Negative Effects of Drug Abuse
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in America, it can be estimated that during the past thirty days, 20 million Americans above the age of 12, have used an illegal drug (Drug Abuse Symptoms, Facts, and Statistics). Perhaps the most significant issue concerning the use of drugs is the fact that it can easily lead to addiction. Drug abuse is a major problem in our society today, however many drug abusers are unaware of the physical, economic and emotional problems that come along with addiction.
Drugs are chemicals, and different types of drugs affect the body in many different ways. In fact, many drugs will change a person 's brain and body in ways that will last long after the user has stopped taking the drug, or can even leave permanent damage to the person abusing the drugs (Effects of Abuse and Addiction). People who become addicted to drugs cannot stop taking the drug on their own. They continuously want and need more of it to survive. A person addicted might try to stop taking the harmful drugs for good. However, after a short amount of time, the individual will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms and become very ill. The addict then will have to continue taking the drugs to feel normal again. Even though using the drug is causing terrible health, legal, or family problems, the drug abuser cannot stop taking it on their own. They need help to stop using drugs, however sometimes the addict is too ashamed to ask for assistance from anyone. Yet, other people who are addicted do not believe their addiction problems are out of control. They are unaware of the complications they are causing and refuse to stop taking the drug (Effects of Drug Abuse).
When a person becomes add...
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...ons and make your body very ill. It can also cause cardiovascular conditions such as abnormal heart rate or heart attacks. Injecting drugs can lead to infections of the blood vessels and heart valves or cause collapsed veins. Injecting can also lead to AIDS by the common use of sharing needles among a group of people. Constant drug abuse can also cause significant damage to the liver and possibly lead to liver failure. Drug abuse can also lead to nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, seizures, stroke and brain damage that can impact all aspects of daily life by causing problems with memory, troubles paying attention or decision-making, increased breast development in men, mental confusion and permanent brain damage, major fluctuations in appetite and increases in body temperature, which may lead to a variety of other health conditions (Effects of Abuse and Addiction).
According to the document Substance abuse by World of Health, the social effects of substance abuse may include dropping out of school, losing a series of jobs, engaging in fighting and violence in relationships, and legal problems. Drugs and alcohol are a go to when one is on the street because they help them fight the agonizing pain of having nothing. However, Drugs and alcohol have their side effects that lead to the human body destroying itself which results in the inability to contribute to society. A few examples according to World of Health state, “Opioid drug users may move slowly, lose weight, have mood swings, and have small pupils. Benzodiazepine and barbiturate users may appear sleepy and slowed, with slurred speech, small pupils, and occasional confusion. Amphetamine users may have excessively high energy, sleep problems, weight loss, rapid pulse, high blood pressure, occasional psychotic behavior and enlarged pupils. Marijuana users may be sluggish and slow to react, exhibiting mood swings and red eyes with dilated pupils. Cocaine users may have wide variations in their energy level, severe mood disturbances, and a constantly runny nose. Crack cocaine may cause aggressive or violent behavior. Hallucinogenic drug users may display bizarre behavior due to hallucinations and dilated pupils. LSD can cause flashbacks” in Substance
Addiction is a disease that affects by ten percent of Americans but countless others, including family and friends, are devastated by it. Addiction is not a choice that a person can make; rather the disease takes away people’s ability to make conscious choice. Science has advanced to show exactly how drugs affect the brain chemically, proving that it is a disease and not a moral failing. Addiction is a disease and should be treated through rehabilitation and community based support groups such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA) and Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), not imprisonment, and the state and federal governments should increase funding and programs for prevention and treatment.
Substance abusers seek this impairment for a variety of reasons such as to get away from reality or to escape their problems. In the process of getting this “high” their brain chemistry changes and they become addicted. “Addiction is the repeated compulsive use of a substance even after the person suffers from the physical, mental, and legal consequences” (Williams, 2011). Substance abuse causes many negative effects to the person who is addicted as well as their loved ones. Even though these effects are devastating, the person continues to use because their brain and body are reprogrammed to need the substance. When the person isn 't using the substance they begin to suffer from withdrawal symptoms. “Withdrawal is a physical response to the sudden cessation of a substance that has been used over a period of time; these symptoms are specific to the substance” (Williams, 2011). When a person is suffering from withdrawal symptoms they have mental and physical effects. These effects can range from sweating to seizures. Physical symptoms are usually the first step followed by mental symptoms, these two steps together can last up to a few weeks. (Melemis, 2016). I was recently able to observe at a substance abuse rehabilitation facility where I witnessed a client withdrawing. This client seemed to be agitated and anxious. Also he was very red in
Recently drug addiction in the United States is at an all-time high, especially among teens. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that teens who abuse prescription drugs are twice as likely to use alcohol, five times more likely to use marijuana, and twelve to twenty times more likely to use illegal street drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and cocaine than teens who do not abuse prescription drugs. Forty five percent of drug overdose deaths, in teens are attributed to the abuse of prescription drugs. The illegal abuse of prescription drugs starts at home in a teen’s own bathroom. Most teens get the prescription drugs from their own medicine cabinet or their unknowing parents. With such alarming facts
In America there is are an estimated 12.8 million Americans who use drugs. Out of the 12.8 million 6 percent of the population are kids ranging from 12 years of age and older. This number shows the number for people who have used drugs in the last 30 days. Th...
The current situation of drug control in the United States is imperfect and inadequate. Millions of men and women, both young and old, are affected by illicit drug use. It costs the United States about $6,123 every second because of drug use and its consequences (Office). Moreover, 90 percent of all adults with a substance use disorder started using under the age of 18 and half under the age of 15. Children who first smoke marijuana under the age of 14 are five times more likely to abuse drugs as adults than those who first use marijuana at age 18. Finally, the children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop problems with alcohol (Prevent). Current legislation that has to do with the United States’ drug control policy is the Controlled Substances Act, which regulates the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances (Shannon). In 1966, Congress passed the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act also known as the NARA. This legislati...
Drug abuse and addiction are issues that affect people everywhere. However, these issues are usually treated as criminal activity rather than issues of public health. There is a conflict over whether addiction related to drug abuse is a disease or a choice. Addiction as a choice suggests that drug abusers are completely responsible for their actions, while addiction as a disease suggests that drug abusers need help in order to break their cycle of addiction. There is a lot of evidence that suggests that addiction is a disease, and should be treated rather than punished. Drug addiction is a disease because: some people are more likely to suffer from addiction due to their genes, drug abuse brought on by addictive behavior changes the brain and worsens the addiction, and the environment a person lives in can cause the person to relapse because addiction can so strongly affect a person.
Furthermore, mental illness and drug addiction are conditions that often occur together. This is a person who has two brain disorders that influence one another, and which both need treatment. Some say that certain drugs may actually cause mental illness in individuals with a weak genetic profile (Genetic Science Learning Center, 2011).With that being said, symptoms may get worse, but drugs do not necessarily cause mental illness. Some people may begin using drugs of abuse as a form of self-medication. For instance, drugs of abuse may temporarily relieve some of the symptoms associated with stress, anxiety, or depression, but the problems will still exist. Therefore, the form of self-medicating when using drugs can lead to harmful effects in a person’s mental health. People who have been undiagnosed may also suffer from serious mental disorders. So they may take drugs to relieve their symptom which is known as self-me...
Substance abuse consists of a vast range of destructive effects on its users, the people surrounding that individual and also society in its entirety. The repercussions of substance abuse has adverse consequences on families, such as finances and emotion turmoil. The abuser is likely to use all available resources to support the addiction they have developed, and disregarding other priorities and leaving them neglected. Due to the altered mental state of these individuals, it is not uncommon for them to initiate tendencies of violence and cruelty towards their family members which can occasionally enable a spouse to take on an unsound role to preserve their relationship. Unfortunately, children of parents who are substance abusers become a higher risk of experiencing physical and emotional trauma and possibly repeating the cycles. Substance abuse impacts society tremendously from every direction. The cost for enforcing drug laws and policies is a very expensive and extensive process, all ranging from street level enforcement, correctional facilities, as well as rehabilitation problems. Crime has always been associated with drugs in a large spectrum scaling from petty crime to more organized affiliations that wish to control drug trades. The violence and crime that these people create seriously disrupt our society and the citizen that abide by the law. Abusing drugs or alcohol is essentially allowing your body to be poisoned slowly over time and has a tremendously impact on multiple areas of one's health and wellness. These long-term abusers have an increased the risk of numerous ailments ranging from heart, liver, lung disease to nerve or brain damage. Substance abuse is seen as one of the most ubiquitous issues facing our nati...
Abuse can cause countless medical problems to the body. A person who is addicted will continue to stimulate themselves regardless if they are aware of the negative chain reactions. Once addicted, it becomes difficult to stop due to how the body has become dependent. Health will be harmed the more a stimulant is used. Health effects include: cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, lung disease, mental disease, birth defects. Mental health is what keeps a person in the right mind to make better decisions and have better control in life. Drugs have the ability to change mood and behavior. If drugs have affected the brain already, the desire increases which changes mental health. Some may not realize that they have been affected their health negatively. “A person who abuses drugs may not realize they have a problem until pronounced effects of drug abuse are seen, often physically. While drug abuse effects on the body vary depending on the drug used, all drug abuse negatively impacts one 's health (Addictions Community). Since drugs create many health issues, treatment is not a simple task. Treatments are hard to obtain and addictions often go
Controversies over drugs and the effects they have physically, mentally, and emotionally have been around for centuries. Some argue the fact that smoking marijuana has no health effects on the body. Some also say that other drugs have no long term mental consequences to suffer. Now, thanks to technology and hours of studies, answers have came to show the true long term health effects of drugs on the human body and mind.
Illegal drug use is one of the most common problems that affect Americans every day. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) found that, “More than 35 million individuals used illicit drugs or abused prescription drugs in 2007” (p. 11). The impact can be seen in communities of all types, and people with low and high income levels. Drug use is at the root of many problems with our society. Joyce B. Shannon (2010) referenced a survey from 2004 that states, “32% of state prisoners and 26% of federal prisoners” admitted that they were currently serving jail time for offences committed while they were, “under the influence of drugs” (p. 102). The reasoning behind this issue will be explained from a psychological, sociological, and an anthropological perspective including the benefit of an interdisciplinary perspective to grasp the cause of drug use and it’s affect on society.
Perhaps most substance abuse starts in the teen years when young people are susceptible to pressure from their peers. One of the main concerns when dealing with substance abuse is the long term problems with substance such as addiction, dependency and tolerance. The physical state of an individual, who is addicted to a substance, will deteriorate over a long period of time. This is due to the chemicals that are being put into an individual body. One of the most important aspects of the effect of substance abuse on society includes ill health, disease, sickness, and in many cases death. The impact of substance abuse not only affects individuals who abuse substances but it affects our economy. Our government resources are negatively impacted by individual who abuse substances. According to (Lagliaro 2004) the implication of drug users extend far beyond the user, often damaging their relationships with their family, community, and health workers, volunteer and wider
There are many addictions in the world, and drug addiction is the biggest. People may experiment with the drug for many reasons. “If your drug use is causing problems in your life, then you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem”.(Lawrence Robinson pg.1) Many people start out using drugs by peer pressure or out of their own curiosity. Stress, anxiety, lows self-esteem and depression could be another factor to start using drugs. The drug takes over your body and gives you a good feeling that many people tend to enjoy. The urge to use the drug can keep increasing rapidly after the first use. The urge can become so severe that your mind can find many other ways to deny the factor of addiction. Very few drug addicts can feel and realize when they have crossed the line with drugs. A drug addicts mind can build up a very large tolerance for the drug that they start to abandon the activities they used to do on a daily basis like showering, hobbies, socializing and even being associated with family members. The person with the addiction will continue to use the drug knowing that it is harming there body, but they don’t have any remorse. A drug addict will often try to hide their problem, so they can continue to use without anyone’s input. Family and friends may try to use preaching methods or tell the user that they need to stop using the drug. This method is not ...
The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.