




Facts
People who crush OxyContin tablets and dissolve them in water to inject the drug run several risks. Small, undissolved particles of a pill can lodge in blood vessels and cause damage or blockage. The use of shared hypodermic needles is one of the major ways that people contract human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that can lead to AIDS, as well as several types of hepatitis, a contagious liver disease. It should never be assumed that because OxyContin is a prescription drug, it is somehow "safer" to abuse than heroin. Both substances work the same way in the brain. Both lead to addiction and withdrawal symptoms. And both can lead to long-lasting health, legal, financial, and social consequences for individuals and their families. Although both adoption and twin studies indicate that genetic factors contribute to a predisposition for addiction, they do not tell the entire story. Environmental factors can increase the risk for developing addiction or assist in the development of resiliency skills that protect an individual from beginning to use addictive substances. Many professionals focus primarily on environmental risk factors as determinants of a child’s vulnerability to substance use and other behavioral health problems. These include demographics (geography, economics, crime rate, quality of schools) and familial factors (genetics, family addiction, family parenting skills). A child from an urban, poor neighborhood with a high crime rate and poor school system is more likely to begin substance use than his demographic opposite. Having a family history of addiction, living with active addicts, and being inadequately parented also increases the risk of using and abusing substances. Although there was little change in past month use of cigarettes, alcohol, and illicit drugs among adolescents between 2006 and 2007, the rates generally declined between 2002 and 2007 (cigarettes from 13.0 to 9.8 percent, alcohol from 17.6 to 15.9 percent, and illicit drugs from 11.6 to 9.5 percent). The decline in past month illicit drug use can be attributed primarily to a decline in marijuana use, with 8.2 percent of adolescents using marijuana in 2002 compared with 6.7 percent in 2007. Past year dependence on or abuse of alcohol remained relatively stable among adolescents between 2002 and 2007, but dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs declined from 5.6 to 4.3 percent. Snorting or injecting cocaine can be even more detrimental to an individual's health than snorting it. These methods have been known to cause permanent heart damage, severe chest pains and breathing disorders. |
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.
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 Side Effects
Drug addiction and abuse comes with a heavy price. There are drastic drug side effects associated with drug misuse and abuse. Drug side effects from legal and illegal drugs can range from mild itching to comas and death. In addition to the physical drug side effects mentioned, there are many psychological drug side effects of drug abuse; the most serious being drug addiction and overdose.
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".
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.
|
|

To Find Drug Rehab and Treatment Centers in Selma
Call toll free


Selma Drug Rehab and
Alcohol Addiction Treatment Information
|