Drug Addiction and Abuse

Drug Addiction and Abuse

HISTORY

Drug addiction and abuse go back several thousands of years ago. Some of the earliest records of drug abuse go back to the times when wine was in use in Egypt. The medicinal use of marijuana can be traced back to 2737 back in china while the use of the narcotic can be traced to 4000 BC. However, the active substances of drugs known today were not extracted until the beginning of the 19^th-century ad.  Later newly discovered materials, including morphine, cocaine was no controlled and would be freely prescribed by the physicians for various illnesses. The drugs would be available as patented medicine and would be distributed in the drug stores nada via mail. At a particular point in time, morphine became readily available for the veterans returning from wars. The soldier would return with full injection kits containing hypodermic needles and morphine. At the beginning of 1900, opium dens expanded with estimates indicating the presence of more than 25,000 addicts in the US.  The issue of addiction was not instantly discovered, but the later occurred gradually. The first legal measures in the US were introduced in 1785 after the consumption of opium was prohibited in San Francisco in 1875. The law was followed by the establishment of the food and control action in 1906. The law required the labeling of patents with portions of opium and related content. This research paper delves into various aspects of drug addiction and abuse to establish a clear position. The article will focus on the history, expenses, physical aspects of the vice sexual behavior of the users. Other dimensions of the research paper are short and long term impacts and the opposition to drug addiction and abuse.

Expenses

Expenses associated with drug addiction and abuse are enormous. The violation of the dugs has substantial monetary implications on the families and the community. Misuse of the drugs impoverishes communities and families, denying the children the opportunity to attend schools as parents engage in the vice.  Furthermore, vast amounts of money are spent on the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts. Estimates indicate that the US spends over $600 billion per year on the treatment and repair of substance users. The focus on the procedure is vital as it has long term impacts on the reduction of the costs.   Treatments for drug addiction have reduced the health n and the social costs of the users by massive proportions. Research indicates that the treatment of drug users is less expensive in comparison with other alternatives. The US government has been compelled to compare the treatment of drug users with other options such as incarceration. For example, the cost of treating a patient with a dose of methadone for one year is $4,700   compared with the loss of incarcerating ant individual at$24,000. A critical aspect of the expenses is the social cost of drug addiction and abuse. The families are profoundly affected, and thus most of the prices are a focused reduction of the adverse impacts such as crime, theft, and criminal justice.   Focusing on the treatment indicates that the savings are in the ratio 12:1. Most of the savings are accrued to the society, which includes but not limited to the enhanced productivity at the workplace. Fewer interpersonal conflicts nada reduced the number of drug-related accidents. Besides, the treatment ensures that the instances of drug overdoses are highly minimized.

Some of the types of drug addiction and abuse that are quite costly to the country include tobacco that costs more than $300 billion annually. Most of the expenses in the tobacco addition are connected with treatment that amounts to more than$170 billion of medical costs and more $155 billion in lost productivity costs. Expenses on alcohol amount to $249 billion and includes $191 billion for binge drinking due to the excessive consumption of the substance in society. Most of the expenses connected with alcohol are connected with lost productivity, medical expenditure, and binge drinking. The primary healthcare expenses include accidents. The US incurred more than $193 billion due to the impacts of illegal drugs, but society cannot be quantified in monetary terms. The spared of HIV and hepatitis B is connected with drug addiction and abuse, while deaths from overdose are crucial. The effects on the unborn babies are catastrophic, while the vice increases the rate of crimes and destruction of families in significant ways. According to the national drug intelligence Centre(NDIC), drug addiction and abuse lead to lower levels of participation in the labor markets. The organization cites premature mortality, incarceration, and hospitalization as some of the significant problems associated with drug addiction. NDIC   approximates that drug abuse and uses contribute $49billion in lost workdays,$4 billion as a result of premature deaths, and more than $48 billion due to premature deaths.

Besides, NDIC estimates that the Annual expense of the crimes connected with drug use in the US stands at around $61 billion, with the criminal justice system consuming more than $56 billion of the figure. Other information from the organization indicates that methamphetamine and crack cocaine contribute hugely to the commission of crimes in the US. THE NATIONAL DRUG THREAT SURVEY suggests that the abuse of heroin is a critical factor in the commission of property crime in the US.

Physical

Physical impacts of Drug addiction and abuse are the initial signs that a person is involved in the substances. Nausea and vomiting are critical signs that contribute to weight loss and lost appetite. Hence drug abuse helps immensely on the weakening of the body. Drugs place pressure on the liver and could lead to acute liver damage and failure. Drugs could also lead to stroke and brain damage. Possibilities of lung diseases are too high, just like mental confusion. The patients often experience seizures as the bodies weaken. Drug addiction and abuse expose the body to a lot of possibilities with bot short and long term implications being clear. Although drug addiction and abuse have little impact on some groups, others could experience a near mental breakdown affecting each aspect of their lives.

Sexual Behavior

Drug addiction and abuse have a high connection with sexual behaviors. Statistics on substance abuse and sexual activities indicate that most users engage in unplanned sexual activities. In research that focused on youths between 18 and 30, it was that 86% of the participant engages in sexual intercourse within the previous year. The same data indicated that more than 75% of the teenagers had more than one sexual partner. Of the group focused by the study, 75% consumed alcohol in the previous year, while 60% either smoked tobacco or marijuana. On adjusting the demographic factors, the sexual activities and the history of the multiple partners were connected with the amount of substance abuse. The research indicated that the respondents who combine alcohol and marijuana were more likely to have more numerous sexual partners. Most of the respondents with multiple partners were heavy drinkers. A great revelation of the study is that most of the respondents addicted to various drugs are unlikely to use condoms during sexual encounters. The indication is that the respondents stood a high chance of contracting aids and other associated diseases. It is clear that, therefore that having unprotected sex is connected with substance abuse and addiction. Abuse of all kinds of drugs increases the risk of engaging in unplanned sexual behaviors among teenagers and adults. The problem is compounded if the youth are homeless and outside the confines of parental control. The study also indicated that children interacting with homeless teenagers have an increasingly high risk of engaging in uncontrolled sexual behaviors. Young girls and children at high chances of sexual encounters with adults abusing drugs should be protected.

Short term effects

Drugs such as heroin and marijuana activate the brain neurons as their chemical structures behave like neuron transmitters in the brain.  The similarity in the organization and function can fool the receptors and allowing them to lock and captivate the nerve cells. The drugs imitate the brain compounds, although they do not activate the nerve cells as the bran transmitters. The impact is that they distort the messages that are sent to the brain, thus affecting the behavior of the patient. Cocaine and amphetamines cause the nerve cells to produce massive levels of neural transmitters. The action is dangerous as it prevents the standard creation of the brain chemical required for shutting the signals between neurons. Some substances such as butane and glue can lead to instant death, while metamphatime could cause heart attacks without notice. It is vital to mention that drugs have different impacts on users. Some of the factors that impact the short term effects of drug addiction and abuse include gender, physical size diets, and physical fitness, among others. On taking drugs, some people get angry, depressed, and unmotivated, while others get aggressive and talkative. Other short term effects are emotional problems and conflicts in the family. Students who start engage in taking drugs record declined performances in all their academic work. Employees in different organization’s history refused to return and could even get fired as their performance deteriorates. Other immediate impacts of drug abuse and addiction are the physical alterations in appearance. The person could stop showering and remains an unkempt affecting relationship with the pay around them.

Stimulants substances make users feel as if they are full of energy and confidence. On the other hand, hallucinogens give the users a false perception of the world and could provide a mistaken sense of entitlement. Alcohol and marijuana and other drugs in the antidepressants could inject a feeling of happiness and relaxation. Other short term impacts of the medicines include anxiety and panic attacks. The stimulant drugs, for example, are dangerous for users who have a previous history of blood pressure and heart conditions. Drugs function by stimulating the nervous system and cardiovascular functions. A drug such as hallucinogens could cause disturbing thoughts. Effects of the drugs create dangers to others in the environment. Hence people interacting with drug patients should be cautious about overcoming any drastic adverse actions.

Long term effects

Drug abuse and addiction lead to physical and mental health problems. The significant impacts depend on a lot of factors but could include anxiety, lung diseases. The issues could become so severe that the individuals could die from lung-related problems. The possibility of heart diseases and a heart attack is a reality. The most severe impact of drug addiction in the long term is the alteration of the brain function, making it hard to stop abusing the substances. Changes in the brain function affect the mental capacity of the users leading to impaired thinking. Besides, the effect on the brain affects the ability of the users to learn and comprehend different topics and courses that they may have contained earlier. Other health problems associated with long term use of drugs are kidney failure liver damage. The difference between the short term and the long term impacts is the severity of the problem. The long term impacts of drug addiction and abuse can only be reversed by getting the necessary treatment or quitting.

In most cases, the long term impacts of drug addiction and abuse are only management via long term treatment procedures. Other diseases due to drug abuse and addiction include lung diseases, psychosis, and HIV /aids. The latter results from careless sexual behaviors by the drug users.

Opposition

In spite of the multiple problems associated with drug abuse and addiction, opponents argue that there is no evidence that people get addicted to drugs on the first use. Hence the argument goes that getting addicted to drugs and substances is a choice that one makes.  One side of an argument provides that more than 90% of the people who use drugs are not dependent on the substances and thus can halt the usage. Other cases are that the people who abuse drugs have mental problems long before they engage in the practices. Therefore the use of drugs is a deliberate choice implying that the users can unlearn the practices just like they learned it. Besides, people have an opportunity to make based on the number of drugs they intend to consume. There are clear paths to the dependence of alcohol, just like there are explicit channels to overcome the reliance on drugs and related substances. There are myriad problems associated with drug addiction and abuse and dependence. According to the opponents of the drug addiction theories, professionals rarely mention that some factors of drug addiction are biological related. Drug taking could be compared with eating as the individual has an option to make a rational choice. But it is not necessary to consider the issue f substance abuse and addiction as some form of an accident.  Substance abuse is not a disease like any other, as it is triggered by an individual who could have all the necessary information about the experience. The people have the option to develop their capacity to manage dependence.

Conclusion

Drug addiction and abuse have a long history, complete with legal implications. The vice has long term and short term implications as well as substantial cost implications. Governments such as the use of one have comprehensive measures and regulations to address the challenge of drug addiction and abuse. This paper has revealed various dimensions of drug addiction and abuse and laying a strong foundation on related research in the future.