Recognizing the causes of drug addiction can help prevent a person from becoming an addict.

The motivators behind initial drug use or experimentation can lead to long-term use and becoming an addiction over time. Possible Causes of Drug Addiction Drug addiction can be found in many forms. A person can be addicted to alcohol, prescription drugs, inhalants or other street drugs (cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, etc.). Understanding the reasons people are initially attracted to drug use can help stop future users from becoming addicts. Experimentation and curiosity are the first factors that draw many people into trying drugs. They want to feel that "high", the sense of euphoria that comes with drug use. While this may lead to recreational use of drugs (using only in certain situations), it rarely leads to actual addiction unless other factors are present. However, some drugs (like heroin) have are more likely to cause addiction than others resulting in an addiction from simple experimentation alone. Prescription drugs can turn people into addicts because they have conditions in which they need to take drugs in order to get relief. People become hooked on prescription drugs when they take more than the recommended dosage, take it more frequently than recommended and continue using the drug after their initial medical condition clears up. Ads by Google Homeschool Your Way Homeschool curriculum and materials Visit our site, get started today! Abeka.com Friends stats Who posted most on your wall? What music is most popular? Check now! apps.facebook.com/statistics Elite athletes are susceptible to using drugs. They use them for performance enhancing abilities. Steroids can make muscles bigger, while amphetamines help reduce or numb pain and allow people to play injured. Recently, major league baseball has come under fire for drug abuse. Although not as prominent, high school and college athletes have also been known to use drugs to enhance their performance. Others turn to drug use to cope with problems in their real lives. Whether it is past abuse (physical or sexual), school problems, work problems or relationship issues, drug use can help a person temporarily escape the realities of his/her life. Being around drugs and being exposed to addicts can also lead to drug addiction. If a family member or close friend uses or is addicted to drugs, it seems more acceptable for other members to engage in similar behavior. It becomes a tolerated activity. Peer pressure is also a factor in turning people into drug addicts. Contrary to popular belief, peer pressure can happen at any age. Adults fall prey to peer pressure to fit into new social classes, new workplaces and new neighborhoods. Teenagers fight peer pressure on everything from looks to alcohol to sex to drugs. In fact, using crystal meth is becoming a way for many teenage girls to fight the pressure that comes with needing to be thin and attractive. Teenagers can also fall prey to the rebellious attitude that they need to do anything their parents or those in authority say is bad. Easy accessibility to drugs and new, lower prices can also lead to drug addiction. Drugs can be found anywhere if a person simply asks. Street corners and alleyways are no longer the only place to find drugs. Schools, workplaces and even the family next door might be new places to find drugs. With more drugs being produced, the price has also been driven down. Drug addiction can also be caused by using drugs to mask other mental problems. For example, depressed people frequently use drugs to escape their sad feelings. Schizophrenics find that some street drugs can control their hallucinations. Denial and hiding the problem just lead to more problems in the long run. Possible Link Between Genetics and Drug Addiction Not everyone who tries a drug will become addicted to it. Some researchers are looking into the possibility that some people have a genetic predisposition to using drugs. The Dopamine D2

receptor A1 gene has been found to be more common in alcoholics and cocaine abusers than it is to the general public. Researchers believe this gene is linked to compulsive or feeling-seeking behavior. However, some people in the general public have this gene without developing an addiction. Scientists are still working on finding out the exact meaning behind this gene and genetic causes of drug addiction. Vicious Cycle Once a person becomes a drug abuser, he or she can very easily become addicted. The positive reinforcements of using drugs are often getting "high", escaping pain and feeling good. However, once a person becomes a habitual abuser, the negative aspects come out when he or she is not using. Physical withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, pain and shaking may occur. Psychological symptoms such as depression and the inability to experience pleasure can also develop. Therefore, people become addicted not to continue the positive reinforcements, but because they cannot overcome the negative ones. The causes of drug addiction are something that everyone should know about. Even if you have never used drugs, you should know in case someone you love is in trouble. Your child may need to you to know this too, when he is young and needs to be educated. From teen drug addiction to life threatening severe cases in adults, the causes of drug addiction are indications that your condition needs attention. In fact, once you learn the causes of drug addiction, drug and alcohol addiction recovery can begin. How Does It Happen? If you are someone looking in from how drug addiction happens, do not be too harsh to judge. All it takes is one experiment, one time of wanting just see what the big deal is to make a serious problem start. The high that people get from drugs is something that draws them back for maybe just one more time. Soon it becomes something that they can no longer shake. The experiment is now out of their hands. The causes of drug addiction are not the things that we can control, like that experiment. Although it may seem harmless, within just a few times of trying it out, it can become lethally addictive. That is where the problem truly lies. Once the experiment has gotten to this level, it is out of the person's control. What you will learn about alcohol and drug detox is that it is not about the person's will to stop doing what they are doing. It is more so about the actual problem that lies within the brain during an addiction. What you will learn through your drug and alcohol addiction recovery is that the brain needs to be retrained from the addiction. The brain will demand the drugs. That is because the brain is now much different, transformed even. It is different in both its functions as well as its structure. Every time you reach that high from a drug, you are in fact changing your brain's chemistry. This is what causes drug addiction and this is what makes it inevitable that those that continue to use drugs will in fact become addicted to it. Drug abuse is not something anyone sets out to do, but once that one experiment leads to a few more; it is a sure path to becoming addicted. With this being the cause of drug addiction, the brain's ability to function is severely limited. Every time things can be worsened. You should consider drug addiction a disease of the brain in which over time it becomes more and more damaged by the toxins. Eventually, if the user does not seek drug and alcohol addiction recovery, he or she will experience a range of health problems including the slow destruction of the brain. The good news is that with a successful drug and alcohol addiction treatment program, the user can put a stop to this destruction. what is drug abuse? Drug abuse, also called substance abuse or chemical abuse, is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress. It affects more than 7% of people at some point in their lives. Teens are increasingly engaging in

prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics (which are prescribed to relieve severe pain), and stimulant medications, which treat conditions like attention deficit disorder. What is drug addiction? Drug addiction, also called substance dependence or chemical dependency, is a disease that is characterized by a destructive pattern of drug abuse that leads to significant problems involving tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, as well as other problems that use of the substance can cause for the sufferer, either socially or in terms of their work or school performance. More than 2.6% of people suffer from drug addiction at some time in their life. The term dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a drug-abuse or dependence issue in addition to a serious mental-health problem in an individual. Substance abuse or dependence unfortunately occurs quite commonly in people who also have severe mental illness. This is important given that people with a serious mental illness are far more at risk of engaging in violence, being incarcerated, or contracting infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Individuals with dual diagnosis are also at higher risk of being noncompliant with treatment. What types of drugs are commonly abused? Virtually any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric ("high") feeling can be abused. While many are aware of the abuse of legal substances like alcohol or illegal drugs like marijuana (in most states) and cocaine, less well known is the fact that inhalants like household cleaners are some of the most commonly abused substances. The following are many of the drugs and types of drugs that are commonly abused and/or result in dependence: Alcohol: Although legal, alcohol is a toxic substance, particularly to a developing fetus when a mother consumes this drug during pregnancy. Amphetamines: This group of drugs comes in many forms, from prescription medications like methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) and dextroamphetamine and amphetamine (Adderall) to illegally manufactured drugs like methamphetamine ("meth"). Overdose of any of these substances can result in seizure and death. Anabolic steroids: A group of substances abused by bodybuilders and other athletes, this group of drugs can lead to terrible psychological effects like aggression and paranoia, as well as devastating long-term physical effects like infertility and organ failure. Caffeine: While it is consumed by many, coffee, tea and soda drinkers, when consumed in excess this substance can produce palpitations, insomnia, tremors and significant anxiety. Cannabis: More commonly called marijuana, the scientific name for cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In addition to the negative effects the drug itself can produce (for example, infertility, paranoia, lack of motivation), the fact that it is commonly mixed ("cut") with other substances so drug dealers can make more money selling the diluted substance or expose the user to more addictive drugs exposes the marijuana user to the dangers associated with those added substances. Examples of ingredients that marijuana is commonly cut with include baby powder, oregano, embalming fluid, PCP, opiates, and cocaine. Cocaine: A drug that tends to stimulate the nervous system, cocaine can be snorted in powder form, smoked when in the form of rocks (crack cocaine), or injected when made into a liquid. Ecstasy: Also called MDMA to denote its chemical composition (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), this drug tends to create a sense of euphoria and an expansive love or desire to nurture others. In overdose, it can increase body temperature to the point of being fatal. Hallucinogens: Examples include LSD and mescaline, as well as so-called naturally occurring hallucinogens like certain mushrooms, these drugs can be dangerous in their ability to alter the perceptions of the user. For example, a person who is intoxicated with

a hallucinogen may perceive danger where there is none and to think that situations that are truly dangerous are not. Those misperceptions can result in dangerous behaviors (like jumping out of a window because the individual thinks they are riding on an elephant that can fly). Inhalants: One of the most commonly abused group of substances due to its accessibility, inhalants are usually contained in household cleaners, like ammonia, bleach, and other substances that emit fumes. Brain damage, even to the point of death, can result from using an inhalant just once or over the course of time, depending on the individual. Nicotine: The addictive substance found in cigarettes, nicotine is actually one of the most habit-forming substances that exists. In fact, nicotine addiction is often compared to the intense addictiveness associated with opiates like heroin. Opiates: This group is also called narcotics and includes drugs like heroine, codeine, Vicodin, Percocet, and Percodan. This group of substances sharply decrease the functioning of the nervous system. The lethality of opiates is often the result of the abuser having to use increasingly higher amounts to achieve the same level of intoxication, ultimately to the point that the dose needed to get high is the same as the dose that is lethal for that individual by halting the person's breathing (respiratory arrest). Phencyclidine: Commonly referred to as PCP, this drug can cause the user to feel extremely paranoid, become quite aggressive and to have an unusual amount of physical strength. This can make the individual quite dangerous to others. Sedative, hypnotic, or antianxiety drugs: As these substances quell or depress the nervous system, they can cause death by respiratory arrest of the person who either uses these drugs in overdose or who mixes one or more of these drugs with another nervous system depressant drug (like alcohol or an opiate). what are the physical and psychological effects of drug abuse and addiction? While the specific physical and psychological effects of drug abuse and addiction tend to vary based on the particular substance involved, the general effects of abuse or addiction to any drug can be devastating. Psychologically, intoxication with or withdrawal from a substance can cause everything from euphoria as with alcohol, Ecstasy, or inhalant intoxication to paranoia with marijuana or steroid intoxication, to severe depression or suicidal thoughts with cocaine or amphetamine withdrawal. What causes drug abuse and addiction? Like the majority of other mental-health problems, drug abuse and addiction have no single cause. However, there are a number of biological, psychological, and social factors, called risk factors, that can increase a person's likelihood of developing a chemical-abuse or chemicaldependency disorder. The frequency to which substance-abuse disorders occur within some families seems to be higher than could be explained by an addictive environment of the family. Therefore, most substance-abuse professionals recognize a genetic aspect to the risk of drug addiction. Psychological associations with substance abuse or addiction include mood disorders like depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, as well as personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder. Social risk factors for drug abuse and addiction include male gender, being between 18 and 44 years of age, Native-American heritage, unmarried marital status, and lower socioeconomic status. According to statistics by state, people residing in the West tend to be at higher risk for chemical abuse or dependency. While men are more at risk for developing a chemical dependency like alcoholism, women seem to be more vulnerable to becoming addicted to alcohol at much lower amounts of alcohol consumption.

Can drug abuse and addiction be prevented? A number of different prevention approaches have been found to be effective in decreasing the risk of drug abuse and addiction. Simple lifestyle changes, like increased physical activity, are thought to help prevent drug abuse and dependence in teens. More formal programs have also been found to be helpful. For example, the Raising Healthy Children program, which includes interventions for teachers, parents, and students, has been found to help prevent substance abuse and addiction in elementary school children when the program goes on for 18 months or more. The prevalence of easier access to technology has led to the development of computer-based prevention programs. Such programs have been found to be very promising in how they compare to more traditional prevention programs, as well as how many more people can be reached through technology. Drug Abuse and Addiction At A Glance Drug abuse is a disorder that is characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or distress. Drug addiction is a disease that is characterized by a destructive pattern of drug abuse that leads to significant problems involving tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, as well as other problems use of the substance can cause for the sufferer. Drug abuse and addiction are unfortunately quite common, affecting 7% and more than 2% of people at some point in their lives, respectively. Dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a drug-abuse or dependence issue in addition to a serious mental-health problem in an individual. Virtually any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric ("high") feeling can be abused. Inhalants like household cleaners are some of the most commonly abused substances. While the specific physical and psychological effects of drug abuse and addiction tend to vary based on the particular substance involved, the general effects of abuse or addiction to any drug can be devastating. Although drug abuse and addiction have no single cause, there are a number of biological, psychological, and social risk factors that can increase a person's likelihood of developing a chemical abuse or chemical dependency disorder. Symptoms of drug abuse include recurrent drug use that results in legal problems, occurs in potentially dangerous situations, interferes with important obligations, or results in social or relationship problems. Symptoms of drug dependence include tolerance, withdrawal, using a lot of the drug or for a long period of time, persistent desire to use the drug, unsuccessful efforts to stop using the drug, neglecting other aspects of life because of their drug use, and spending inordinate amounts of time or energy getting, using, or recovering from the effects of the drug. While the specific effects of drugs on the brain can somewhat vary depending on the drug that is being used, virtually every drug that is abused has an effect on the executive functioning areas of the brain. Drugs particularly affect the brain's ability to inhibit actions that the person would otherwise delay or prevent. Since there is no one test that definitively indicates that someone has chemical abuse or addiction, health-care practitioners diagnose these disorders by gathering comprehensive medical, family, and mental-health information, as well as securing a physical examination and lab tests to assess the sufferer's medical state. Treatment services for drug abuse and addiction remain largely unutilized by most sufferers of these conditions. The primary goals of recovery are abstinence, relapse prevention, and rehabilitation. During the initial stage of abstinence, an individual who suffers from chemical dependency may need detoxification treatment to help avoid or lessen the effects of withdrawal. Often, much more challenging and time consuming than recovery from the physical aspects of addiction is psychological addiction. The treatment of dual diagnosis seems to be more effective when treatment of the sufferer's mental illness is integrated with the treatment of the individual's chemical dependency. Drug addiction increases the risk of a number of negative life stressors and conditions, particularly if left untreated. Recovery from substance abuse is usually characterized by episodes of remission and relapse.

People have used drugs for as long as they have tried to ease pain and avoid problems. Since the early 1960s, however, drugs have been in very widespread use. Before that time they were rare. A worldwide spread of drugs occurred during that decade, and a large percentage of people became drug-takers. By drugs (to mention a few) are meant tranquilizers, opium, cocaine, marijuana, peyote, amphetamines and the psychiatrists gifts to man, LSD and angel dust, which are the worst. Any medical drugs are included. Drugs are drugs. There are thousands of trade names and slang terms for these drugs. Alcohol is also classified as a drug. Drugs are supposed to do wonderful things but all they really do is ruin the person. Drug problems do not end when a person stops taking drugs. The accumulated effects of drug-taking can leave one severely impaired, both physically and mentally. Even someone off drugs for years still has blank periods. Drugs can injure a persons ability to concentrate, to work, to learn in short, they can shatter a life. Yet though the dangers and liabilities of drugs are blatantly obvious and increasingly well documented, people continue to take them. Why? When a person is depressed or in pain, and where he finds no physical relief from treatment, he will eventually discover for himself that drugs remove his symptoms. This is also true for pains which are psychosomatic. The term psychosomatic means the mind making the body ill or illnesses caused through the mind. Psycho refers to mind and soma refers to body. In almost all cases of psychosomatic pain, illness or discomfort the person has sought some cure for the upset. When he at last finds that only drugs give him relief, he will surrender to them and become dependent upon them, often to the point of addiction. Years before, had there been any other way out, most people would have taken it. But when they are told there is no cure, that their pains are imaginary, life tends to become insupportable. They then can become chronic drug-takers and are in danger of addiction.

The time required to make an addict varies, of course. The complaint itself may only be sadness or weariness. The ability to face life, in any case, is reduced. Any substance that brings relief or makes life less a burden physically or mentally will then be welcome. In an unsettled and insecure environment, psychosomatic illness is very widespread. So before any government strikes too heavily at spreading drug use, it should recognize that it is a symptom of failed psychotherapy. The social scientist, the psychologist and psychiatrist and health ministers have failed to handle spreading psychosomatic illness. It is too easy to blame the drug problem on social unrest or the pace of modern society. The hard, solid fact is that until now there has been no effective psychotherapy in broad practice. The result is a drug-dependent population. Drug users have been found to have begun taking drugs because of physical suffering or hopelessness. The user, driven by pain and environmental hopelessness, continues to take drugs. Though he doesnt want to be an addict, he doesnt feel that there is any other way out. However, with proper treatment, drug dependency can be fully handled. As soon as he can feel healthier and more competent mentally and physically without drugs than he does on drugs, a person ceases to require drugs. Drug addiction has been shrugged off by psychiatry as unimportant and the social problem of drug-taking has received no attention from psychiatrists rather the contrary, since they themselves introduced and popularized LSD. And many of them are pushers. Government agencies have failed markedly to halt the increase in drug-taking and there has been no real or widespread cure. The liability of the drug user, even after he has ceased to use drugs, is that he goes blank at unexpected times, has periods of irresponsibility and tends to sicken easily. Scientology technology has been able to eradicate the major damage in persons who have been on drugs as well as make further addiction unnecessary and unwanted. Scientology has no interest in the political or social aspects of the various types of drugs or even drug-taking as such. Drugs, however, pose a growing threat to mental and spiritual advancement which is the true mission of Scientology.

Thus, Scientology contains an exact technology which not only gets a person painlessly off drugs but handles their physical, mental and spiritual effects and locates and fully resolves the reason underlying a persons drug-taking. Nothing else can do this with certainty.

When a person can find no solution to a problem, whether the problem be anything from physical suffering to hopelessness. . . . . . he sooner or later finds that drugs relieve symptoms.
The problem, however, is not gone, but only masked by the drugs. Until the problem itself is effectively resolved, the person will be dependent on drugs or even addicted to them.

Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount gives a stimulant (increases activity). A greater amount acts as a sedative (suppresses activity). A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one. This is true of any drug. Each requires a different amount. Caffeine is a drug, so coffee is an example. One hundred cups of coffee would probably kill a person. Ten cups would probably put him to sleep. Two or three cups stimulates. This is a very common drug. It is not very harmful as it takes so much of it to have an effect. So it is known as a stimulant. Arsenic is known as a poison. Yet a tiny amount of arsenic is a stimulant, a good-sized dose puts one to sleep and a few grains kills one. But there are many drugs which have another liability: they directly affect the mind. In order to have a good understanding of the mental effects of drugs, it is necessary to know something about what the mind is. The mind is not a brain. It is the accumulated recordings of thoughts, conclusions, decisions, observations and perceptions of a person throughout his entire existence. In Scientology it has been discovered that the mind is a communication and control system between a thetan and his environment. By thetan is meant the person himself, the spiritual being not his body or his name, the physical universe, his mind, or anything else. The most obvious portion of the mind is recognizable by anyone not in serious condition. This is the mental image picture.

Various phenomena connect themselves with this entity called the mind. Some people closing their eyes see only blackness, some people see pictures. The mind is a communication and control system between a thetan and his environment. The mind is not a brain. The thetan receives, by the communication system called the mind, various impressions, including direct views of the physical universe. In addition to this he receives impressions from past activities and, most important, he himself conceives things about the past and future which are independent of immediately present stimuli. A person who has taken drugs, in addition to the physical factors involved, retains mental image pictures of those drugs and their effects. Mental image pictures are threedimensional color pictures with sound and smell and all other perceptions, plus the conclusions or speculations of the individual. They are mental copies of ones perceptions sometime in the past, although in cases of unconsciousness or lessened consciousness they exist below the individuals awareness. For example, a person who had taken LSD would retain pictures of that experience in his mind, complete with recordings of the sights, physical sensations, smells, sounds, etc., that occurred while he was under the influence of LSD. Let us say an individual took LSD one day while at a fairground with some friends, and the days experiences included feeling nauseated and dizzy, getting into an argument with a friend, feeling an emotion of sadness, and later feeling very tired. He would have mental image pictures of that entire incident. At a later time, if this persons environment were to contain enough similarities to the elements in that past incident, he may experience a reactivation of that incident. As a result he could feel nauseated, dizzy, sad and very tired all for no apparent reason. This is known as restimulation: the reactivation of a past memory due to similar circumstances in the present approximating circumstances of the past. Such mental image pictures can also be reactivated by drug residuals, as the presence of these drugs in the tissues of the body can simulate the earlier drug experiences. Using the above example of the person who took LSD, sometime later perhaps years afterward the residuals of the drug that are still in his body tissues can cause a restimulation of that LSD incident. The mental image pictures are reactivated, and he experiences the same sensations of nausea, dizziness and tiredness, and he feels sad. He does not know why. He might also perceive mental images of the persons he was with and the accompanying sights and sounds and smells. These are the effects on the mind of past drug usage. However, the current use of drugs creates a similar and more immediate effect on the mind.

When a person uses a drug such as marijuana, peyote, opium, morphine or heroin, mental image pictures of past times can turn on or restimulate below the individuals conscious awareness, causing him to perceive something different than what is actually going on. Thus, right there before your eyes, apparently in the same room as you are, doing the same things, the drug-taker is really only partially there and partially in some past events. He seems to be there. Really he isnt tracking fully with present time. What is going on to a rational observation is not what is going on to him. Thus, he does not understand statements made by another but tries to fit them into his composite reality, meaning a reality made up of different components. In order to fit them in, he has to alter them.

Drugs affect the mind by reactivating incidents from a persons past, below his conscious awareness. This can distort the drug users perception of what is happening around him. As a result, the persons actions may appear very odd or irrational.

For example, a drug user may be sure he is helping one repair a floor that needs fixing, but in fact he is hindering the actual operation in progress which consists of cleaning the floor. So when he helps one mop the floor, he introduces chaos into the activity. Since he is repairing the floor, a request to give me the mop has to be reinterpreted as hand me the hammer. But the mop handle is longer than a hammer handle so the bucket gets upset. This can be slight, wherein the person is seen to make occasional mistakes. It can be as serious as total insanity where the events apparent to him are completely different than those apparent to anyone else. And it can be all grades in between. It is not that he doesnt know what is going on. It is that he perceives something else going on instead of the present sequence of events. Thus, others appear to him to be stupid or unreasonable or insane. As they dont agree in their actions and orders with what he plainly sees is in progress, they arent sensible. Example: A group is moving furniture. To all but one they are simply moving furniture.

This one perceives himself to be moving geometric shapes into a cloud. Thus, this one makes mistakes. As the group doesnt see inside him and only sees another like themselves, they cant figure out why he balls things up so. Such persons as drug-takers and the insane are thus slightly or wholly on an apparently different time track of present time events. A drug may be taken to drive a person out of an unbearable present time or out of consciousness altogether. In some persons they do not afterwards return wholly to present time. A thetan can also escape an unbearable present time by dropping into the past, even without drugs. The drug-taker and the insane alike have not recovered present time, to a greater or lesser degree. Thus they think they are running on a different time track than they are. These are the underlying facts in odd human behavior. As what is going on according to the perception and subjective reality of such a person is varied in greater or lesser degree from the objective reality of others, such a person disturbs the environment and disrupts the smooth running of any group from family to business to nation. We have all known such a person, so it is not uncommon in the current civilization. The sudden remark which makes no sense, totally out of context with what is being spoken about; the blank stare when given an order or remark behind these lies a whole imaginary world which is jarred by our attempts to get something done in present time. The repercussions of drugs then, go far beyond their immediate effects and often influence many others besides the user. The consequences can be very harmful. This is true not only of illegal street drugs but also of medical drugs that are supposed to help people. Drug addiction continues to be a major concern for society, and the concern grows with every passing year. As drug and alcohol addiction ruin lives of those most closely affected, but society at large suffers from addiction's rippling effects. The following article explains the effects of drug addiction on individuals, families, neighborhoods, and society overall. Drug addiction's debilitating effects range from financial, to functional, to emotional and should by no means be taken lightly.

Drug Addiction and Society

Drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases that damage addicts, their families, communities, the economy, and society. Drug addiction has a dreadfully widespread

reach: from dealing with unpredictable and often dangerous addicts at home to the staggering expenses incurred by individuals and societies as a whole. With the population of addicts rising and younger average age of addicts, societys is grappling with a grave matter. Drug addiction is no longer limited to the poor and underprivileged; society can no longer choose to look away. Nowadays, drug addiction is much discussed thanks to legally prescribed and over-thecounter medications being administered to societys brightest, richest, and most respected icons. These drugs, however, show up on the nightlife scene, on school campuses, and at PTA meetings and soccer games picked from the medicine cabinet at home, not dealt a street corner. The legality and acceptability of these drugs have turned their abuse into a devastating epidemic, not to mention the millions of people already addicted to alcohol and other illegal drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. According to the National Library of Medicine, an estimated 20% of Americans have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.(1) NLM also attributes the rise of prescription drug abuse to doctors overly prescribing these medications and online pharmacies as culprits. This kind of drug addiction is a major contributor to the rising costs of emergency department admissions from overdoses and complications: The Drug Abuse Warning Network recently reported that benzodiazepines (Alprazolam, Lorazepam, Clonazepam, and Diazepam) and pain killers (Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Morphine) are the two most frequently reported prescription medications in ER cases.(2) When these statistics are added to those of the already staggeringly high numbers from heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine abuse in society, we are faced with overwhelming facts that only begin to illustrate the power of addiction.

Why is Drug Addiction So Devastating?

Drug and alcohol addiction is a progressive and insidious disease that creeps up on individuals; unfortunately most addicts dont recognize the problem until addiction has completely taken over. The signs are so subtle and easily overlooked that millions of people today are struggling with addictions and dont even realize that they are on a dangerously slippery slope. An addict is not only that other guy whos lost everything in his life because of addiction.

Addicts are also the people who have a drink everyday, even though they never get drunk. Addicts are people who use drugs everyday but still manage to work and carry on with their lives, maintaining a nice buzz. Addicts are not only those who use cocaine everyday, but also those who vacillate between cocaine, pills, ecstasy, tranquilizers, marijuana, alcohol, and any other drug.

Addiction is a very clever brain disease that convinces addicts that they need drugs and alcohol to function, despite negative consequences. Addiction is a disease that turns the human brain into a dangerous killer, constantly giving excuses and justification for drug and alcohol abuse. For this reason, addiction is one of the most devastating diseases plaguing our society. Addicts cant see it until theyve lost control, and even then, addiction continues to drive the destructive behavior associated with the disease. Despite trips to the emergency department for alcohol poisoning, complications from multiple drug interactions, drug overdoses, and drug and alcohol related-accidents, addicts will continue their abuse because while they remain unaware addiction has already taken hold. In many social circles, drug and alcohol abuse are not only acceptable, but encouraged, giving addiction a huge window of opportunity. It's impossible to know when recreational drug and alcohol use will become an addiction, since its onset is not immediate. The progression of addiction in itself is subtle and grows with each individuals tolerance and continued use of one or multiple substances. Although many who use drugs and alcohol recreationally do not become addicts, millions more do, and a large majority of those people never see it coming. With the socially acceptable nature of alcohol and many drugs in our society, the availability and abuse of these substances has grown to alarming rates. From prescriptions for almost any real or made-up condition to club drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, GHB, and Katamine, drugs have become a permanent fixture in our world. The more an unsuspecting addict gets away with drug and alcohol abuse, the more indestructible they feel, thinking they will never be caught or get a DUI. These things never happen to anyone until they happen. The Bureau of Justice reports an estimated 1,841,200 drug-related arrests for adults 18 years and older in 2007, up from 1,008,300 in 1990.(3) These numbers have been on a steady incline since 1970 and will more than likely continue to do so with the wide availability of both legal and illegal drugs. Addiction is a very serious problem and the most disturbing of all facts associated with addiction is that the disease is subtly progressive and more often than not, undetectable by its victims until life is completely out of control, riddled with disparity, financial hardships, arrests, instability a deep dark hole with a hard climb ahead. With such devastating consequences, it would seem logical to not take the risk for addiction in the first place. However, despite the vast amounts of information available about addiction and the dangers therein, our society remains disturbingly more focused on the temporary enjoyment of drug and alcohol abuse rather than the permanently devastating depression and damage caused by drug and alcohol addiction.

The Impact of Drug Addiction on Society

According to NIDA, drug and alcohol addiction has an economic impact on society of $67 billion per year. NIDA also states that getting treatment can reduce these costs as addiction treatment centers and programs help addicts to learn to live a sober life, freeing

them from the behavioral problems associated with drug addiction and alcoholism. Drug and alcohol addiction-related costs include:

Crimes and incarceration Drug addiction treatment Medical costs from overdoses Drug-related injuries and complications Time lost from work Social welfare programs.

Because drug addiction and alcoholism are diseases of the brain, which is the center of judgment and behavioral patterns, drug addicts and alcoholics have a disturbingly high propensity to commit unlawful and immoral acts to obtain these substances. Moreover, once under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the addicts inhibitions are drastically lowered with a sense of indestructibility, which leads to aggressive and irresponsible behavior. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 17,941 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2006, a 2.4% increase from 2005.(4) Drug addiction is also one of the fastest ways to spread the HIV virus, through the sharing of needles and other drug paraphernalia. It is also spread through just using drugs, because the drug impairs a person's judgment. This can cause people to make bad decisions and participate in dangerous sexual activities with an infected individual. According to the NIDA, drug abuse is now the single-largest factor in the spread of HIV in the United States. NIDA states that from 1998 to 2003, an estimated 240,000+ AIDS diagnoses were due to the use of injecting drugs. There is evidence to suggest that drug treatment programs can help reduce the spread of this and other blood-borne infections through successful rehabilitation for addicts to abstain from drug use, thus reducing reckless behavior leading to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Although many organizations have amassed countless survey results and miles of pages of data relating to the effects of drug addiction and alcoholism on society, this information cannot even begin to scratch the surface of the devastation and hopelessness felt by addicts and their families on a daily bases. When a family is struck with addiction, the effects go far beyond numbers and statistics. The emotions of failure, depression, anger, disparity, confusion, and sheer terror that addiction inflicts on its victims and their families is not something any statistic can accurately describe. Every day, millions of people struggle with addiction and millions more watch with feelings of hopelessness, as addiction coldly and systematically destroys lives. With informative websites like Treatment Centers and others, we do all we can to educate the public on addiction. But most will tell you that until you go through it, or watch a loved one go through it, there is no way to fully encompass the true effects of drug addiction and alcoholism.

eenage drug use is a big concern for parents in today's society. As children become more and more independent and mature, the temptation to experiment with drugs and alcohol is faced at an increasingly younger age. Making teens understand the dangers of drug use and making sure that they say no is a challenge faced by every responsible parent. Here are some tips to help prevent teenage drug use. Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions
o

1. 1 Know who their friends are. Teenagers are much more likely to try drugs if they are around other kids who are experimenting with drugs or using them on a regular basis. If you know who your teen's friends are, as well as what they do and where they go when they hang out together, you will be more likely to recognize signs that they are hanging out with kids who are bad influences or who may encourage them to use drugs.

2 Help them find alternatives. A lot of teens say that they try drugs for the first time simply because they are bored, and it's something to do. Getting teens involved in other activities during their free time will help keep them motivated and interested in positive things. Let them sign up for a sports team. If athletics isn't their thing, get them involved in an academic club, the school band or a volunteer program. Help them try new things until they find something they like.

3 Boost their self-esteem. Teens with positive self-esteem are less likely to try drugs because they will be more motivated to do well and be accountable for their actions. Let them know that you recognize that they are working hard in school or that they did a great job on last week's book essay; making sure your teen knows you are proud of them will remind them that you care and make them want to do well.

4 Be honest. While scaring teens with exaggerated stories about a life of crime arising from one experiment with marijuana isn't exactly the way to get them to take you seriously about the dangers of drug use, being honest

and up-front with them will make them listen to you. Tell them about statistics that you've read that concern you and make sure that they know the side effects and addictiveness of illegal drugs. If you've known people who have had bad experiences with drugs before, consider sharing these too; teens will take you more seriously if they know you know what you're talking about.
o

5 Give them the benefit of the doubt. Do not begin discussing drugs with your teen by accusing them or acting suspicious. This will only cause them to become defensive and make them feel as if you don't trust them. Let them know that you are acting out of concern and not suspicion. This will make them trust you and be more open about their feelings on the issue and any pressure they are feeling.

Drug addiction is a serious disorder. If not treated, it can lead to crises like loss of employment, living quarters and important relationships. And as if this weren't enough, this kind of addiction can cause illness and even death. Drug addiction is multi-layered and has a variety of causes as well as contributing factors. With the knowledge we have today, Simplistic anti-drug campaigns, such as the "Just Say No" program back in the 1980's, and even more complex programs like "War on Drugs" is not very effective. The reason for this is that these campaigns do not address the root causes of drug addiction but battles the symptoms not the causes of drug addiction. When most people consider a drug addiction problem, their minds go automatically to old movies or TV-series. A junkie trembling on a street corner, selling her own body for her next fix, or a tragic, pale old man lying in a gutter with a needle in his arm, or even a college girl snorting a line of crystal meth in a frat house bathroom during a wild party. These images are powerful indeed, but drug addiction generally creeps up in a slow but determined pace. Months or years are passing, during which time the addicted person is still able to function in a job, maintain a place to live as well as keeping relationships going. A drug or alcohol addiction problem generally passes slowly through several phases. Just because someone you know has not lost everything he or she owns to drugs does not have to mean that he or she does not have a drug addiction problem. One of the most insidious drug addiction is prescription drug addiction, followed closely by alcohol addiction. Let's face it; we are a nation of pill poppers and alcohol beverage drinkers. Since we were children we learned that if something hurts, we should take a pill to make the pain disappear. We also see that children are being prescribed drugs such as Ritalin in increasing amounts, as parents and doctors smudge the line between active, healthy kids and kids with a true Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). All the time we are bombarded with advertising for pain relievers, sleep medication and a lot of other remedies; prescribed and over the counter. Seen from this point of view, prescription drug addiction is not hard to understand. We hardly question the doctor thoroughly about the risk of dependency on any medication, since using medicine for

almost any problem is so widely accepted. It's so easy to take the drug without question and before we know it, we may have developed a prescription drug addiction. Alcohol addiction is almost as easy to develop for much the same reason. We live in a culture of drinking. We often go out for cocktails after work or drinking beer with friends during a sports event slowly gives way to having one, two, three, even six or eight beers every night. It feels normal to continually re-visit the bar during a night at a pub. Next thing we identify is a full-blown alcohol drug addiction. How harsh (or maybe great) it may sound, you are the only person that can prevent alcohol or drug addiction, due to the choices or decisions you make. Although addiction is classified as a disease, it may well be one of the few diseases that people choose to get. Each drug or alcohol addicted person started their life as an addict by making a choice. You are free to make the same choice or you can choose to not allow drug addiction to be your disease. It's your choice and whether you like it or not, it is the price you have to pay for being a human with a free will.addiction a seat in your life. It's up to you. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/757465