Drug Addiction

Peer pressure, broken homes, fashion or money. Several teenagers are falling a prey to drug addictions. There are various reasons why huge score of young demographics are lured by drugs. Explore ways of beating the addiction through rehab and therapies. The following topic will bring a ray of hope to those reeling under the pressure of drug addiction.

Drugs and Medications

Medication, also called medicine, is any substance intended for use in diagnosis, cure, prevention or treatment of a disease. Prescription medications can help you fight some of the illnesses, injuries, pains, diseases and disorders, if they are taken in the right quantity and exactly as prescribed by your doctor. It is important to discuss all of the drugs you take with your doctor and understand their desired effects and possible medication side effects. Also, understand the medication schedule for each. This section provides medication information, facts about drugs, and classification of medications to better understand prescription and non-prescription drugs. Classification of Medications and Drugs Medications can be usually classified in various ways. There are different types of drugs and medications, and different ways to classify them. One type of drug classification is prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Prescription Drugs requires a doctor’s prescription before they can be purchased. Over-the-counter drugs do not require a physician’s prescription before they can be purchased legally. This distinction implies the fact that prescription drugs are highly specialized and should never be taken casually. Over-the-counter drugs are safe to use in most cases, barring deliberate misuse or abuse. The actual distinction between prescription and over-the-counter drugs is governed by legislation.

Treatments for Drug Addiction

Drug addition, a brain disease, is usually treated by practicing a combination of medications and behavioral therapies. Medications are used to re-establish the brain function and manage withdrawal symptoms, whereas behavioral therapies help an individual to develop self confidence and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Drug addiction is considered as a disease of the brain. People indulged in acute drug use progress to intense cravings for the drug, thus resulting in an addiction. An individual suffering from such a condition is called a drug addict. Drug addiction leads to compulsive use of drugs, regardless about the negative side effects. People who are addicted tend to repeat the behavior again and again, even if they choose not to do so. This is due to the prolonged effect of the drugs on the brain. Drug addiction affects the motivation, memory, learning and other behavioral circuits in the brain. People may indulge into using the drugs for various reasons. Some use it just for fun, while others use it to cope up with the problems in the life. Drugs, in medical terms, are painkillers that lessen the mental and physical pain, providing an instant relief to the user. However, the more drug is used, the more intense are its side effects. Some people are more prone to become addicted than others. Drug addicts manifest certain withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drugs.

Treatments for Drug Addiction

Addicted people are more susceptible to various physical and mental disorders, which are related to toxic side effects of the drugs and drug abuse. Overall, drug abuse and/or addiction results in several strange behaviors that interfere the individual’s relationship with the family members, colleagues and society. The three common consequences of drug addiction are becoming more and more addicted to drugs until it turns fatal, caught in drug abusive act and spend in jail and lastly, seek an appropriate treatment.

Effects of Drug Addiction

Drug addiction has become common in recent times and is a behavior, found in people all over the world. Scientists and researchers have done various studies on the effects of drug addiction, and have found that, it not only affects the person physically, but also mentally. Physiological Effects Drug addiction can have severe effects on the entire body of the person. Physiological effects that are found in the initial stages of drug addiction are irregular breathing and, increase in heart rate and blood pressure. The person may also experience sudden weight gain or weight loss. The long term effects of drug addiction are more serious. Some of the dangerous diseases that is caused due to drug addiction are brain damage, heart disease, arthritis and lung diseases. It is also one of the reasons for a person getting infected with AIDS, due to sharing of syringes to inject drugs. Psychological and Social Effects Once an individual gets into drug abuse, he does not have the power of controlling it. They reach a condition where non-consumption of these drugs make them feel restless, depressed and anxious, increasing their craving for taking more drugs. As drugs are illegal in almost every country, it is quite expensive and is not easily accessible. It has been observed that drug addiction is one of the causes of increased crime rate in the society. People steal, go into prostitution and even sell their homes to make money for buying drugs. Drug addiction not only effects the person, but also his family and friends. Drug addicts have the tendency to turn extremely violent, when they are under the spell of drugs. Family members and friends feel helpless as they are not able to do anything to help their loved ones from not taking drugs. Drug addiction is said to have resulted to the breakdown of many families, and it is likely that addicts even lose their friends due to this habit. The effects of drug addiction can also be seen in a person’s professional life. It happens that the person is not able to concentrate on the job, due to which his performance level goes down, eventually leading him to lose his job. Drug Abuse Substances referred to as drugs includes pharmaceuticals, ‘designer’ drugs, nicotine from tobacco, and the ethyl alcohol of alcoholic beverages. The term ‘drug’ may be associated with substances that are purchased legally, or illegal substances, which are taken for the purpose of intoxication. Drug abuse most often refers to the regular use of a drug thatcauses physical or mental harm to the user. Alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs are frequently abused by children and teens; availability and peer pressure make them difficult to avoid.