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Home Disease Index Drug abuse and addiction

 


Overview

Causes
Symptoms
Risk Factor

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Overview

 

Drug abuse refers to the use of a drug for purposes for which it was not attended, or using a drug in excessive quantities. Drug addiction is a state of physical or psychological dependence on a drug.

Physical addiction is characterized by the presence of tolerance (needing more and more of the drug to achieve the same effect) and withdrawal symptoms that disappear when further medication is taken.

All sorts of different drugs can be abused, including illegal drugs (such as heroin or cannabis), prescription medicines (such as tranquilisers or painkillers), and other medicines that can be bought off the supermarket shelf (such as cough mixtures or herbal remedies).




Causes

 

This depends on the nature of the drug being abused, the person taking the drug and the circumstances under which it is taken.

Some medications - for example certain sleeping pills or painkillers - are physically addictive. They have a specific effect on the body which leads to tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. Others may lead to a psychological addiction if people have a craving for the effect that the drug causes.

There has been some speculation that some people may be more prone to drug abuse and addiction than others. Research is being carried out into whether there may even be genes that predispose certain people to addiction.

Social circumstances are important in drug abuse. Peer pressure, emotional distress and low self-esteem can all lead individuals to abuse drugs. Ease of access to drugs is another influence.

People abuse drugs for a reason. Understanding what the person's motivation is helps to explain why that person is abusing drugs.

 



Symptoms

 

OPIATES AND NARCOTICS:

Symptoms of use:

  • needle marks on the skin in some cases (called "tracks")
  • scars from skin abscesses
  • rapid heart rate
  • constricted pupils (pinpoint)
  • relaxed and/or euphoric state ("nodding")
  • coma, respiratory depression leading to coma and death in high doses .

Symptoms of withdrawl:

  • anxiety and difficulty sleeping
  • sweating
  • goose bumps (piloerection)
  • runny nose (rhinorrhea)
  • stomach cramps or diarrhea
  • dilated pupils
  • nausea and vomiting
  • excessive sweating
  • increase in blood pressure, pulse, and temperature .

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMSTIMULANTS:

Symptoms of cocaine use:

  • euphoria (exaggerated feeling of well-being)
  • dilated pupils
  • rapid heart rate
  • restlessness and hyperactivity .

Symptoms of cocaine withdrawal:

  • fatigue and malaise
  • depression
  • vivid and unpleasant dreams .

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANTS :

Symptoms of alcohol use:

  • slurred speech
  • lack of coordination
  • decreased attention span
  • impaired judgment.

Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:

  • anxiety
  • tremors
  • seizures
  • increase in blood pressure, pulse, and temperature
  • delirium.

HALLUCINOGENS:

Symptoms of LSD use:

  • anxiety
  • frightening hallucinations
  • paranoid delusions
  • blurred vision
  • dilated pupils
  • tremor.


Risk Factors

 

Risk factors that predispose people to drug dependence are different from those that predispose to use or abuse. Peer pressure may lead to use or abuse, but at least half of those who go on to addiction have depression, attention-deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or another psychological 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 higher risk for developing an addiction later in life for both environmental and genetic reasons.

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