




Facts
Children as young as third graders are beginning to experiment with drugs. There are many factors that influence drug use among children and teenagers, but there is not enough being done to prevent it. Drug abuse is defined as, the nonmedical abuse of a drug that interferes with a healthy and productive life. There are many harmful biological effects drug use can have on a person. The government does many things to try to stop drug abuse, such as making new laws and taking down suppliers, but they are clearly not doing a good job if young children can get a hold of drugs. Also, the media's portrayal of drug users is not being very helpful in the war on drugs. The problem of drug abuse among children and teenagers may be a hard one to solve, but there are certainly things we can do to stop the prevalence of it among so many minors. Many health problems, both physical and mental, can be caused from drug use. Different drugs have different effects. Kids usually get hooked onto more addicting and powerful substances with gateway drugs. Gateway drugs lead users on to a more extensive use of other addictive drugs. The most common gateway drug, marijuana, can slow down and temporarily impair motor skills, coordination, and response time will also decrease. Other drugs, such as cocaine, cause more serious health problems. Cocaine can cause anxiety and irritability. It also produces another deadly effect, which is high blood pressure. This can often lead to a stroke. Drug abuse of any kind can damage organs such as the liver, heart, and brain. Using an infected needle can cause blood poisoning or HIV/AIDS. Malnutrition occurs often in drug users, and sometimes death as a result of overdosing. After using drugs for a long time, tolerance, a resistance to the effects of drugs, can also occur. For some addicts, withdrawal problems start when trying to quit, meaning that their bodies have serious reactions (Musto 362-364). In addition, using drugs repeatedly will eventually cause the user's brain structure and functions to change. Evidence suggests that drugs will become the brain's top, or sometimes sole, priority for an addict (Leshner). Drug users may claim to feel great when they are high, but using drugs will cause users to be miserable for the rest of their short lives. Meth works on the brain's pleasure centers, creating an almost immediate sensation of well-being. When someone uses it, the heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rates increase. The sense of instant gratification means that other sources of reward in one's life pale by comparison. Unfortunately, the first "high" that someone experiences is the most intense, and it can't be duplicated by continuing to use the drug. Preventing or stopping prescription drug abuse is an important part of patient care. However, health care providers should not avoid prescribing or administering strong CNS depressants and painkillers, if they are needed. A controlled substance that has served as a template for the design of new look-alike OPIOID drugs is MEPERIDINE (Demerol). A slight change in its chemical structure yields the drug known as MPPP (1-methyl-4-propionoxy-4-phenylpyridine ), a meperidine look-alike drug, which is known on the streets as synthetic heroin. In California in 1982, four young drug abusers developed Parkinsonian symptoms after the illicit intravenous use of street HEROIN. The analysis of their remaining drug samples revealed the presence of both MPPP and MPTP. The dealer involved in this illicit synthesis and sale of MPPP was a bad chemist, since MPTP represents a side product formed through the inadequate control of the temperature and/or acidity of the chemical reaction. |
Withdrawal
Withdrawal is what happens when a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol discontinues use. There are numerous symptoms that take place both physically and emotionally when an addicted individual stops using. Withdrawal can last a few days to a few weeks and may include nausea or vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Keep in mind; this only occurs if a person has regular, heavy use of a drug or alcohol. Withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable without professional help. Treatment for withdrawal from alcohol or drugs may require a medical professional to be present. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is often the best way to overcome withdrawal and its symptoms as well as recovery from drug addiction.
Tolerance
Tolerance to a drug takes place when an individual is exposed to the same drug repeatedly and begins to build up an resistance to the drugs effects. The body then adapts and develops a tolerance for the drug. The addiction that is produced is so powerful that it creates cravings in the user. These cravings for the drug are the result of its impact on the individual's memory with feelings of pleasantness and euphoria which the individual has come to associate with the taking of the drug.
Alcoholism
Alcoholism, also known as "alcohol dependence," is a condition that includes craving and continued alcohol abuse despite repeated drinking-related problems, such as losing a job or getting into trouble with the law. It includes four major areas: Craving: - A strong need, or compulsion, to drink. Impaired control: -The inability to limit one's drinking on any given occasion. Physical dependence: -Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking. Tolerance: - The need for increasing amounts of alcohol in order to feel its effects.
Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is defined as the chronic or habitual use of any chemical substance to alter states of body or mind for other than medically warranted purposes. Drug abuse is a problem which has an effect on people of all income levels,
ages, and stations in life. Quite often the last person to see that there is a
problem is the drug abuser them self. Every year, more and more people become
drug addicts in their pursuit to get "high".
Drug Side Effects
Drug addiction and abuse comes with a heavy price. There are drastic drug side effects associated with drug misuse and abuse. Drug side effects from legal and illegal drugs can range from mild itching to comas and death. In addition to the physical drug side effects mentioned, there are many psychological drug side effects of drug abuse; the most serious being drug addiction and overdose.
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