




Facts
Heroin from south-west Asia may be ‘smoked’ by heating the solid on a metal foil above a small flame and inhaling the vapour. Those intending to inject this form of heroin must first solubilise it with, for example, citric acid or ascorbic acid. Heroin from south-east Asia is suitable for direct injection of a solution. A typical dose is 100 mg at street level purity. Except when used therapeutically as an analgesic drug, ingestion of diamorphine/heroin is a much less effective route of administration. While alcohol and pregnancy research studies have not yet established exactly how much alcohol a pregnant woman can consume before her drinking negatively affects her unborn child, part of the problem in discovering this information is due to the fact that different women react in different ways to alcohol. The proportion of high-school seniors who have used cocaine at least once in their lifetimes has increased from a low of 5.9 percent in 1994 to 8.7 percent in 1997. However, this is lower than its peak of 17.3 percent in 1985. Current (past month) use of cocaine by seniors decreased from a high of 6.7 percent in 1985 to 2.3 percent in 1997. Also in 1997, 7.1 percent of 10th-graders had tried cocaine at least once, up from a low of 3.3 percent in 1992. The percentage of 8th-graders who had ever tried cocaine has increased from a low of 2.3 percent in 1991 to 4.4 percent in 1997. Of college students 1 to 4 years beyond high school, in 1995, 3.6 percent had used cocaine within the past year, and 0.7 percent had used cocaine in the past month. In 1996, about 1.7 million Americans were current (at least once per month) cocaine users. This is about 0.8 percent of the population age 12 and older. About 668,000 of these used crack. The rate of current cocaine use in 1996 was highest among Americans ages 18 to 25 (2.0 percent). The rate of use for this age group was significantly higher in 1996 than in 1995, when it was 1.3 percent. Long-term users of marijuana may get cancer (particularly lung cancer). Unfortunately many marijuana users are unaware that marijuana smoke contains more cancer-causing agents than tobacco smoke. Regular, persistent marijuana use can also cause both physical and psychological dependency. Tolerance to marijuana (the need to take more and more of the drug over time to get the same original effect) has been shown. People whose bodies have become dependent on marijuana from long-term use and stop taking the drug may feel withdrawal symptoms which include irritability, sleep problems, loss of appetite and weight, sweating and stomach upset. The THC found in marijuana is fat-soluble and is absorbed into many tissues and organs in the body. Laboratory tests have shown traces of THC in the brain, liver, lungs and reproductive organs for up to one month after the marijuana was smoked. |
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a pattern of repeated drug taking that usually results in tolerance (the need for greater amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect), withdrawal (physical and cognitive effects when drug use declines or stops), and compulsive drug taking behavior (drug taking that persists despite efforts to reduce intake and despite problems with family, friends, and work). Drug addiction encompasses a diverse range of drugs (such as alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine) and is caused by many different factors.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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