



Facts
Our researchers interviewed 61 young nightclubbers who had passed their driving test and admitted to having used illegal drugs. This study found 85 percent of those had driven after using illegal drugs and 31 percent did so on at least a weekly basis. Those who had driven after having used illegal drugs had very different attitudes to drug- driving depending on the drugs involved. Seventy-two percent had driven after having used cannabis and 43 percent had driven after taking ecstasy. Other drugs had been used less frequently. For example, 25 percent of the young people had driven after having used amphetamines, 11 percent had driven after taking cocaine, and eight percent after LSD. LSD was seen as the riskiest drug to use before driving because of the hallucinations it causes. Simply knowing about the dangers of drug-driving is clearly not enough to prevent people from taking to the wheel and behaving recklessly. Many of those interviewed knew the risks and even regretted it when they had driven under the influence of drugs. The use of alcohol and cigarettes typically—but not always—begins at an earlier age than does the use of illegal drugs. Adolescents who progress to illicit drugs, such as crack, generally begin smoking and drinking earlier than those who do not. Research indicates that a person who begins using drugs before the age of 15 is very likely to abuse drugs and alcohol as an adult. For 30 years Britain's missionaries and moralists fought a relentless campaign that culminated in 1906 when Parliament passed a motion to end India's opium exports. With strong mandates for suppression, a year later British and Chinese diplomats agreed on a ten-year, step-by-step reduction in both Indian imports and Chinese cultivation. Colombia, Peru and Bolivia remain the primary sources of coca leaf and finished cocaine hydrochloride. In the last five years cocaine production in the Andean region has decreased dramatically, from over 900 metric tons to 640 metric tons in 2004. Over the last 15 years the most notable changes have been the drop in cocaine production from Bolivia and Peru and Colombia’s increased production capability. |
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a pattern of repeated drug taking that usually results in tolerance (the need for greater amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect), withdrawal (physical and cognitive effects when drug use declines or stops), and compulsive drug taking behavior (drug taking that persists despite efforts to reduce intake and despite problems with family, friends, and work). Drug addiction encompasses a diverse range of drugs (such as alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine) and is caused by many different factors.
Detox
Detox is necessary when an individual through their chronic use of drugs or alcohol has developed an addiction. The objective of detox is to help the individual achieve a drug and alcohol free state. Detox is intended to relieve the physical symptoms of withdrawal and helps prepare the individual for entry into drug rehabilitation. Therefore, the ultimate goal of detox is preparation for long term recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.
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.
Intervention
An intervention is when a group of loved ones and/or a trained intervention counselor meets with the person in need of help for the purpose of breaking down their denial and motivating them to immediately seek drug addiction treatment. Often, individuals in the midst of drug addiction engage in a variety of self destructive behaviors. Although baffling to friends and family members such people generally either aren't aware on a conscious level that they have a drug addiction problem, or even when they know they have a problem they may cling to the false belief that the problem will somehow go away without any outside help. When an intervention is held a moment of clarity is created
for the addict. Most people struggling with the problem of drug or alcohol
addiction will accept help the very day of the intervention.
Relapse
Relapse is a term used to describe when an individual who has quit using drugs starts using once again. A relapse can mean just a one time use, a long term continues period of using or anything in between after a period of sobriety has taken place. An individual begins to experience a psychological relapse long before their first use after
quitting. Some things that can lead to relapse both physically or psychologically include: 1. Being in the presence of drugs or alcohol, drug or alcohol users, or places where you used or bought chemicals. 2. Feelings we perceive as negative, particularly anger; also sadness, loneliness, guilt, fear, and anxiety. 3. Positive feelings that make you want to celebrate by using. 4. Listening to others past drug use stories and just dwelling on getting high. 5. Believing that you no longer have to worry (complacent). That is, that you are no longer stimulated to crave drugs/alcohol by any of the above situations or by anything else – and therefore maybe it’s safe for you to use occasionally.
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