




Facts
Marijuana is considered one of the three gateway drugs. The other two are alcohol and tobacco. These three are considered gateway drugs because they are readily accessed and the use of them often leads to involvement with more harmful drugs and the situations where these more dangerous drugs are found. Although these three gateway drugs are illegal for use by this age group, they may be accessible because, at least in the case of tobacco and alcohol, they are readily used in society and often by parents and older siblings. Many adults do not realize it, but marijuana is also easily accessible and is used by older siblings and some parents of students of this age. Students in surveys often report that their first experience with alcohol was finishing a glass of wine left on the dinner table by a parent. Marijuana may in fact be a drug that an older sibling encourages a younger one to try, believing it is not really harmful and mitigating his or her own guilt by having a younger sibling use it. The facts are very clear. When an individual starts using one drug, he/she is likely to try other drugs – ones that may be more harmful, more addictive, and put the user in more danger. The younger a person starts using any drug the more likely that it will become a problem and other drug usage will follow. Fourth to sixth grade students can understand the concept of a gateway. It is an opening that can lead in many directions and from which many paths emerge. Making responsible decisions about which path to choose is important and requires knowledge, skill, and strength. Students of this age are very interested in “Horatio Alger” type stories in which the hero overcame odds or chose a particular path that led him/her to greatness. Gateways are placed before all of us regularly. It is important that we see them as passageways with the potential to take us in positive or negative directions. The opportunity to use tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana presents us with such a gateway. Where will addicts go once they lose their job? Often, money is the major concern of addicts. Some will take to selling drugs just to get by. Either way, the user will spend most of the money they earn on more drugs. They are often willing to steal and borrow to continue using drugs. Many addicts have also turned to prostitution to pay for an addiction. They have no money left and are willing to do many things to get it. Since the mid-1980s, virtually all substances marketed illicitly as amphetamine or by street terms, such as "speed," "crystal," "crank," "go," "go-fast," "zip," or"cristy," contain methamphetamine. By analyzing contaminants found in street methamphetamine samples, researchers have determined that clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine, rather than diversion of pharmaceutical products, now supplies the illicit marketplace. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), methamphetamine has been the most prevalent clandestinely manufactured controlled substance in the United States, and one of the only widely abused controlled substances that can be made in the home. Along with the increase in methamphetamine laboratory seizures was a localized resurgence of methamphetamine abuse—since the clandestine manufacture of the methamphetamine in a community facilitates the development of a market for the drug. Clandestine labs also create other hazards for the community since the materials used (precursors, reagents, and solvents) are hazardous in the hands of inexperienced chemists, who may cause explosions and fires. Also, each pound of methamphetamine produced creates up to five pounds of hazardous wastes, and the operators (who rarely own the property) commonly discard the wastes on ornearthe site, creating long-lasting chemical contamination of the area. The number of laboratories seized declined in the early 1990s, largely because of the passage and enforcement of the Chemical Diversion and Trafficking Act of 1988, which placed under federal control the distribution of twelve precursor and eight essential chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs, including phenyl-2-propanone, the major methamphetamine precursor in use at the time. Marijuana - You may have heard it called pot, weed, grass, ganja or skunk, but marijuana by any other name is still a drug that affects the brain. |
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.
Addict
An addict is an individual who has a compulsive urge to use drugs, to the point where they feel they have no effective choice but to continue use. An addict will continue their self destructive behaviors in order to feel good or to avoid
feeling bad. It can dominate their mind, and keep them coming back for more. The addiction can be
different for each addict, depending on their vice and the kind of person they
are.
Therapeutic Community
An effective therapeutic community attends to the many needs of the individual, not just his or her drug use. Care given at a therapeutic community addresses the individual's drug use and associated medical, psychological, social, vocational, and legal problems. Also, a therapeutic community will continue to be flexible and provide ongoing assessments of the individual's needs, which may change during the course of care.
Remaining in care at a therapeutic community for an adequate period of time is critical for treatment effectiveness. The time depends on an individual's needs. For most people, the significant improvement is reached at about 3 months in treatment.
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".
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