




Facts
Overall, men and women have roughly similar rates of nonmedical use of prescription drugs. An exception is found among 12- to 17-year-olds. In this age group, young women are more likely than young men to use psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically. In addition, research has shown that women are at increased risk for nonmedical use of narcotic analgesics and tranquilizers (e.g., benzodiazepines). Despite the restriction, ecstasy use has continued and dramatically increased at the turn of the millenium. In fact, ecstasy is one of the few drugs whose use is increasing among 12-to 25-year-olds. Ecstasy is most often used by young people at parties or in dance clubs, because users find that feelings of extreme happiness and uninhibited confidence produced by the drug encourage socializing, and that the drug's stimulant properties are ideal for prolonged periods of dancing. For some time the perception was that ecstasy was not harmful, but as its use has spread exponentially, reports of death as a result of ecstasy use have become increasingly common. Researchers have also discovered that the chemical is a neurotoxin and that ecstasy users may risk depression as a result of continued use. Once considered a harmless source of pleasure and therapeutic benefit, today the drug cocaine is vilified as the cause of great misery and suffering for many who have succumbed to its euphoric effects. Yet, by nearly all accounts, cocaine is here to stay, despite the billions of dollars that government agencies around the world spend each year to eliminate it. From the streets of cities as large as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, to small rural towns, Americans consume more cocaine than does any other citizenry in the world. An estimated 80 percent of all South American cocaine—approximately one thousand tons annually—finds its way to America's consumers. The size of the market for cocaine is staggering by any measure. An estimated 40 million Americans admit to having tried cocaine, either in powdered form or as crack. Moreover, between 2 and 4 million people admit to regular use of or addiction to cocaine. Faced with such numbers, American political and spiritual leaders have labeled cocaine use an epidemic. Cocaine use swept across America during the 1970s, glamorized by rock stars, Hollywood personalities, and heroes of professional sports. Their widely publicized use of the drug brought it to the attention of many Americans for the first time and gave it unprecedented status. More and more Americans began to explore the drug's euphoric effects, but cocaine's dark side began to emerge after a decade of use by people who first saw it as a fun and harmless drug. Addiction rates among young people and deaths from overdoses began to make headlines in newspapers and television news programs across the nation. Anecdotal evidence lends support to these claims. "Embalming fluid" is a common street slang term for PCP. Confusion about the origin of the term is thought by many to have influenced the trend whereby PCP is actually mixed with formaldehyde (or other embalming chemicals) and used as a recreational psychoactive. |
Drug Overdose
A drug overdose occurs when you consume more drugs than your body can tolerate. Drug users are constantly flirting with the risk of a drug overdose. There is a
fine line between the high they're seeking and serious injury or death. While many victims of drug overdose recover without long term effects, there
can be serious consequences. Some drug overdoses cause the failure of major
organs like the kidneys or liver, or failure of whole systems like the
respiratory or circulatory systems. Patients who survive drug overdose may need
kidney dialysis, kidney or liver transplant, or ongoing care as a result of
heart failure, stroke, or coma. Death can occur in almost any drug overdose
situation, particularly if treatment is not started immediately.
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.
Addiction
Addiction is one of the many consequences of so-called 'casual' drug and alcohol abuse. A loss of control over drugs and alcohol can be driven by physical or psychological factors, or sometimes both. Physical addiction takes place when the body comes to need a drug to function normally. If it is not taken, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms occur. The only way to avoid this is to take more of the drug. Psychological addiction takes place when an individual comes to rely on a drug to supply good feelings, such as relaxation, self-confidence, self esteem, and freedom from anxiety. This is not just a casual desire, it's a powerful compulsion.
Residential Treatment
Residential treatment offers intensive drug addiction help over a period of weeks or months. This form of treatment has some advantages over out-patient treatment, although it may not be suitable for everyone. For example, those who are responsible for caring for young children may be better suited to attendance at an out patient treatment program. Residential treatment offers a safe, drug and alcohol-free environment where individuals can confront their own drug addiction and associated issues, with the help of qualified staff. Therapy usually consists of a mixture of group counseling, individual counseling and an introduction to the principles of a drug recovery program.
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.
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