Drug Addiction

What is Drug Addiction:

Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences. It is considered a brain disorder because it involves functional changes in brain circuits involved in reward, stress, and self-control. These changes can last long after you stop taking the drug. 

Addiction is very similar to other diseases such as heart disease. Although both interfere with the normal, healthy functioning of organs in the body and have serious harmful effects, both are often preventable and treatable. If left untreated, it can be lifelong and even fatal. 

Why people take drugs: 

Generally, people take drugs for several reasons. To make you feel better: Drugs can produce strong feelings of pleasure. This initial euphoria is followed by other effects that vary depending on the type of drug used. For example, when you use stimulants such as cocaine, you feel a sense of strength, confidence, and increased energy after getting high. In contrast, the euphoria caused by opioids such as heroin is followed by feelings of relaxation and satisfaction. 

How to feel better: 

Some people who suffer from social anxiety, stress, or depression turn to medication to reduce their anxiety. Stress can have a significant impact on the initiation and continuation of drug use and relapse (return to drug use) in patients recovering from addiction. 

To get better: 

Some people feel pressure to focus better at school, work, or sports. If you try to use or continue to use prescription drugs, such as stimulants or cocaine, you may be affected. 

Curiosity and social pressure: 

Teenagers are particularly at risk in this regard because peer pressure is so intense. Adolescence is a developmental period when the presence of risk factors, such as peers who use drugs, can lead to substance use. 

What’s the problem if taking a drug makes you feel better or feel better:

When using a drug for the first time, a person may perceive what appears to be a positive effect. Others may believe they can control their use. But drugs can quickly take over a person’s life. Over time, if drug use continues, other pleasurable activities become less enjoyable, and a person must take drugs just to feel “normal.” They struggle to control their need to take drugs, even though it causes many problems for themselves and their loved ones. Even in the early stages of drug use, some people begin to feel the need to take more drugs or to take drugs more frequently. These are signs of addiction. 

Even relatively moderate drug use poses risks. Consider that when a social drinker gets behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, a fun activity can quickly turn into a tragedy that affects many lives. Occasional drug use, such as misuse of opioids to get high, can have similarly devastating effects, including impaired driving and overdose.

Do people choose to continue using drugs:

The initial decision to use drugs is usually a voluntary one. However, continued use can seriously impair a person’s ability to self-control. This lack of self-control is a hallmark of addiction. 

Brain imaging studies of addicts show physical changes in brain areas important for judgment, decision-making, learning and memory, and behavioral control, and these changes may explain the compulsive nature of addiction. It may be possible

Why do some people get addicted to drugs and others don’t:

As with any disease or disorder, the likelihood of becoming addicted varies from person to person, and there is no single factor that determines whether someone will become addicted to a drug. There are no factors. Generally, the more risk factors a person has, the more likely it is that taking a drug will lead to drug use and addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person’s risk. Risk and protective factors can be either environmental or biological. 

Biological factors that increase the risk of addiction: 

Biological factors that can influence an individual’s risk of addiction include genes, developmental stage, and even gender and ethnicity. Scientists estimate that genes, which include the influence of environmental factors on a person’s gene expression, called epigenetics, account for 40 to 60 percent of a person’s addiction risk. Additionally, teenagers and people with mental disorders are at higher risk of drug use and addiction than others. 

Environmental factors that increase the risk of addiction: 

Environmental factors are those related to your family, school, and neighborhood. Factors that can increase a person’s risk include: 

Home and family: 

The home environment, especially in early childhood, is a very important factor. When parents or older family members use drugs, misuse alcohol, or violate the law, children can be at increased risk of developing drug problems in the future. 

Peers and school: 

Friends and other peers become increasingly influential during the teenage years. Teens who use drugs may be trying drugs for the first time, even if they have no risk factors. If a child does not do well in school or has poor social skills, he or she may be at increased risk of drug use or addiction.

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