



Facts
The typical ecstasy user is a high school, college student, or young adult, although there is evidence of use in the preteen population. MDMA is known as a "club drug" because it was once used largely at all-night dance parties and clubs called "raves" or "trances." Unfortunately, its use has expanded to include home parties and small gatherings. In 2000, a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that 3.1 percent of eighth-- graders, 5.4 percent of 10th-graders and 8.2 percent of 12th-graders have used the drug. The last portion of the brain to be affected is the medulla, which controls basic survival functions such as respiration (breathing) and heartbeat. When a person has consumed so much alcohol that the medulla is affected, his or her brain's ability to control respiration and heart rate becomes severely diminished. The heart rate can drop and breathing may stop, which will lead to a coma and then death. Regular use of the sedative-hypnotics may result in tolerance—the need for increasing doses to achieve the same effect. Within two to four weeks, tolerance can develop to the sedative effect of minor tranquilizers taken at night for sleep. Thus, these drugs are not usually used prescribed for more than a few days at a time. Much like heroin, narcotics other than heroin showed a gradual upward shift in perceived availability among 12th graders, from 26% in 1978 to 38% in 1989. Some decline in 1991 was followed by a second period of gradual increase from 1991 through 2000 (44%). Perceived availability then fell back to 37% by 2007. Use of narcotics other than heroin grew substantially during the 1990s through 2002, before leveling. Unfortunately, the availability question for narcotics other than heroin does not address the issue of changes in the availability of specific drugs within this general class, like OxyContin and Vicodin. It seems quite likely that they had different trends in availability than the class as a whole. |
Sobriety
Sobriety means the moderation in or abstinence from consumption of alcoholic liquor or use of drugs. When an individual with an addiction problem enters drug rehabilitation, their main goal is to attain long term sobriety. Unfortunately, sometimes drug addicts and alcoholics find they are able to sustain short periods of sobriety followed by a drug or alcohol relapse. This is why attending a drug or alcohol rehab will help the individual maintain their focus on sobriety. Often, it is only by getting help that individuals with severe drug addiction problems are able to achieve lasting sobriety.
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.
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 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".
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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