




Facts
MDMA, often called "Ecstasy," is a drug that creates a sensation of closeness, but which at high levels of ingestion can become toxic -- sometimes causing death. Use of Ecstasy is on the rise, especially among students in grades eight through 12. Ecstasy or MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a stimulant drug that has both the effects of methamphetamine ("speed") and mescaline (a hallucinogenic drug found in certain mushrooms). MDMA is often described as a designer drug that has a similar chemical structure to methamphetamine. MDMA is illegal, and classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. Known on the street as Adam, XTC, Clarity, Lovers Speed, Eve, and X, Ecstasy is typically packaged in tablet, capsule, or powder form and is taken orally. Often the drug is made to look like a prescription drug in capsule or tablet form. Ecstasy tablets are often imprinted with logos to make them more appealing to the user. The typical street price is anywhere from $20 to more than $30 per pill. A drug overdose is the misuse of drugs in amounts so high that a person can fall asleep, become unconscious, lapse into a coma, or die. Overdoses are in fact a form of poisoning. Most drugs can be deadly when taken in large quantities, whether swallowed, inhaled, or injected intravenously. Drugs such as heroin, methadone, cocaine, opioids, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and "designer" or "club" drugs such as ecstasy can all lead to an overdose. Combining drug and alcohol use is an extremely common cause of overdoses. Even caffeine, a drug that public health professionals consider relatively harmless in terms of causing injuries, has caused fatal overdoses when people have taken huge doses in the form of pills. Whether unintentional or intentional, drug poisonings are especially harmful to the young. Bone infections (osteomyelitis) are a common complication of injecting drug use. Gangrene can develop from cutting off circulation to the limbs and may lead to amputation or death. Injecting drug use also contributes to reduced immune system functioning, making the user more susceptible to disease and related complications. During the past 15 years, concerns about crime and violence have prompted increased law enforcement, prosecution, and punishment. But although the "get tough" approach may have contributed to recent reductions in crime, there are limits to its ability to enhance the public's safety and general well-being in the long run. The reason is that it does little to address drug and alcohol abuse and addiction. Although these problems have had a fundamental impact on the criminal behavior of 80 percent of inmates, only one in six of those who need substance abuse treatment receives it while in prison, and far fewer receive comprehensive intensive treatment with aftercare. As a result, our prison doors open to release tens of thousands of untreated or inadequately treated offenders back into the community every year. Most will return to a life of drug and alcohol use and crime, typically committing as many as 100 offenses annually. The financial and social costs of current policies are staggering. In fact, the current well-intended but uninformed crackdown on crime has already put an excessive burden on state, federal, and local budgets. Between 1980 and 1996, the price of constructing, maintaining, and operating U.S. prisons and jails rose from $7 billion to $38 billion. Just as troubling is a recent U.S. Department of Justice study, which found that at current incarceration rates, one out of every 20 Americans born in 1997 will spend time in prison, including one in 11 men and one in four black men. Even now, one in three young black males is under the supervision of the criminal justice system in cities such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., largely for drug-related crimes. |
Dependence
Dependence is the compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences which can be severe; drug dependence is simply excessive use of a drug or use of a drug for purposes for which it was not medically intended. Physical dependence on a substance (needing a drug to function) is not necessary or sufficient to define addiction. There are some substances that don't cause addiction but do cause physical dependence (for example, some blood pressure medications) and substances that cause addiction but not classic physical dependence (cocaine withdrawal, for example, it does not have symptoms like vomiting and chills; it is mainly characterized by depression).
Abstinence
Abstinence is the act or practice of refraining from indulging a desire. The type of abstinence we are referring to here is abstinence from drugs and alcohol. This term has two connotations when it comes to abstaining from drugs. The first refers to drug or alcohol treatment programs that aim to help an individual stop using drugs or alcohol for the rest of their lives. The time abstinence is also used in drug education and prevention. It refers to trying to stop children from ever using drugs.
Drug Rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a place or program that an individual enters to treat a drug or alcohol addiction. Through therapy and education, the individual is restored to their former non-drug using self. They are then able to re-enter society clean and sober. There are many reasons why a person would need to attend a drug rehabilitation program. Some of the many reasons are: the inability to control their drinking or drug use, alienating their friends and family, problems with the law, and problems at work. Also, there are several different types of drug rehabilitation programs available: inpatient, outpatient, residential, short-term, and long-term.
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.
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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