Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is a major problem in the United States. Perhaps the most significant issue concerning drug abuse is the fact that it can easily lead to addiction; however, the abuse of drugs alone can have serious ramifications on a person’s health and happiness in many aspects.

The Difference Between Drug Abuse and Addiction

Addiction is a disease, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drug abuse is the use of prescription drugs in any manner other than the intended purpose, or the use of illicit drugs with no medical benefit for any purpose whatsoever. Alcohol abuse is also considered drug abuse.

There is a school of thought among many drug users that, so long as they are not addicted to the drugs they use, there isn’t a problem. This is dangerous thinking, however, because drug abuse physically changes aspects of the brain and how we think. Most often, an individual who regularly abuses drugs, even if they do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of drug addiction, has already lost control over their drug use.

Drug Abuse Among Teens and Young Adults

The earlier in one’s life that drug abuse begins, the more likely an individual will be to become addicted. Unfortunately, there is a subculture of drug abuse involving teens and young adults who abuse certain drugs commonly, referred to as “club drugs.” These drugs contain dangerous chemicals that can lead to serious problems including:

Addiction
Poor judgment
Injury due to intoxication
Lifelong legal problems
Serious, irreversible health problems

Popular Club Drugs

Club drugs are prevalent in many venues where young people prefer to spend their time. Children and teens as young as 12 years old can become exposed to these drugs at dance parties called “raves” where there is no age limit for entry. Older teens and adults abuse these same drugs in nightclubs, dance clubs and bars on a regular basis.

GHB: “The date rape drug.” Some club drugs are approved for medical use, such as GHB. This drug was approved by the medical community for treatment of narcolepsy, for instance. The medication is a central nervous system depressant which is so strong that anyone using the drug under the care of a doctor must be monitored by the Federal Drug Administration. While there are many drugs that can be used for alternate purposes, the FDA has placed a restriction on GHB so it can be prescribed only for patients who suffer from narcolepsy.
Those individuals who abuse drugs, however, use GHB for other purposes illegally. GHB blocks the GABA neurotransmitter in the human brain. This neurotransmitter controls our inhibitions; those thoughts and feelings that keep us modest and safe and help us to make good decisions concerning our own well-being. When these transmissions are negated, the drug abuser will have a feeling of freedom and an inability to control their actions.

Because of this particular effect of GHB, it is one of the most common drugs given to girls without their knowledge. Also of importance is the fact that most individuals will not recall their actions while under the influence of the drug. If the girl was sexually abused, assaulted or raped while under the influence of this club drug, she may not have any recollection of the event.

Many young people will combine various types of club drugs, which can lead to breathing difficulties and overdose. Continued abuse of GHB can result in coma, seizures and even death.
Rohypnol. A second central nervous system depressant popular among young people is the drug Rohypnol. This is a strong drug that, while similar to legal prescription drugs like Xanax, is not approved for use in the United States for any reason. It is illegal to import the drug to the United States. Like GHB, it affects the GABA receptors and neurotransmitters in the human brain to decrease inhibitions and increase pleasure.
Continued abuse of Rohypnol — an agent that will often drastically impair an individual’s ability to remember events that occur while abusing the drug — can lead to addiction.
Ketamine. Ketamine is an anesthetic used primarily in veterinary clinics. It has dissociative properties, which is why it is popular among those who abuse drugs. Those who abuse the drug report feeling separated from the world around them. The perception of sight and sound is distorted in a way that pleases some individuals. Taking small amounts of Ketamine can result in milder but still dangerous symptoms, including the inability to learn new things and a lack of ability to concentrate. Moderate use will produce hallucinations and a dreamy euphoria. Finally, at the highest doses, the individual may suffer from amnesia or become delirious. With any level of abuse, memory will certainly be affected.

Is Decreasing the Amount of Drugs Consumed a Solution for Drug Abuse?

There are several major symptoms that must occur simultaneously for an individual to be diagnosed with addiction. These symptoms include:

Tolerance for the drugs they consume
Withdrawal symptoms when the drugs are not consumed
Loss of control when using drugs
Craving drugs the majority of the time

However, an individual who abuses drugs can suffer from one or more of these symptoms as well. For instance, loss of control when using drugs may include the drug abusers inability to choose their responsibilities for work, school or children over their drug use. The drug abuser may have no control over the decision to go to a nightclub where they may have access to Ketamine or Rohypnol rather than helping their child with homework or going to work to support their family.

Simply taking less or “cutting back” on the drugs they use will not solve these problems. Nor will cutting back on drug use eliminate or reduce the risk of permanent brain damage or disease of the vital organs.

Drug abuse can be just as damaging as addiction, depending upon the individual and the circumstances.

Prescription Medications

There are individuals who abuse drugs who may not realize what they are doing. These people may have visited a doctor for an injury or illness and been legally prescribed certain narcotics for the treatment of pain due to an injury, chronic conditions that cause pain, or even a severe cold. Others may have been prescribed central nervous system depressants for anxiety. Still others, children who suffer from attention-deficit disorder, for instance, may have received prescriptions for stimulants.

In some cases, the pleasurable effects of these drugs (the euphoria that drug abusers seek) are only temporary. As the patient develops a tolerance to the drugs, the euphoria goes away. Some individuals may assume that the drugs are no longer working, so they increase their dosage so they can feel the effects.

This tolerance is the first in a series of steps that can lead to addiction. However, the very first time an individual takes more than their prescribed dose or takes prescribed doses too closely together, they have crossed the threshold of abuse.

Some states monitor the doctors who prescribe certain drugs to ensure they are not being overly prescribed. This technique has led to reduced drug abuse in some communities according to the FDA; however, it has also increased the need for some individuals to seek these drugs on the street.

This is a major difference between drug abuse and addiction of prescription drugs. An individual who is abusing prescription drugs may obtain their drugs from one doctor with whom they have developed a relationship, while the addict may shop for and frequent several doctors for the same conditions or purchase their drugs without a prescription from unsavory and unsafe sources.

Heroin Abuse

Is it possible to abuse heroin without being an addict? Like many other drugs, it is.

A functional individual who maintains a job and makes the “right” decisions about career and family may still have a problem with the abuse of drugs like heroin. Heroin is an opiate that attaches itself to the opiate receptors of the human brain. These opiate receptors can change the way the drug user feels and create a dream-like state of euphoria. The more heroin an individual uses, the more intense this feeling. A person might abuse heroin once in a lifetime or once each year, but the risk of life-long repercussions is still prevalent. The risk of developing a dependence upon heroin is a risk every time an individual chooses to abuse the drug.

As tolerance develops, the abuser of heroin will need to inject more of the drug to find these intense feelings, or the “high” associated with drug abuse. Often, someone who abuses heroin will take just enough of the drug to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay. This will make them “well” enough to go to work or school; however, the damage done to the internal structures of the human body remains the same.

The Unseen Dangers of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse can lead to health problems involving the liver and other major organs, of course. However, there are other dangers that can come from the abuse of drugs or alcohol that many individuals do not consider.

For instance, drug abuse can lead an individual to make foolish decisions that place them and others around them into dangerous situations. These decisions can have lasting impacts on a variety of situations.

An individual who abuses heroin or other drugs that might be injected directly into muscle tissue or veins drastically increases their risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis or other infections through the use of shared needles. It is easy for an individual to claim they simply won’t share needles, however, once the drug has been introduced into the brain and affects the ability to make sound decisions, the risk of sharing needles for the purposes of injecting more of the drug is always there.

When an individual is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he or she may make the decision to climb behind the wheel of their car and drive. Again, this same person may be completely horrified by the concept of driving while intoxicated; however, this person is not practicing correct decision-making once they have introduced drugs into their body. In the United States, one person dies every 48 minutes as the result of an impaired driving accident according the Center of Disease Control. Thirty people per day, on average, are no longer alive because someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs made the wrong choice.

Brain damage is also a significant risk of drug abuse. For instance, use of cocaine can cause strokes so small they often go unnoticed by the drug abuser. However, these strokes can kill brain tissue on a regular basis. MDMA (Ecstasy) can disrupt the brain’s ability to produce natural serotonin. This substance is responsible for equalizing mood, aggression and other emotions; therefore, if the body can no longer naturally produce serotonin, the abuser may find that he is unable to control or experience normal emotions, with or without the use of the drug.

Some drug abusers will engage in reckless activities such as binge use of certain drugs. When this happens, even if the individual is not diagnostically addicted to a specific substance, the activity can result in brain lesions that render the individual permanently brain damaged and disabled.

The physical is only one aspect of brain damage that can occur. The other is psychological. Drug abuse can lead to anxiety and depression disorders for two reasons. The first is the lack of ability to enjoy life without drugs and their euphoric effects. Some marijuana abusers, for instance, report that life without marijuana is “boring.” Others indications are that continued marijuana abuse can lead to conditions as serious as schizophrenia.

When an individual begins to abuse drugs, they may find that their lives outside of their drug use are disturbed. They are unable to perform as well at their jobs, which can lead to less income. They relate differently to their families, which can lead to broken relationships and the destruction of existing families. Both of these examples, and many others, can lead the drug abuser to suffer from anxiety, depression and other mental disorders. These mental disorders can lead to more drug abuse, which can culminate in serious addiction.