Drug Abuse
is generally defined as the use of a drug with such frequency
that the user has physical or mental harm or it impairs social abilities. The
substances that are discussed in this report are called psychoactive drugs;
those drugs that influence or alter the workings of the mind, affect moods,
emotions, feelings, and thinking processes.
Drug Dependence/Addiction
There are three basic characteristics that indicate that the user is
dependent on a drug. First, the user continues to use the drug for an extended
period of time. Second, the user finds it difficult to stop using the drug. They
may drop out of school, steal, go to jail, lose their jobs, or leave their
families in order to keep ...
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the dopamine from
returning to the first brain cell. Repeated use changes the brain cells so that
normal messages can't be sent between brain cells. The drug must always be
present in order for neurotransmissions to take place. The user is only able to
feel pleasure from the cocaine rather than the things he/she used to find
pleasurable. This is called drug addiction or dependence.
Drug Classification
Drugs are generally categorized into two groups, stimulants and
depressants. Stimulants are drugs that speed up signals through the nervous
system. They produce alertness, arousal and excitability. They also inhibit
fatigue and sleep. They include the amphetamines, such as cocaine, caffeine, and
nicotine. Depressants slow down the signals through the nervous system. They
produce relaxation, lowering of anxiety, drowsiness, and sleep. They include
sedatives (such as barbiturates, alcohol, and tranquilizers) and narcotics
(heroin, morphine, opium, codeine), which dull the ...
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frequently. The
user may be engaging in criminal activities in order to obtain money for the
drug.
Alcohol
One major drug that physically effects the user is alcohol. It causes
damage to the brain, pancreas, and kidney. It also causes high blood pressure
and may heighten the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Other consequences of
alcohol abuse are possible alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, stomach
and duodenal ulcers, colitis, irritable colon, impotence and infertility, birth
defects and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (retardation, low birth weight, small head
size, limb abnormalities), and premature aging. The user may also experience
diminished immunity to disease, sleep ...
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"Drug Abuse." Essayworld.com. August 27, 2007. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Drug-Abuse/70245.
"Drug Abuse." Essayworld.com. August 27, 2007. Accessed April 24, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Drug-Abuse/70245.
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