Drugs Abuse occurs when a drug is taken for unintended purposes and can lead to addiction. Addiction occurs when a person must use the drug to feel and function normally. Addiction occurs in two types, physical and psychological. Physical addiction is caused by the brain, the brain produces fewer chemicals or neurotransmitters to make up for the extra chemicals therefore the brain needs the chemicals from the drug to reach the correct balance and individual becomes out of touch with reality. Psychological addiction is much simpler, the individual simply likes the way a drug makes him/her feel and must have it, therefore becoming addicted. (Lawrence, F. 1996)
Addiction has six steps. The first step is occasional use; a person takes
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(Peele, S. 1997)
Individuals that are addicted to drugs are likely to suffer from loss of appetite, loss of weight, constipation and loss of sex drive. The pupils of the eyes may become tiny, the size of pinpoints, or extremely large. Drug addicts that use needles such as heroin addicts suffer from skin damage at the points where the needle is repeatedly inserted to give the dose or ?fix? from a syringe. (Torr, J. 1999)
Individuals addicted to drugs can suffer from withdrawals, which range from mild to severe. Mild withdrawals occur when the person is late getting the dose or ?fix?. Mild withdrawals cause yawning, sneezing, runny nose, watering eyes and sweating. Severe withdrawals follow mild withdrawals and are caused by not receiving the drug for a long period of time. Severe withdrawals cause diarrhea, vomiting, trembling, cramps, confusion, and rarely seizures and coma.
When the individual takes the drug all withdraw symptoms are relieved. Withdrawal symptoms occur because the body becomes adapted to the presence of the drug, which reduces certain natural chemicals and the chemical deficiency is exposed. (Peele, S. 1997)
Addiction usually starts because a seriously ill or badly injured person is on painkillers longer than they should be. Sometimes boredom or pressure cause drug abuse. Some successful, high-powered business or professional people depend on drugs. Fashion may play a part and when it does drug use is always
Additionally, prolonged use of opioid drugs changes the way opioid receptors work in the brain, making the receptors dependent on the drug to function normally. This is referred to as dependency. When a person is dependent on opioid drugs, they will become physically ill if they stop taking them. These symptoms, which can sometimes be mistaken for the flu, are known as withdrawal symptoms and they are the body’s response to no longer having the drug in their
100).” This cycle is broken through detoxifying the body of these substances and then dealing with withdraw symptoms. Withdraw is usually the most trying time in recovery, common symptoms are nausea, nightmares, seizures, depression and hallucinations (Renner, et al, (2011) p.102).
The overall effect on one’s health is seen in bouts of illness and lack of normal immune response. Addicts may show signs of lightheadedness or dizziness, and lapses of mental acuity. Severe threats to health include the potential for respiratory distress and other central nervous system responses, as well as an increased danger for overdose and death.
In terms of actions or behaviors, individuals have a tendency to show the following symptoms: vomiting, scratching, slurred speech, complaints of constipation, complaints of nausea, neglect of grooming, failure to eat, and covering arms with long sleeves. Some warning signs that an individual may be using are: excessive or sudden sleeping, sudden changes in behavior such as poor school or work performance, being expelled or fired, lying, avoiding eye contact, withdrawal from friends/family, wearing long pants or long sleeves, and suddenly wearing eyeglasses frequently or inappropriately. Those looking for solutions to children struggling with addiction have many options. There are plenty of treatment places available. Different types of treatment options include outpatient, group therapy, individual therapy, and residential. For example, facilities available in Delaware are Aquila, Crossroads, Gateway Foundation Inc., PACE, Inc., and Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center. Ignoring substance abusers does not ease the situation, it only makes it harder on the addict. Support can be a big factor in the success/treatment of a substance abuser. Many addicts who experience emotional and physical trauma when they are young gravitate towards opiates. Heroin helps the pain of not being able to express unresolved grief. The ritual is addicting as well. Coming home to the bedroom, locking the door, putting on music, getting the drug paraphenalia out. Withdrawal symptoms are the unpleasant physical reaction that accompanies the process of ceasing to take an addictive drug. Some symptoms could include: fatigue, sweating, shaking, nausea, vomiting, and irritability. I experienced these symptoms myself. I am a recovering addict. I have broken my physical dependence but I still struggle with addiction to this day. I have
To understand addiction further, it is important to look at how drugs have neurological effects in a human body. Drugs can be ingested in various ways; while some are taken orally, some are smoked (cannabis) while others are injected directly into the blood stream (Heroin). Once in the body, they mainly affect the reward pathway in the brain, known as the dopaminergic pathway, which in turn gives pleasure. Even though all drugs affect the reward and motivation pathways in the brain, their speed depends on the way the drug has been consumed. Over constant use of drugs, the cognitive functions are impaired as the effects become more prominent in learning, memory
Depending on the substance of choice, withdrawal symptoms can be quite intimidating. The withdrawal process usually starts with a
Opiates are often prescribed for pain and include drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Methadone and Dilaudid. Although useful to treat pain, these drugs also can lead to addiction issues. Withdrawal effects occur when a person’s body is adjusting to no longer having opiates in its system. Opiate withdrawal can range from mild to severe. Factors impacting severity include how long a person was using opiates, what type of drug were being taken and at what dosage.
First of all, there is the Structural-Functional perspective way people view drug addiction as. The structural-functional perspective is the role the drugs do for the person or the weakening of the norms. It is the way they affect the person and what it does to them that makes them be addicted to drugs. For some people drugs relieves them. It takes them away from their problems from a while and they feel stress free and because of that feeling they receive from the drugs they like it and continue to take more and more. Those with this type of perspective well most likely disagree with this view of drug addiction and would want the problem to decrease.
Permanent use of opiates can change the way the nerve cells inside our brains work. They wrap up getting used to the occurrence of the opiates, and they commence to need it in order to work as normally as possible. In case you decrease your intake or suddenly stop your dependent nerve cells from getting their usual medication dosage, they become overactive. These causes various withdrawal symptoms such as fever, sweating, aching, extreme craving for the drug, shaking and chills, and other far worse. It is usually strong during the first 6 to fifteen hours, intensifies in the next 2 to 4 days and nights, and little by little declines in two or three days. But the good news is that your nerve cells will normally work again, and you could get your opiate-addiction free life
Opiate addiction is one of the hardest problems anyone will ever face, due to the severity of its withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms keep many people from quitting, even if they are desperate for sobriety. The following symptoms are some problems that are likely to occur if you attempt to detoxify from opiates. Thankfully, detoxification medicines make it possible to decrease the severity of these symptoms and stop some of them from ever happening.
The milder withdrawal symptoms can include things like restlessness, irritability, clammy hands, sweating and loss of appetite. Depending on the substances used and the depth of the
The main types of drugs that get abused are Opioids, Central Nervous System Depressants and stimulants. Opioids are used often medically used to treat pain. Some examples of these drugs are Morphine, Codeine, Fentanyl and many more. The drugs act on the opioid receptors on the brain. A person becomes more tolerant to the drug the more they use it which leads to misuse to get the same
Vomiting, diarrhea, trembling, slow weight gain, increased heart rate, and seizures are some of the withdrawal
If you have ever attempted to withdraw from a drug that you are addicted to, then you know that withdrawal can result in unpleasant symptoms. Many people start back using the drug again so that they can stop the symptoms. Not only can withdrawing on your own cause you to develop unpleasant symptoms, but it can also
Symptoms of withdrawals may occur from two hours to four days, may include headaches, nausea, tremors, anxiety, and seizures.