...The Causes and Effects of Drug Abuse The fact that drugs have become a problem in our society is no secret. It seems that although everyone knows the consequences or drug abuse, some people still seem to think they are immune to these effects, or that they will be able to stop drug use after trying it just one time. Although it is true that some are lucky enough to quit after just one time, it is also true that even trying drugs one time causes dependence and a life full of torment and hell. To the observer, it might be questioned why one person will abuse drugs to the point of losing his or her job, home, and family, while another seems to have none of these problems. In this essay, I will discuss these affects, as well as their causes, that we see in a variety of drug users. Drug abuse and addiction each have no single cause. However, there are a number of risk factors that increase a person’s odds of developing a chemical abuse or dependency disorder. These can include different psychological issues, such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Additionally, people can turn to drugs to get relief from physical/mental pain or to deal with stress and loneliness they may be facing. Drugs seem to provide an “escape” from any sort of discomfort a person may be having, whether it be that physical, social, or psychological. However, the escape that a person experiences is brief, and unfortunately causes many harmful effects as it gradually takes over the abuser’s life...
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...Gold Okorie Dr. Williams Carney ENGL1113 Compare and Contrast Monday 29th September, 2014. University education in Nigeria and the United State of America Education is the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by learning process. University education is a level of education we attain to be able to be independent and carry out our responsibilities to be able to gain a reputable position in life and have a good standard of living. With education, a lot of things can be achieved in life and respect is attached to those who are educated. In a place like Nigeria, education is very important so also to other countries like the United State of America .It is this form of education that has made countries developed than other countries. There are similarities in university education in Nigeria and the United States such as writing an exam before the entry to a college or university there are administered entrance exam to be taken. ACT exam is written in the United State while in Nigeria we take the WAEC exam and the unified test which is called jamb (joint matriculation board).Another similarity is that the educational sector for the tertiary system is usually 4-7years, depending on the major or course. Also, the tertiary sector as a whole offers opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, vocational and technical education. In both countries, the tertiary sector have the same primary objective of educating students and bringing out the best in them. ...
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...What is the first thought that comes to mind when asked about drug abuse in the United States? What are its long-term effects on humans and society? Drug abuse in the United States is often overlooked, but drugs such as cocaine have caused irreversible destruction to our society. These effects can be seen through families, increase in drug related crimes, death, and neighborhoods with violence. In today’s world people only tend to see cocaine as a white substance and don’t fully realize from where it originates. Cocaine is a drug extracted from the “leaves of coca plants” and later turned into “white powder” or a “rock” through a tedious process of chemicals (Cleveland Clinic). It is an influential brain “stimulant” which means that when it...
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...Drug abuse and addiction starts after drug use, usually after multiple uses. Addiction is less about the type or amount consumed, but more about how frequently you use the substance. If the drug use is causing problems in different areas of the users life, it is likely that there is an addiction or abuse of that drug. Some of the risk factors of addiction can include a family history of addiction, such as a close family member being an alcoholic. Past instances of abuse, neglect, and other traumatic experiences. If the user has a mental disorder, like depression and anxiety. If the use of the drug started early, like if a 13 year old started smoking cigarettes. The method of use is also a risk factor, as different methods may increase the chance...
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...Pg.2 NATIVE AMERICANS and DRUG ABUSE The first evidence showing indigenous people to inhabit North America indicated that they migrated there from Siberia over 11,000 years ago. Native Americans were a very populous group of people, today they only account for 1.4 percent of the United States population. The healing traditions of Native Americans go back for thousands of years as the many indigenous tribes learned that by mixing herbs, roots ,and often natural plants that they could heal various medical problems, although healing practices varied widely from tribe to tribe including various rituals. Native American Indians struggle disproportionately...
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...Drug use is on the rise is no surprising fact but drug use is being used at younger ages. It’s now being discovered that children as young as nine are now experimenting with drugs. There are many problems arising in new generations with maturing being one. Kids are becoming more aware of trouble and adult activities earlier than in the past. According to child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg when questioned by Matt Johnson (2013) in the article “Kids using drugs at 9”, “What was happening when kids were perhaps 15, it's now happening a lot earlier. Previously they were talking about their Barbie dolls, now they are talking about alcohol and marijuana” (Johnson, para. 3). To turn youth around; public schools, charter schools, and even homeschooling programs will begin teaching at 5th-7th grade the effects of drug use. To persuade them to resist experimentation, the short and long term effects on the body and financially will be taught....
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... Teacher: Topic: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Drug Abuse. Physiological Effects * Physiological effects of drug abuse vary by the type of drug. Stimulants, such as amphetamines, can delay sleep and elevate a person's mood, but high amounts can cause nervousness and anxiety in the user. Depressants, by contrast, impair mental and physical functions, and slow neural activity in the brain. With some drugs, especially narcotics such as opium or heroin, the body can build a tolerance in which it adjusts to the drug's presence. Over time, the body requires higher doses to maintain the same effect. When an abuser stops taking the drug, the body experiences withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling weak or sick. Withdrawal symptoms are the body's reaction to the absence of the drug to which it had become adjusted. Social Effects * The social effects of drug abuse begin with abusers and their families. Substance abuse has been a factor in divorce, family violence and related problems. The social effects extend into the larger society, as well, such as through crimes committed by drug abusers to get money needed to feed drug habits. Further, the lucrative nature of drug trafficking fuels crime as rival drug gangs fight for control of the traffic. The U.S. government, for example, noted increased drug-related violence on the U.S.-Mexico border and cited drug gangs in these areas as the nation's leading organized crime threat Economic Effects * Reports by UNDCP have pointed...
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...Drug Abuse and Addiction: What's the Difference? Written by Natasha Tracy [pic]While many people use the terms drug abuse and addiction interchangeably, abuse and addiction have separate and distinct meanings. One can abuse drugs without necessarily being addicted to drugs. The drug abuse definition centers more around the way a person uses drugs, while the drug addiction definition includes the use of drugs and also the psychological and physiological effects the drug has on the body. It's important to understand the drug abuse and drug addiction definitions so as to correctly identify problem behaviours seen in loved ones. It's also key to remember that alcohol is also a drug and is included in the definitions of drug abuse and addiction Drug Abuse and Addiction - Drug Tolerance Central to the understanding of drug abuse and addiction is the idea of tolerance. When a person starts using a drug, they typically use a small amount to receive pleasurable effects, or a "high." With time though, drug users find the same amount of drug no longer produces the desired effects and they have to consume more of the drug to attain the same high. This effect is known as tolerance.1 In drug abuse and addiction, creation of tolerance depends on the drug used, the amount that is used and the frequency with which it is used. Drug tolerance can be both psychological and physiological. Drug Abuse Definition The definition of drug abuse does not have drug tolerance as a factor. Rather...
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...Effect of Abuse on Society Family and Community Drug abuse is common in all societies. Families and communities are becoming less happy and rarely yet torn by death, or a serious injury due to drug abuse. Unfortunately, around the world and throughout time, drug abuse has shown to be common among families. Abuse of any kind takes over everything in the abusers life. Drug and alcohol abuse can affect a person’s capability to keep a job. Drug and alcohol not only affects the person itself but everyone around him or her especial their families and the community. People around the world believe that drugs or alcohol are the solution to their problems, not knowing the problem becomes worst and a nightmare is about to begin. Drug abuse negatively affects family’s communication and interaction. Whether the abuser is the parent or a child, communication and interaction maybe a major motive to lead a family member into abusing drugs as well as abusing drugs eventually will cause lack of communication and interaction within a family because the abuser is focused on the drug and his or her next high, rather than thinking about spending time with family. If drugs are involved in a family the communication is negative and the mood within siblings is often depressing (livestrong.com, 2011). Families, who live under this type of home environment, tend to pass the same lifestyle to the next generation, and it is prone for the children to repeat the same cycle of drug abuse...
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...consequences of drug abuse? Have people ever really taken those consequences into account? Drug abuse is one of the major problems in our society. The causes of drug abuse are really unknown, but the effects of this epidemic are very serious. Many people get used to taking pills or like the way that illegal drugs make them feel. They can easily get addicted and abuse those drugs; that is the problem. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the physical, psychological, and economic effects of drug abuse. The first effect of drug abuse is physical. Physical effects are the most important because these can cause death. For example, drug abuse damages important organs such as the heart, lungs, and liver. Drug abuse can also cause neurological damages, which cause alterations in body movements, loss of appetite, depression, and mood swings. It is possible for a person to overdose on drugs, unknowingly. There are many other effects that drugs have the body. These physical consequences could cause death, or permanent damage to a person's body if too much of a drug is consumed at one time, or even in a long period of time. The second effect caused by drug abuse is psychological. At the beginning, drugs make people feel relaxed, but if someone consumes too much or, at times not enough, it increases anxiety and can lead to depression. Drug abuse also causes a lot of family and legal problems, violence, drastic changes in behavior, suicide, and many other problems. Drugs are very powerful...
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...[pic]Drug dependence - Overview Alternative Names Drug addiction; Addiction - drug; Dependence on drugs Definition of Drug dependence: Drug dependence means that a person needs a drug to function normally. Abruptly stopping the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms. Drug addiction is the compulsive use of a substance, despite its negative or dangerous effects. A person may have a physical dependence on a substance without having an addiction. For example, certain blood pressure medications do not cause addiction but they can cause physical dependence. Other drugs, such as cocaine, cause addiction without leading to physical dependence. Tolerance to a drug (needing a higher dose to attain the same effect) is usually part of addiction. Causes, incidence, and risk factors: Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence or addiction. People who use drugs for pain relief may become dependent, although this is rare in those who don't have a history of addiction. The exact cause of drug abuse and dependence is not known. However, a person's genes, the action of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress all can be factors. Peer pressure can lead to drug use or abuse, but at least half of those who become addicted have depression, attention deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or another mental health problem. Children who grow up in an environment of illicit drug use may first see their parents using drugs. This may put them at a...
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...Implications Of Drug Abuse Among Undergraduates: A Case Study Of The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. Nigeria. Citation: Kobiowu, S.V. (2006) The Social And Academic Implications Of Drug Abuse Amonst Undergraduates: A Case Study of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation. 11 (1), 61-68 [pic] Abstract The researcher investigated the incidence of drug misuse among university undergraduates, with particular reference to Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. The study revealed that the academic pursuit of those undergraduates who engage in drug misuse is not unduly jeopardized, and that the abusers do not socialize extraordinarily, contrary to seemingly popular expectation. [pic] Introduction The term ‘drug’ in the main, would relate to “any substance that, when taken into a living organism, may modify one or more of its functions”, while abuse’ implies “a particular application of a drug more destructive than constructive for society, or the individual”. One may be hooked emotionally and psychologically, and may have a physical dependence, where one has a drug addiction problem, whether to a legal or illegal drug, there is a craving for it. The individual wants to use the drug again and again, and if it is stopped, there are usually unpleasant physical reactions. While it is not everyone who uses drug that becomes...
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...Substance abuse is the destructive pattern of use of any substance for mood altering purposes, which leads to addiction and many other potentially serious problems (NCDHHS). Substance abuse is not limited to the abuse of drugs; it also includes inhalants, alcohol and solvents. In reality, nearly any substance can be abused (NCDHHS). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the abuse of illicit drugs and psychotherapeutics has increased; with 9.2 % of the population over the age twelve having abused some substance. Not surprisingly, there has been a rapid increase, (due to its easy access) in the use of marijuana (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014). Whilst there is no definitive cause of substance abuse, there are a myriad of factors that can trigger it. Socioeconomic status, family history, child abuse, depression, low self-esteem, stress; these are but a few reasons that can trigger substance abuse in an individual. Having relationships with people who use abuse substances, or accept their use as normal can also lead a person to develop substance abuse issues (Robinson, Smith &Saisan, 2014). There is no precise way to determine if someone will or does abuse substances, but there are some things one can look for and identify as indicators of substance abuse. Lack of interest in activities, depression, taking unnecessary risks, becoming drunk or high regularly, preplanning substance abuse, needing more and more substances to get drunk or high and blacking...
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...2014 Drug Abuse Annotated Bibliography In today’s society, drug abuse, whether it be prescription or recreational, is becoming more and more popular. Steroids are another form of drug abuse. They are illegal and are very common in the sporting scene. Many of the people abusing these drugs do not at all realize the harm that they are doing to themselves. The sources I chose to support my argument were chosen because of their credibility and their accuracy. They all give either statistics or information on how bad the side effects of drug abuse are. "Addiction and Substance Abuse." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 19 Nov. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2014. <http://www.2facts.com/article/i1700390> In this article, the author(s) discuss many viewpoints on drug abuse. They explain supporters and opponents’ viewpoints on drug being kept illegal. An argument that I found that would support my own argument was the supporters’ idea that legalizing drugs will only make things worse by letting more and more people get into them and become dependent on them. My point in using this as a source is not to discuss legalizing drugs, but merely showing how people do know that they are wrong and can have negative, long-lasting effects on users. Marijuana is a gateway drug, and can be harmful if used over long periods of time. Long-time users have experienced permanent short-term memory problems, lung damage, and slowed reaction time. "Drug Abuse Effects." Drug Abuse Effects...
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...Christianity point of view. b) Law of the land. DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE. INTRODUCTION. DEFINITION. Drug. 1) A drug is any chemical you take that affects the way your body works. Example: alcohol, caffeine, aspirin, nicotine etc. 2) A drug is a substance which may have medicinal, intoxicating performance when taken by a human body. Drug abuse. 1) It is the use of illegal drugs, the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for at least a year with negative consequences. 2) Compulsive, excessive and self-damaging use of habit-forming drugs or substances, leading t addiction or dependence, serious physiological injury(e.g. damage of kidney, liver, heart) and/or physiological harm(e.g. dysfunctional behavior patterns, hallucinations, memory loss),or death. Substance abuse. Harmful/hazardous use of psychoactive substances including alcohol and illicit drugs. Substance abuse is also sometimes referred to as drug abuse. Drug and substance abuse has become a disaster and an issue to be addressed urgently worldwide. In Kenya, drug abuse is one of the major problems alongside poverty, corruption and HIV/AIDS. However, whereas the HIV/AIDS prevalence is coming down, drugs and substance abuse is on the increase compounded by lack of a traditional control system and frustration arising from unemployment, idleness and poverty. WHY SUBSTANCE AND DRUG ABUSE IS AN ISSUE OF CONCERN. Since the issue of drug abuse came into existence, a lot of measures to curb its...
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