Drugs are chemical substances which cause harm to the body. Their use affects the body, mind, and people around you especially the kids, families, workmates, and babies who are yet to be born. Effect of drug abuse can be direct or indirect, and no one is free from these effects. There are a couple of reasons why people abuse drugs such as depression, to escape from reality, addiction, and peer pressure among others (Bell, Suzanne, and Corey Nida). We have a group of individuals who abuse drugs primarily because they are available. Regardless of the reason, drug abuse is a fast-growing issue, and it is sad that the most people indulging in drug habits are teenagers and young adults who are meant to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Figure 1: Rising cases of drug abuse and their fatalities.
Drug use may lead to addiction, but unless pronounced effects are observed, one may never realize thus leading to long-lasting brain illness. Drugs cause unplanned deaths, deterioration of body health and cause of infections due to loss of immunity. The liver no longer fights toxins thus becoming damaged; the heart becomes weak in pumping blood, therefore, causing heart failures and blood pressure (Bell, Suzanne, and Corey Nida).
There are three classes of drugs susceptible to abuse, opiates, stimulants, and depressants.
Opiates are drugs prescribed to treat severe or chronic diseases but may end up being abused once the patient prolongs its use, a good example is morphine.Stimulants are drugs that cause anxiety or stimulate the central nervous system thus increasing the activity of the brain. Some stimulants are used as medicinal drugs such as caffeine, but others are used as a drug of abuse, an example nicotine which is found in tobacco and cocaine which is found on the leaves of the coca plant.
Depressants are drugs that slow down the activity of the central nervous system and are mostly used in treating many medical conditions. Valium and Xanax are examples of depressants used by doctors to treat insomnia and anxiety, but if abused, they cause addiction, serious injury or death of the person (Caday, Dr. Freddie Bencio). Depending on the drug, it can enter the human body in some ways, including injection where needles are always recycled by drug users without sterilization, inhalation, and ingestion. The technique of how a drug enters the body impacts on how the drug affects the person. For example: injection takes the drug directly into the bloodstream, providing more immediate effects; while ingestion requires the drug to pass through the digestive system, delaying the effects.
Figure 2: Depression as a cause of drug abuse
Alcohol is commonly abused depressant which has negatively affected the lives of the society. Some of the health-related complications include anything from altered brain chemistry, health complications, infections, legal issues, and financial problems. Depending on the amount ingested, other complications include accidental injuries, family breakups, stealing, behavior change, hallucinations, mental cloudiness, hygiene and appearance, confusion, inability to sleep or excess sleep, suicidal attempts and to the extent of causing death (Caday, Dr. Freddie Bencio).
Figure 3: Alcohol as the most abused drug.
Women who use drugs while pregnant are prone to miscarriages, the birth of immature babies and are at risk of sexually transmitted diseases ("Drug Addiction And Pregnancy").Drugs such as nicotine, marijuana, cocaine affect the brain and reward it backward causing mental illness and improper function.
Figure 4: Pregnancy and drugs abuse.
In conclusion, the affected should always be assisted to seek medical care and rehabilitation centers.
Figure 5: Rehabilitation as a method of combating drug abuse
Works Cited
Bell, Suzanne, and Corey Nida. "Pyrolysis of Drugs of Abuse: A Comprehensive Review." Drug Testing and Analysis, vol 7, no. 6, 2015, pp. 445-456. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1002/dta.1794.
Caday, Dr. Freddie Bencio. "Causes of Drug Abuse Among College Students: The Philippine Experience." The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 2017, Research and Analysis Journals, doi:10.18535/ijsshi/v4i4.05.
"Drug Addiction and Pregnancy." Postgraduate Obstetrics & Gynecology, vol 34, no. 22, 2014, p. 8. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), doi: 10.1097/01.pgo.0000457515.38733.17.
Request Removal
If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the customtermpaperwriting.org website, please click below to request its removal:
