosed clinically as a
substance use disorder, addiction is a recognised condition involving
compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences. Drug abuse is the inappropriate use of
substances – including alcohol, prescription medication, or illegal drugs – for
purposes such as pleasure, to feel or perform better in certain situations, or
to change one’s perception of reality.
Abusing substances creates
both changes in behaviour and in the way the brain works, specifically in the
areas governing judgement and reward. Continued abuse of substances can be a
warning sign that an individual is beginning to lose control over their drug
use.
Many people don't understand
why or how other people become addicted to drugs. They may mistakenly think
that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower and that they could
stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction is a
complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a
strong will. Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for
those who want to. Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs
affect the brain and have found treatments that can help people recover from
drug addiction and lead productive lives.
What Is drug addiction?
Addiction is a chronic disease
characterised 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 people, but repeated drug use can lead to brain changes that
challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to
resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain changes can be persistent,
which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing"
disease—people in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased risk for
returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug.
It's common for a person to relapse,
but relapse doesn't mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic
health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on
how the patient responds. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and
modified to fit the patient’s changing needs.
What happens to the brain when
a person takes drugs?
Most drugs affect the brain's
"reward circuit," causing euphoria as well as flooding it with the
chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a
person to repeat behaviours needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time
with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the
reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviours like taking drugs, leading
people to repeat the behaviour again and again.
As a person continues to use
drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit
to respond to it. This 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 to try and achieve the same high. These brain
adaptations often lead to the person becoming less and less able to derive pleasure
from other things they once enjoyed, like food, sex, or social activities.
Long-term use also causes
changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well, affecting
functions that include: learning, judgement,
decision-making, stress, memory, behaviour
Despite being aware of these
harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the
nature of addiction.
Can drug addiction be cured or
prevented?
As with most other chronic
diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug
addiction generally isn’t a cure. However, addiction is treatable and can be
successfully managed. People who are recovering from an addiction will be at
risk for relapse for years and possibly for their whole lives. Research shows
that combining addiction treatment medicines with behavioral therapy ensures
the best chance of success for most patients. Treatment approaches tailored to
each patient’s drug use patterns and any co-occurring medical, mental, and
social problems can lead to continued recovery.
More good news is that drug
use and addiction are preventable. Results from NIDA-funded research have shown
that prevention programs involving families, schools, communities, and the media
are effective for preventing or reducing drug use and addiction. Although
personal events and cultural factors affect drug use trends, when young people
view drug use as harmful, they tend to decrease their drug taking. Therefore,
education and outreach are key in helping people understand the possible risks
of drug use. Teachers, parents, and health care providers have crucial roles in
educating young people and preventing drug use and addiction.
When you use street or club
drugs, you’re taking a lot of risks. The drugs are dangerous, and usually
there’s no way to know how strong they are or what else may be in them. It's
even more unsafe to use them along with other substances like alcohol and marijuana.
Here's a rundown of common
street drugs and the health threats they can pose.
Bath Salts
These designer drugs came on
the scene fairly recently and became popular fast. That may be because they
were easy to get and used to be hard to detect in drug tests.
They're highly addictive, and
they come in a crystalline powder that users swallow, inhale, or inject.
Despite their name, bath salts
have nothing in common with products you can use for a soak in the tub.
What else they’re called:
Plant Food, Bloom, Cloud Nine, Ivory Wave, Lunar Wave, Scarface, Vanilla Sky,
or White Lightning.
What type of drug is it?
Bath salts contain manmade
stimulants called cathinones, which are similar to amphetamines.
What are the effects?
These stimulants increase
levels of dopamine, a brain chemical that can create feelings of euphoria.
Some say the effects are
similar to cocaine or methamphetamines. But they’re even more likely to cause
serious health effects, including: Violence, Paranoia, Agitation, Hallucinations,
Psychosis, Racing heart, High blood pressure, Chest pain, Panic attacks, Dehydration,
Kidney failure, Death
Cocaine
This drug comes in different
forms. A user can snort the powder type through their nose or inject it into
their bloodstream. Crack is a crystal form of the drug that’s smoked and
absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs.
What else it’s called:
Blow, Bump, C, Candy, Charlie,
Coke, Crack, Flake, Rock, Snow, or Toot.
What type of drug is it?
Cocaine is a highly addictive
stimulant made from the coca plant. Crack cocaine is even more addictive.
What are the effects?
It triggers your brain to
release dopamine and creates a euphoric feeling. The high is intense but
short-lived, which leads people to use it repeatedly to try to keep the feeling
going.
The risks are:
Increased heart rate, High
blood pressure, Increased body temperature, Stomach pain, nausea, Loss of
appetite, malnourishment, Heart damage and heart attack, Stroke, Death, Loss of
smell, nosebleeds, and problems swallowing, Higher risk of HIV and hepatitis C
due to sharing needles or other drug equipment
When used during pregnancy it
can cause spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, birth defects, and a baby
born addicted to the drug.
Ecstasy
Users often take this drug by
mouth in pill or tablet form. You can also snort it or inject it into a vein.
What else it’s called:
MDMA or Molly.
What type of drug is it?
This is a man-made stimulant
and hallucinogen.
What are the effects?
Ecstasy increases levels of
several chemicals in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, and
norepinephrine. It alters your mood and makes you feel closer and more
connected to others. Users get a sense of euphoria and a boost in energy.
When the drug wears off,
though, it can lead to confusion, depression, anxiety, and sleep problems.
The physical effects that it
has on the body can be very similar to other stimulants like cocaine and
amphetamines. Those effects include:
Increased heart rate, Increased
blood pressure, Tense muscles, Nausea, Blurred vision, Dizziness, Sweating or
chills.
Flakka
This designer drug is similar
to bath salts. It is a pale-hued crystal that users eat, snort, inject, or
vaporise using an e-cigarette device.
It might also be referred to
as Gravel, because of the way it looks.
What type of drug is it?
Like bath salts, it also
contains synthetic cathinone.
What are the effects?
The drug has a stimulant-like
effect but can cause paranoia, hallucinations, and can lead to violence or
self-harm. It’s been linked to deaths due to heart attack, suicide, and kidney
damage or kidney failure.
Heroin
Heroin comes as a white or tan
powder, or a black sticky substance, known as “black tar heroin.” Users can
inject, inhale or smoke it.
What else it’s called:
Brown Sugar, China White,
Dope, H, Horse, Junk, Skag, Skunk, Smack, and White Horse
What type of drug is it?
It’s an opioid derived from
the opium poppy flower. It’s rapidly absorbed into the brain, which makes it
highly addictive.
What are the effects?
A rush of euphoria followed by
dry mouth, a heaviness sensation in the arms and legs, and a fuzzy mind.
Heroin use can be deadly. Risk
factors for overdose include, simultaneous use of sedatives or alcohol, use of
prescription pain pills, and recent abstinence with relapse. It can also lead
to:
Collapsed veins, Skin
Infections, Gastrointestinal problems (especially constipation), Kidney disease,
Suppressed breathing, which is which is leading cause of coma, brain damage,
and death, Risk of catching HIV and hepatitis C through sharing needles and
other drug equipment
When used during pregnancy it
can cause spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, birth defects, and a baby
born addicted to the drug
Krokodil
This drug isn’t common in the
U.S., but it’s used widely in Russia, especially among young adults as a
cheaper alternative to heroin. It’s a man-made form of morphine and about 10
times stronger.
It’s a combination of several
harmful chemicals including codeine, iodine, gasoline, paint thinner, lighter
fluid and others.
Users inject it into the
bloodstream, and it has a rapid and brief effect. It’s also sometimes spelled
Crocodil.
What type of drug is it?
Opioid.
What are the effects?
Krokodil is named for the
crocodile-like appearance it creates on the skin. Over time, it damages blood
vessels and causes the skin to become green and scaly. The tissue damage can
lead to gangrene and result in amputation or death.
LSD
This drug became popular in
the 1960s and is still commonly used today. It's made from an acid found in a
fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
What else it’s called:
Acid, Blotter, Doses, Hits,
Microdots, Sugar Cubes, Trips, Tabs, and Window Panes.
What type of drug is it?
Hallucinogen.
What are the effects?
It causes someone to see,
hear, and feel things that seem real, but aren’t. These hallucinations, called
“trips,” can last as long as 12 hours.
LSD can cause physical effects
such as dilated pupils, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, less
appetite, dry mouth, and shakiness.
Marijuana
It's still the most-used
illegal drug in the U.S. and India, despite it recently earning legal status
for medical purposes in many states.
Marijuana refers to the dried
leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of the hemp (Cannabis sativa) plant. Most
people smoke marijuana, but it can also be added to foods and eaten.
What else it’s called: Blunt,
Bud, Dope, Ganja, Grass, Green, Herb, Joint, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer, Skunk,
Smoke, Trees, Weed, Ashish, Boom, Hash, and Hemp.
What type of drug is it?
It can act as both a stimulant
and a depressant, and even a hallucinogen.
What are the effects?
Marijuana contains the
chemical THC, which acts on different parts of the brain to create the “high”
that users experience, such as changes in sensations, mood, body movements,
thinking, and memory.
When used regularly, marijuana
can affect brain development and lead to cognitive problems. It can become
addictive for some people, and also cause serious health problems such as
breathing issues, increased heart rate, and higher risk of heart attacks,
depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts for some people. Among young people,
heavy MJ use has been associated with cognitive impairment and mental illness,
like schizophrenia. However, in adults, chronic use has not been associated
with serious medical conditions.
Methamphetamines
Meth is a white powder that
users swallow, smoke, snort, or inject. It’s made from a combination of
pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medications, along with other
toxic chemicals.
What else it's called:
Crystal meth, Chalk, Crank,
and Ice.
What type of drug is it?
Stimulant.
What are the effects?
Meth creates an immediate high
that quickly fades. As a result, users often take it repeatedly, making it
extremely addictive. The physical effects are very similar to other stimulants
like cocaine and amphetamines. Those effects can include:
Increased breathing, Rapid
heart rate, High blood pressure, Increased body temperature, With repeated
long-term use, meth can lead to extreme weight loss, skin sores, and severe
dental issues. Chronic abusers often suffer from anxiety, confusion, insomnia,
hallucinations and delusions, and paranoia. Injecting the drug can raise the
risk of getting HIV or hepatitis when sharing needles and other drug equipment.
When used during pregnancy it
can cause spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, birth defects, and a baby
born addicted to the drug.
Mushrooms
Psilocybin and peyote
mushrooms are eaten, brewed in a tea, or added to foods to get a high. Though
cravings may occur, physical dependence isn’t usually present with hallucinogens.
What else they’re called:
Boomers, Little Smoke, Magic
Mushrooms, and Shrooms.
What type of drug is it?
The active ingredient is
psilocybin, which is a hallucinogen found in certain types of mushrooms.
What are the effects?
The effects start within about
20 minutes and last as long as 6 hours. Similar to LSD, mushrooms can cause
hallucinations, an altered perception of time, and an inability to tell the
difference between what’s real and what’s not.
Taking high doses or using
them for a long time can cause panic, psychosis, or flashbacks. They can also
cause extreme pupil dilation, nausea, and vomiting.
Salvia
This drug is an herb in the
mint family that’s native to parts of Mexico. Users chew or smoke its leaves.
What else it’s called:
Maria Pastora, Sage of the
Seers, Diviner’s Sage, Sally-D, and Magic Mint.
What type of drug is it?
Hallucinogen.
What are the effects?
The drug creates intense but
short-lived effects, which start within 5 to 10 minutes and last about 30
minutes. The hallucinogenic effects include changes in vision, mood, emotions,
and body sensations.
Little is known about the
health effects of salvia, though animal studies show it may have an impact on
learning and memory. The Drug Enforcement Administration doesn’t consider
salvia an illegal drug, but several states have passed laws to regulate its
use.
Spice
This is a mixture of different
herbs and chemicals that looks similar to potpourri. Users either smoke it like
marijuana or make it into an herbal tea-like drink.
What else it’s called: Black
Mamba, Bliss, Bombay Blue, Fake weed, Fire, Genie, K2, Moon Rocks, Skunk,
Smacked, Yucatan, or Zohai.
What type of drug is it?
Synthetic cannabinoid.
What are the effects?
Compounds in Spice act on the
same parts in the brain as THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. As a
result, the effects are very similar, such as feeling happier and more relaxed.
But the compounds in Spice can lead to a stronger effect.
Users also report severe
anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations.
Other effects of Spice can
include:
Rapid heart rate, Vomiting, Confusion,
Seizures, Increased blood pressure, Heart attack (rarely)
Drug Abuse Facts
Drug abuse not only affects
the individual, but also can have far-reaching consequences that affect family,
employment, personal health, health care systems, local communities, and
society as a whole. The following
examples illustrate the potentially profound impact of substance abuse at an
individual and societal level, including the toll it may take on health and
family.
If you recognise some or all
of the following things happening to someone you care about, or happening in
your own life, drug abuse may be an issue that needs to be addressed in
treatment:
1.
Isolating from family and friends who don’t use
drugs
2.
Spending time with new friends or friends who
get high or drink
3.
Never having money or often asking to borrow
money, even for small items
4.
Showing up late to work/school or not showing
up at all
5.
Losing a job
6.
Doing little to find a job if out of work
7.
Paying less attention to basic hygiene
8.
Changes in sleeping habits
9.
Extremely private about possessions, including
their bag, room, or car
10. Lying
about using or drinking
11. Sneaking
away to get high or drunk
You may find hidden bottles of
alcohol or drug paraphernalia among your loved one’s belongings. Personality
changes often occur with substance abuse and addiction. You or your loved one
may be more irritable or agitated, and even blow off commitments or family
events.
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