- Drug abuse and addiction, now both grouped as substance or drug abuse disorder, is a condition characterized by a self-destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems and distress, which may include tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance.
- Drug use disorder is unfortunately quite common. According to the World Health Organization, about 270 million (or about 5.5% of global population aged 15-64) had used psychoactive drugs in the previous year and about 35 million people are estimated to be affected by drug use disorders.
- People can abuse virtually any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric “high” feeling.
- Inhalants like household cleaners are some of the most commonly abused substances.
- While the specific physical and psychological effects of drug use disorder tend to vary based on the particular substance involved, the general effects of a substance use disorder involving any drug can be devastating.
- Although drug use disorders have no single cause, there are a number of biological, psychological, and social risk factors that can predispose a person to developing a chemical use disorder.
- Symptoms of a drug problem include recurrent drug use that results in legal problems, occurs in potentially dangerous situations, interfere with important obligations, results in social or relationship problems, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, using a lot of the drug or for a long period of time, persistent desire to use the drug, unsuccessful efforts to stop using the drug, neglecting other aspects of life because of their drug use, and spending inordinate amounts of time or energy getting, using, or recovering from the effects of the drug.
- While the specific effects of drugs on the brain can somewhat vary depending on the drug that is being used, virtually every substance that is abused has an effect on the executive-functioning areas of the brain. Drugs particularly affect the brain’s ability to inhibit actions that the person would otherwise delay or prevent.
- Treatment options for substance abuse disorders remain largely underutilized by most people who suffer from these conditions.
- The primary goals of recovery are abstinence, relapse prevention, and rehabilitation.
- During the initial stage of abstinence, a person who suffers from chemical dependency may need detoxification treatment to help avoid or lessen the effects of withdrawal.
- Often, much more challenging and time-consuming than recovery from the physical aspects of addiction is psychological addiction.
- Drug addiction increases the risk of a number of negative life stressors and conditions, particularly if left untreated.
What is drug use disorder?
Formerly separately called substance or drug abuse and addiction, drug use disorder is an illness characterized by a destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems or suffering, including tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance, as well as other problems that use of the substance can cause for the victim, either socially or in terms of their work or school performance. The effects of drug use disorders on society are substantial. The economic cost, including everything from lost wages to medical, legal, and mental health implications is about $215 billion in the United States. The cultivation of marijuana and production of synthetic drugs like methamphetamine has negative impact on soil and water supplies.
Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics, also called opioids (which physicians prescribe to relieve severe pain) and stimulant medications, which treat conditions like attention-deficit disorder and narcolepsy.
The term dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a drug use disorder and a serious mental health problem in a person. Substance use disorders, unfortunately, occur quite commonly in people who also have severe mental illness. Individuals with dual diagnosis are also at higher risk of being noncompliant with treatment.
What types of drugs do people commonly abuse?
Individuals may abuse almost any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric (“high”) feeling. While many are aware of the abuse of legal substances like alcohol or illegal drugs like marijuana and cocaine, less well-known is the fact that inhalants like household cleaners and over the counter medications like cold medicines are some of the most commonly abused substances.
The following are many of the drugs and types of drugs that people commonly abuse and/or result in dependence:
First those illicit drugs that are either produced or processed from natural plant products such as opium, morphine, heroin;
Secondly, synthetically produced illicit drugs, such as amphetamines;
Thirdly, psychoactive pharmaceutical drugs that become illicit as a result of being diverted from licit uses or purposes. E.g steroids
- Alcohol
- Caffeibne: While many people consume coffee, tea, and soda, when consumed in excess, this substance can be habit-forming and produce palpitations, insomnia, tremors, irritability and significant anxiety.
- Cannabis
- Cocaine: A drug that tends to stimulate the nervous system, people can snort cocaine in powder form, smoke it when in the form of rocks (“crack” cocaine), or inject it when made into a liquid.
- Ecstasy: Also called MDMA to denote its chemical composition (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), this drug tends to create a sense of euphoria and an expansive love or desire to nurture others. In overdose, it can increase body temperature to the point of causing death.
- Hallucinogens
- Inhalants: One of the most commonly abused group of substances due to its easy accessibility, inhalants are usually in household cleaners, like ammonia, bleach, and other substances that emit fumes.
- Nicotine: The addictive substance found in cigarettes, nicotine is actually one of the most addictive substances that exists. In fact, people often compare nicotine addiction to the intense addictiveness associated with opiates like heroin.
- Opiates
- Sedative, hypnotic, or antianxiety drugs: The second most commonly used group of illicit drugs, these substances quiet or depress the nervous system. They can therefore cause death by stopping the breathing (respiratory arrest) of the individual who either uses these drugs in overdose or who mixes one or more of these drugs with another nervous system depressant (like alcohol, another sedative drug, or an opiate).