Drug and substance abuse
What is drug and substance abuse in the first place? Drug and substance abuse is
the use of illegal drugs or the use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs or
alcohol for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in
excessive amounts. This is mainly caused by drug addiction. Drug addiction, also
called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person's brain and
behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or
medication, substances such as:
stimulants (e.g. cocaine)
depressants (e.g. alcohol)
opium-related painkillers (e.g. heroin)
hallucinogens (e.g. LSD)
Types of drug abuse
Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants
CNS depressants slow down the operations of the brain and the body. Examples of
CNS depressants include alcohol, barbiturates, anti-anxiety tranquilizers (e.g., Valium,
Librium, Xanax, Prozac, and Thorazine), GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), Rohypnol,
and many other anti-depressants (e.g., Zoloft, Paxil).
CNS Stimulants
CNS stimulants accelerate the heart rate and elevate the blood pressure and "speed-
up," or over-stimulate, the body. Examples of CNS stimulants include cocaine, "crack"
cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine ("crank").
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens cause the user to perceive things differently than they actually are.
Examples include LSD, peyote, psilocybin and MDMA (Ecstasy).
Dissociative Anesthetics
Dissociative anesthetics include drugs that inhibit pain by cutting off or dissociating the
brain's perception of the pain. PCP, its analogs, and dextromethoraphan are examples
of dissociative anesthetics.
Narcotic Analgesics
Narcotic analgesics relieve pain, induce euphoria, and create mood changes in the
user. Examples of narcotic analgesics include Opium, Codeine, Heroin, Demerol ,
Darvon , Morphine, Methadone, Vicodin, and Oxycontin.
Inhalants
Inhalants include a wide variety of breathable substances that produce mind-altering
results and effects. Examples of inhalants include Toluene, plastic cement, paint,
gasoline, paint thinners, hair sprays, and various anesthetic gases.
Cannabis
Cannabis is the scientific name for marijuana. The active ingredient in cannabis is delta-
9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. This category includes cannabinoids and synthetics
like Dronabinol.
marijuana
Sources and causes of drug and substance abuse
Drug and substance abuse is caused by different things and different people
even young children can end up doing drugs because of this. The main know
causes of drug abuse are:
Mental health disorder
Peer pressure
Lack of family involvement
Early use
Taking a highly addictive drug
Peer Pressure. ...
Self-Medication & Escape. ...
Performance Improvement. ...
Experimentation. ...
To Feel Grown Up.
chronic stress
a history of trauma
a mental illness
a family history of addiction.
Effects of drug and substance abuse
Most drug addicts do not care about what are the consequences of them over using
drugs. Substance use can lead to serious problems such as
poor schoolwork
loss of friends
problems at home
lasting legal problems
mental health problems including depression
conduct problems
personality disorders
car crushes
violence
suicidal thoughts
attempted suicide
drowning
suicide
Solutions to drug abuse
While there is no foolproof way to prevent substance abuse in every situation, there are
some good ways to start. Most people who do drugs have hard times finding ways to
stop drugs here are some ways to:
Surround yourself with supportive people. One of the most important things you
can do to stay sober is to find friends who are sober, too. ...
Find new hobbies.
Exercise.
Volunteer.
Eat well.
Talk it out.
Meditate.
Seek professional help.
avoiding places where you know drugs and alcohol will be available.
surrounding yourself with friends who don't use drugs.
knowing how to resist temptation.
learning how to cope with stress and relax without drugs.
distracting yourself with activities like exercise or listening to music.
