Signs and Symptoms

Depending on the actual compound drug abuse including alcohol may lead to health problems social problems morbidity injuries unprotected sex violence deaths motor vehicle accidents homicides suicides physical dependence or psychological addiction.

There is a high rate of suicide in alcoholics and other drug abusers the reasons believed to cause the increased risk of suicide include long term abuse of alcohol and other drugs causing physiological distortion of brain chemistry as well as the social isolation another factory is the acute intoxicating effects of the drugs may make suicide more likely to occur suicide is also very common in adolescent alcohol abusers with 1 in 4 suicides in adolescents 30 percent of suicides are related to alcohol abuse alcohol abuse is also associated with increased risks of committing criminal offences including child abuse domestic violence rapes burglaries and assaults.

 

Drug Misuse

Drug misuse is a team used commonly when prescription medication with sedative anxiolytic analgesic or stimulant properties are used for mood alteration or intoxication ignoring the fact that overdose of such medicines have serious adverse effects it often involves drug diversion from the individuals for whom it was prescribed prescription misuse has been defined differently and rather inconsistently based on status of drug prescription the uses without a prescription intentional use to achieve intoxicating effects route of administration co-ingestion with alcohol and the presence or absence of dependence symptoms.

Chronic use leads to a change in central nervous system which means the patient has developed tolerance to the medicine that more of the substance is needed in order to produce desired effects when this happens any efforts to stop or reduce the use of this substance would cause withdrawal symptoms to occur.

The rate of prescription drug abuse is fast overtaking illegal drug abuse in the united states according to the national institute of drug abuse 7 millions people were talking prescription drug for nonmedical use in 2010 among 12th grades prescription drug misuse is now second only to cannabis nearly 1 in 12 high school reported nonmedical use of vicodin 1 in 2 reported abuse of oxycontin both of these drugs contain opioids.

 

Substance Abuse

Substance abuse also known as drug abuse is a patterned use of drug in which the users consumers the substance in amounts or with methods which are harmful to themselves or other and in a form of substance related disorder widely differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health medical and criminal justice contexts.

Drugs most often association with this term include alcohol barbiturates benzodiazepines cannabis cocaine methaqualone opioids and substituted  amphetamines.

In some cases criminal or anti-social behavior occurs when the person is under the influence of a drug and long term personality changes in individuals may occur as well in addition to possible physical social and psychological harm use of some drugs may also lead to criminal penalties although these vary widely depending on the local jurisdiction.

The exact causes of substance abuse is not clear with theories including one of two either a genetic disposition which is learned from other or a habit which if addiction develops it manifests itself as a chronic debilitating disease.

Drug Abuse Facts

• Use and abuse of illicit drugs like heroin and cocaine cost the american public about $181 billions every year annual alcohol costs come to about $235 billions.
• The untold cost of drugs and alcohol abuse and addiction in the united states is not financial it comes in the form of broken families destroyed careers death due to negligence or accident domestic violence and physical abuse and child abuse. 
• More than 30 millions americans over the age of 12 said that they drove a car after drinking alcohol at least one time in 2009
• Drug abuse and addiction changes your brain chemistry the longer you see your drugs of choice the more damage is done and the harder it is to go back to normal during drug rehab.
• Drug abuse and addiction disease like diabetes heart disease and other chronic medical illnesses once you've got it you're stuck to your treatment plan and stay engaged with your recovery.
• The best way to treat drug and alcohol dependence is to undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation program that is tailored to meet your specific needs if you experience depression your rehab program should treat that as well if you suffered a childhood trauma that should be addressed during drug rehab.

Most Commonly Used and Abused Drugs

Without questions the most commonly used abused drugs after alcohol is marijuana each year more teens enter addiction treatment with a primary diagnosis of marijuana dependence than all other illegal drugs combined other common drugs of abuse include cocaine heroin inhalants LSD acid MDMA ecstasy methamphetamine phencyclidine PCP steroids anabolic vicodin oxycontin and other prescription drugs for additional information about specific drugs including information by drug category street name how it is used and health risks:
commonly abused drugs.

      Short-term Effects of Drugs Use

Drugs are chemicals and while each drug produces different physical effects all abused substance share one thing in common they hijack the normal function of the brain and change the way the brain responds to issues of self -control judgment emotion motivation memory and learning.

This is why the person feels differently the signals coming and going from the brain have changed although this can cause temporary euphoria it can also causes hallucinations anxiety paranoia and uncontrolled behavior it can causes your respiratory lungs and cardiovascular heart system to malfunction or fail.
 

Facts About Drugs

According to the national survey on drug use and health NSDUH an estimate 20 millions americans aged 12 or older an illegal drug in the past 30 days this estimate represents 8% percent of the population aged 12 years old or older illicit drugs include marijuana/hashish cocaine heroin hallucinogens inhalants or prescription drugs used without a prescription.

  Cost To Society

The estimate cost of drug abuse exceeds $190 billions 

• $130 billions in lost productivity
• $20 billion in healthcare costs

$40 billion in legal costs including efforts to steam the flow of drugs

Beyond the financial costs is the cost to individuals families and society;

• Spread of infectious diseases such as hiv/aids and hepatitis C either through sharing of drugs paraphernalia or unprotected sex
• Deaths due to overdose or other complications from drug abuse
• Effects on unborn children of pregnant drug users 
• impact on the family crime and homelessness

A Blind Eye To Addiction

      DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTS IN THE US 

Addiction is america's most neglected disease according to a columbia university study 40 millions american age 12 and over meet the clinical criteria for addiction involving nicotine alcohol or other drug that's more americans that those with heart disease diabetes or cancer an estimated additional 80 millions people in this country are risky substance users meaning that while not additional they use tobacco alcohol and other drugs in ways that threaten public health and safety the costs to government coffers alone exceed $468 billion annually.

Over 38,000 peopled died of drugs overdoses in the u.s in 2010 greater than the deaths attributed to motor vehicle accidents homicides and suicides overdose deaths from opioids have become the fastest growing drug problems throughout the us and not just in large urban settings.  

Drug Abuse

                        DRUG ABUSE IN INDIA

June 26 is celebrating as international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking every year it is an exercise undertaking by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular to the menace of drugs the picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account with a turnover of around $500 billions it is third largest business in the world next to petroleum and arms trade about 190 millions people all over the world consume one drug or the other. drug addiction causes immense human distress and the illegal production and distribution of drugs have spawned crime and violence worldwide. today there is no part of the world that is free from the curse of drug trafficking and drug addiction millions of drugs addicts all over world are leading miserable lives between life and death.

India too is caught in this vicious circle of drug abuse and the numbers of drug addicts are increasing day by day according to an un report one million heroin addicts are registered in india and unofficially there are as many as five million what started off as casual use among  a minuscule population of high-income group youth in the metro has permeated to all sections of society inhalations of heroin alone has given way to intravenous drug use that too in combination with other sedatives and painkillers this has increased the intensity of the effect hastened the process of addiction and complicated the process of recovery cannabis heroin and indian produced pharmaceutical drugs are the most frequently abused abused drugs in india.        

Recreational Drug Use

                        PROHIBITION OF DRUGS

Recreational drug use is the use of a drug with the primary intention of alternation of the central nervous system in order to create positive emotions and feelings some national laws prohibit the use of different recreational drugs and medicinal drugs that have the potential for recreational use are often heavily regulated on the other hand there are many recreational drugs that are legal in many jurisdictions and widely culturally accepted.

Cannabis is a mild psychoactive drug and is the most commonly consumed drug in the world there may be an age restriction on the consumption and purchase of legal and accepted in many places include alcohol tobacco betel nut and caffeine products and in some areas of the world the legal use of drugs such as khat is common.

There are number of legal intoxicants commonly called legal highs that are used recreationally  the most widely used of these is alcohol.

 

Smart Drugs and Designer Drugs

          NOOTROPIC AND DESIGNER DRUG

Nootropcs also commonly referred to as smart drugs are drugs that are claimed to improve humans cognitive abilities nootropics are used to improve memory concentration thought mood learning and many other things some nootropics are now beginning to be used to treat certain diseases such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder parkinson's disease and alzheimer's disease they are also commonly used to regain brain function lost during aging.

Other drugs known as designer drugs produced include analogs of performance enhancing drugs such as designer steroids taken to improve physical capabilities and these are sometimes used for this purpose often by professional athletes other designer drugs mimic the effects of psychoactive drugs since the late 1990s there has been the identification of many of these synthesised drugs in japan and the united kingdom this has spurred the addition of many designer drugs into a newer class of controlled substance known as a temporary class drug.   

Medication

                   
PHARMACEUTICAL DRUG

A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition the use may also be as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms dispensing of medication is often regulated by governments into three categories over the country medication.

Which are available in pharmacies and supermarkets without special restriction behind the counter medicines which are dispensed by a pharmacist without needing a doctor's prescription and prescription only medicines which must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional usually a physician.

In the united kingdom behind the counter medicines are called pharmacy medicines which can only be sold in registered pharmacies by or under the supervision of a pharmacist these medications are designated by the letter p on the label the range of medicines available without prescription varies from country to country medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented to give the developer exclusive rights to produce them those that are not patented are called generic drugs since they can be produced by other companies without restrictions or licences from the patent holder.

Drug

A drug is any substance other than food that when inhaled injected smoked consumed absorbed via a patch on the skin or dissolved under the tongue causes a physiological change in the body.

In the pharmacology pharmaceutical drug or medicine is a chemical substance used to treat cure prevent diagnose a disease or promote well being traditionally drugs were obtained through extraction from medicinal plants but more recently also by organic synthesis pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a limited duration or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.

Pharmaceutical drugs are often classified into drug classes groups of related drugs that have similar chemical structures the same mechanism of action a related mode of action and that are used to teat the same disease.

The Anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system ATC the most widely used drug classification system assigns drugs a unique ATC code which is an alphanumeric code that assigns it to specific drug classes within the ATC system another major classification system is the Biopharmaceutics Classification system this classifies drugs according to their solubility and permeability or absorption properties.

Principal Of Drug Addiction Treatment

TREATING CRIMINAL JUSTICE-INVOLVED DRUG ABUSERS AND ADDICTED INDIVIDUALS

Often drug abusers come into contact with the criminal justice system earlier than other health or social system presenting opportunities for intervention and treatment prior to during after or in lieu of incarceration research has shown that combining criminal justice sanctions with drug treatment can be effective in decreasing drug abuse and related crime individuals under legal coercion tend to stay in treatment longer and do as well as or better than those not under legal pressure studies show that for incarcerated individuals with drug problems.

Starting drug abuse treatment in prison and continuing the same treatment upon release in other words a seamless continuum of services-results in better outcomes less drug use less criminal behavior more information on how the criminal behavior more information on how the criminal justice system can address the problem of drug addiction can be found in principal of drug abuse treatment for criminal justice populations. 

Principal Of Drug AddictionTreatment

HOW DOES DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT HELP REDUCE THE SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS HEPATITIS C (HCV) AND OTHER INFECTION DISEASES ?

Drug abusing individuals including injection and non-injecting drug users are at increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus HIV hepatitis c virus HCV and other infectious diseases these diseases are transmitted by sharing contaminated drug injection equipment and by engaging in risky sexual behavior sometimes associated with drug use effective drug abuse treatment is HIV/HCV prevention because it reduce activities that can spread disease such as sharing injection equipment and engaging in unprotected sexual activity counseling that targets a range of HIV/HCV risk behaviors provides an added level of disease prevention. 

Injections drug users who do not enter treatment are up to six times more likely to become infected with HIV than those who enter and remain in treatment participation in treatment also presents opportunities for HIV screening from NIDA's national drug abuse treatment clinical trials network showed that providing rapid onsite HIV testing in substance abuse treatment facilities increased patients likelihood of being tested and receiving their test result. 

Principal Of Drugs Addiction Treatment

WHY DO DRUGS-ADDICTION PERSON KEEP USING DRUGS 

Nearly all addiction individuals believe at the outset that they can stop using drugs on their own and most try to stop with out treatment although some people are successful many attempts result in failure to achieve long term abstinence research has shown that long term drug abuse results in changes in the brain that persists long after a person stops using drugs these drug induced changes in brain function can have many behavioral consequence including an inability to exert control over the impulse to use drugs despite adverse consequence the defining characteristic of addiction.

Understanding that addiction has such a fundamental biological component may help explain the difficult of achieving and maintaining abstinence without treatment psychological stress from work family problems psychiatric illness pain associated with medical problems social cues or environmental cues can trigger intense cravings without the individual even being consciously aware of the triggering event any one of these factory can hinder attainment of sustained abstinence and make relapse more likely nevertheless research indicates that active participation in treatment is an essential components for good out comes and can benefits even the most several addicted individuals.   

Principal Of Drug Addiction Treatment

    HOW EFFECTIVE IS DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT

In addition to stopping drug abuse the goal of treatment is to return people to productive functioning in the family workplace and community according to research that tracks individuals in treatment over extended periods most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs decrease their criminal activity and improve their occupational social and psychological functioning.

For example methadone treatment has been show to increase participation in behavioral therapy and decrease both drug use and criminal behavior however individual treatment outcomes depend on the extent and nature of the patient's problems the appropriateness of treatment and related services used to address those problems and the quality of interaction between the patient and his or her treatment providers.

Like other chronic diseases addiction can be managed successfully treatment enables people to counteract addiction's powerful disruptive effects on the brain and behavior and to regain control of their lives the chronic nature of the diseases means that relapsing to drug is not only possible but also likely with symptom recurrence rates similar to those for the other well characterized chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes hypertension ans asthma (see figure comparison of relapse rates between drug addiction and other chronic illnesses) that also have both psysiological and behavioral components.