Drug Abuse and Addiction

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Drugs affect people in many different ways. One person can take abuse drugs, yet never become addicted, while another person has one experience and is immediately hooked to that drug. Drug addiction is defined as a dependence on an illegal drug, or medication. When you are addicted, you cannot control your drug use despite the fact that you know the consequences. The scary thing is that drug addiction can cause a major intense craving of drugs. Even though you want to stop, most people can’t do it on their own it is very difficult, and most need therapeutic help. For many people this is what is going to lead them to their death, or a long term mental/physical disability. Being addicted will also affect your relationships with friends and family as well as your employment status. Illegal drug abuse and addiction cost individual Americans upward of half a trillion dollars annually. This could be through medical, criminal, or even social expenditures. Drug use also contributes to an estimated 440,000 deaths by overdose per year. For the United States government, it costs hundreds of billions of dollars in increased health care, crime, and lost productivity. What can we do to prevent or help hopeless addicts from drug abuse and addictions? And whats our law enforcement officers doing about this situation? No one starts off as a drug abuser or an addict. So why do people take advantage of drugs or become addicted? They begin to experiment with drugs for many reasons, whether it be curiosity, pleasure, anxiety relief, and peer pressure. Others were probably abused, neglected, or experienced a traumatic event during their lives, leading them to try drugs as a solution. In addition, depression or other mental illness may also contribute ... ... middle of paper ... ...d educate children first, then again as teens, this way they have more knowledge both at a young age and then again at a more mature, older age. Although many events and cultural factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. Thus, educating our children, or the next generation will help them understand the hazards and how much of their life is at risk. One should always think twice before considering the horrific truth of drugs!! Works Cited Prevention Research." National Institute on Drug Abuse. N.p., Apr.-May 2012. Web. 31 May 2013. .WebsiteLinkTagsEditDelete "Drug Abuse Information." Drug Abuse Information. Collation Against Drug Abuse, n.d. Web. 31 May 2013.

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