Substance dependence is a complex condition that affects clients, families, and society and can be very significant. Real change in recovery from addiction is possible when one gets the right treatment and support that one deserves and when they are willing to dedicate him or herself to the change.
What is Drug Abuse?
Substance use is the improper use of legal/illegal substances that results in an interference with one’s life. This can be taking drugs in ways not prescribed or in the face of known possible harm resulting from the said drugs. The consequences of drug abuse include drug tolerance, drug dependence or withdrawal symptoms, addiction, and diseases associated with use.
From the Paper: Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is characterized by many signs and symptoms in a user. These signs are indicators you are in need of drug abuse intervention:
Physical signs: Hyperpyrexia, altered vision, variation in body weight, declining personal cleanliness, muscle jerks, skin lesions, and illnesses from drug use.
Behavioral signs: Missed commitments, new relationships, avoiding discussions about activities or, getting into trouble with the law and finances.
Psychological signs: These include desperation, irritation, lethargy, variability, fluctuating personality traits, and sleeping disorders.
What Causes Drug Abuse?
In essence, drug abuse does not have a single cause. However, there are a number of factors that can contribute to it, including:
Genetics: Science proved that heredity plays over 40-60 % role in the tendency to addiction. Some are more prone, namely those with a family history.
Environment: Other elements include peer pressure, stress, trauma, or poor family and/or community background, which may compel someone to take substances.
Mental health: People take substances to self-treat themselves for illnesses such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. This can worsen both issues.
What are the Effects of Drug Abuse?
Drug abuse affects the physical and chemical balance of the body and mind of the abuser and has the following effects on the abuser:
Illicit drug use has many adverse consequences on a person’s health and life. These can include:
Physical health problems: Kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, infections, convulsions, coma, or death due to an overdose of P may occur.
Mental health problems: Symptoms that previously existed and were worsened or new conditions such as depression, anxiety, aggression, hallucination, psychosis.
Relationship problems: Irritability, arguing with the family, friends, colleagues, inaptitude to work or handle money, as well as neglect of these responsibilities.
Financial problems: Loss of ability to obtain or maintain employment or other employment or other earnings loss or expenditures for health arising out of diseases or conditions attributable to substance abuse.
Legal problems: Crime or other inappropriate actions in order to get drugs, being caught with them, or drunk driving, for instance.
What are the Different Types of Drugs?
There are basically four areas of drugs, which include;
Described below is a list of the various groups of drugs that are commonly abused. These can be broadly classified into the following categories:
Stimulants: Stimulates the neurons in the CNS, bringing energy/focus/euphoria but brings exhaustion and depression along with it. Cocaine, methamphetamine, and Adderall are among these.
Depressants: Some drugs like alcohol, sedatives, and tranquilizers – slow the working of the brain, causing relaxation, reduction of inhibitions, sedation or even death if an overdose is made.
Opioids: Heroin: An opium derivative, produces effects that are followed by pain, itching, vomiting, and shallow breathing – and may lead to death.
Vicodin: Like to heroin but milder; has codeine and paracetamol.
Hallucinogens: LSD, magic mushrooms – They assure alteration in the mental processing of stimuli and provoke hallucination, causing an insight in perception.
Cannabis: – Has a component known as THC that produces feelings of elation and relaxation. It can be argued that the drug has long-term uses that include affecting the memory and motivation of people.
How is Drug Abuse Treated?
Drug abuse treatment is a very sensitive process that cannot be standardized much. Possible treatment will depend on the client, his/her level of dependency and the kind of substance abused. However, there are a number of evidence-based treatments that can be helpful, including:
Detoxification: The medically facilitated process of sweating out toxins from the body part. It reduces the manifestations of some withdrawal symptoms but does not directly cure the disease of addiction.
Therapy: Tracing and solving core problems, learning appropriate ways of dealing with stress and pain, using cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, 12-step programs, and others.
Medication: These medications will, in some cases, help manage the disease and will also prevent relapse during periods of abstinence.
Support groups: Hope, support, and responsibility are found during aftercare in organizations such as Narcotics Anonymous.
What Should be Done to Avoid Drug Abuse?
There are a number of things that can be done to prevent drug abuse, including:
Education: Extensive information on various negative effects of drug utilization, problem-solving, assessment, and constructive activities.
Early intervention: Prevention of risky users yet intentions to reach them with preventive assistance before they can succumb to substance dependence.
Support: Support with family and supervision to encourage strength-based activities that reduce risky behaviors.
Policy changes: Providing grants for prevention programs that use scientific data, controlling advertising/promotion/buy/sell of substances.
Effects of Drug Taking on Family and Community
Drug abuse involves interaction between the individual and the family and the society because the individual cannot be treated by himself without consequences in society.
Families: It also has negative impact in the families since it stretches the available resources as well as the emotions of the families.
Emotional strain: Pressure, appeasement, mourning, rage, bitterness, emotional detachment from an addicted family member.
Relationship breakdown: Battles, mistrust, and the inability to defend each other.
Financial burden: Termination, personal loan, medical bills, maintaining addict’s substance dependence.
Neglect and abuse: Child neglect; unstable home, household, and domestic abuse.
Communities: The far reach of addiction also extends to neighborhoods as well:
Increased crime: Robberies, attacks, rapes for the sake of getting money for the product.
The strain on healthcare systems: Persons admitted for treatment due to an overdose, infection, or withdrawal.
Economic impact: Healthcare expenses/crime rates, inefficiency in the labor force.
Social problems: poverty rate, violent crime rate, homelessness rates.
Staying Strong in Recovery: Preventing Relapse
Reoccurrence is frequent on the way to healing. Even though this can be infuriating at the very least it does not equate to failure but serves as a learning ground for what to avoid the next time around. Strategies to prevent relapse include:
Learning what situations can cause such reactions and then learning different healthier ways of responding to such situations.
Building physical and psychological mechanisms to fight cravings and overcome various life challenges.
Reconstructing the networks of individuals who are willing to check one’s behavior and give recommendations in situations when one wants to use again.
Therapy and checking in regularly can provide a new sense of thinking and shape a new pattern for making healthy decisions.
The existence of significant, meaningful self-care practices cultivates the existence of worthwhile and enjoyable purposes in life.
Staying away from places where one would definitely get tempted to engage in the consumption of some banned substances, like parties or bars, would basically challenge the strength of willpower.
Supports where a client has a specific relapse prevention plan that they are supposed to follow in case of relapse to reduce the extent of the relapse and get back on the course faster.
Conclusion
Drug addiction doesn’t come cheaply for the people suffering it on the one hand, nor for the families, friends, and the society at large that it is affecting. But with better knowledge of addiction and its modalities, proven therapies, a fellowship that encourages sober living, and most importantly, a patient’s willingness to quit, it is very much possible to come out of the prisoner plight of substance dependence and create a life of purpose, sobriety, and hope.