It is an informative essay on drug addiction for students and children. This article includes signs, causes, consequences,
Introduction (Essay on Drug addiction)
Drug addiction is an expanding issue in all over the world. People often use drugs as a way for their difficulties, although drug creates its effects. Drug addiction affects not only health and relationships but also society and the environment. Many treatments option lead people to a sober and healthy life.
Drug addiction is a chronic disorder of the brain. Insidiously, the brain thinks drugs are necessary despite the negative consequences. Addiction forces people to do their best to get drugs.
As per the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in 2013, more than half of new illegal drug users were below the age of 18. While initial drug use is voluntary and usually begins with experiments, repeated use can affect a person’s self-control, causing appetite. These desires often fuel continuous addiction.
Signs of drug addiction
The symptoms of drug addiction vary from drug to drug. Some medications need more time to cause noticeable symptoms. Sometimes, the symptoms combined with routine behavior, making it difficult to determine that the person is addicted.
Typical symptoms of drug addiction include needle marks on the arms of injector drug users and continuous nasal pressure ulcers for drug users.
Identifying a drug issue is often the initial step toward recovery. However, because of the severe withdrawal symptoms of some medications, people should seek professional help to regain health.
Causes of drug addiction
People use drugs for many reasons, but they do not start taking drugs to become addicted to them. Although the first use is voluntary, continual use is often the result of physical changes in the brain.
Drugs affect the brain’s reward system, producing excess “dopamine,” the chemical responsible for pleasant feelings. Our mind intends to repeat satisfying activities, including those related to drug use. The sense of pleasure of using drugs causes the brain to associate drugs with rewards, which causes appetite.
1. Surrounding factors
Drugs provide a momentary sense of accomplishment, euphoric feelings, and a general sense of confidence and satisfaction. Many factors in life can promote drug abuse.
Parental behavior plays a vital role in whether a child tries with drugs later in life. An unstable family with a lack of parental supervision often leads to child neglect. Quality of life can also affect drug addiction. Living in a deprived society can increase the risk of drug abuse.
2. Stress and anxiety
People struggling with stress and anxiety may feel the need to self-medicate with cannabis, stimulants, or other drugs to reduce their fears.
They assume that regular consumption of drugs will ease their problems. Similarly, some students and athletes use performance-enhancing drugs to keep up with the intention of consistently excellent play.
It exposes adolescents to social pressure from peers who use the substance. Teens are sensitive and spend much time with their peers. Those who use drugs often force their peers to experiment. According to NIDA, most first-time drug users are teenagers.
3. Biological reasons
Studies show that a person’s predisposition to addiction positively correlates with genetic similarity to a relative who was addicted to drugs in the past. Mental disorders and diseases are also risked factors.
The consequences of drug abuse
Substance abuse has adverse effects that affect not only the individual. Illegal drugs cost the United States around $194 billion a year because of loss of productivity, health care costs, and crime costs.
1. Health
The most immediate effect of drug abuse is the deterioration of health. Death results from a drug abuse use disorder. According to a report from the National Drug Control Office in 2014, drug-related deaths occur every 14 minutes in the United States.
One of the major health problems associated with drug use is the lack of hygiene practices that can lead to HIV spasm, AIDS, hepatitis, or other fatal diseases like:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Heart attack
- Cancer
- Pulmonary disease
- Mental disorders
- Neonatal abstinence syndrome (withdrawal symptoms in addicted children)
In 2011, over 1.4 million patients visited the emergency department because of a drug-related incident. Cocaine has been involved in over half a million visits.
2. Society
Illegal drug production and use harm to society and the environment.
- Chemical toxicity hazard to those living nearby
- Risk of fire or explosion for houses in the immediate vicinity
- Long-term environmental impact of toxic waste
Cleaning a methamphetamine lab is expensive. The rehabilitation of children exposed to the chemicals used to make metamorphosis requires specialized training and resources. This requires time and work that officials can devote to other issues.
Drug users rarely take into account the dangers of improper disposal of drugs or accessories. The removal of needles and drug-related materials contributes to environmental pollution.
Illegal drug users require intensive treatment after long-term drug use. In 2012, 23.2 million users of the substance treatment, as agreed by the National Drug Control Office. Treatment of drug addiction can affect the cost of social services and government resources, increasing the burden on taxpayers.
3. Relation
New behavioral patterns resulting from drug use can damage relationships. The purchase of their drugs is becoming the primary concern of the drug user. This often leads them to steal from friends, family, or the workplace to afford more drugs, which damages trust among their peers.
Parents who use drugs, neglect, or abuse their children. Adverse family conditions are harmful to children and can pave the way for future drug use.
Teen drug addicts leave school because of poor academic performance. Their academic and social skills suffer, causing family tensions. They often distance themselves from friends and attract peers.
4. Crime
Drug addiction may predispose people to commit crimes. The possession or purchase of illegal drugs is illegal, and people often resort to theft or other crime to pay for it.
Studies show that drug use is more common among those arrested than in the general population. The National Drug Control Policy Authority reported that between 62 and 84 percent of those arrested in five major metropolitan areas in 2013 were positive for at least one illegal drug.
The three most common drugs present during testing are marijuana, cocaine, and opiates, and many people have been positive for many drugs.
Also, a survey was done by the Justice Statistics Bureau in 2004. Among prisoners in prison showed that 35 percent of state prisoners and 28 percent of federal prisoners revealed they were under the influence of drugs when they committed the crime for which they were arrested.
Treatments of Drug addiction
1. Meditation for drug addiction
Here are a few of the best home solutions for drug addiction. Meditative research has examined the effects of meditation and has shown that it measures relief of addiction.
Meditation can improve mindfulness and awareness of thoughts and feelings. You can direct this positive energy to control emotions and preventing negative experiences or stress that lead to drug use.
2. Art therapy for drug addiction
Many researchers suggest changes in behavior as the most effective means for drug addiction, and art therapy has gained considerable popularity.
Art therapy enables addicts to build self-esteem and confidence, avoid adverse reactions to typical triggers, and exit from a destructive lifestyle to create and appreciate beauty. This therapy is associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety, which often cause addiction.
3. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is commonly used to reduce the appetite for smoking cigarettes and other drugs. This can attribute to the chemical composition of vinegar, including acetic acid and malic acid.
While the full impact of ACV is still underway. Its ability to stop appetite and improve the body’s immune system is significant.
4. Caffeine
Some think, caffeine as a drug (and in some respects, this is the case), it also can eliminate addictive habits. Caffeine is used as a substitute for addiction to energy substances such as alcohol, ecstasy, or cocaine.
An increase in adrenaline and cognitive energy can almost be mistaken for these tides of drugs and can allow real addiction to fade out without severe withdrawal symptoms. However, you can become addicted to caffeine, so use it very less and carefully!
5. Skullcap
Skullcap is a strong nervous agent that is commonly recommended to people in the first days of withdrawal symptoms.
If you suffer from insomnia, headache, nausea, and depression, you will go through drug withdrawal and that’s when you need this herb the most. It is by no entails a therapy for addiction, but it can ease the method and make it less painful.
Government Policy to control drug addiction
Drug abuse policies address issues such as driving under the influence of drugs, prescription drug abuse, prevention methods, and the impact of drugs on specific populations. Drug policy in the United States works to prevent drug addiction and educate the public about the risks of using and selling drugs.
The Indian government solves the drug problem through its strategy of two main approaches – reduction of supply and reduction of demand. Restricting supply is the responsibility of law enforcement authorities.
The demand reduction strategy belongs to the social sector. The Ministry of Social Justice and the Government of India Government implements measures to reduce demand.
The primary strategy is to enable society the community to deal with drug addiction. The approach is to regard drug abuse as a psychosocial, medical problem social interventions can solve that at three different levels.
