The most challenging and possibly the most devastating ordeal that any person can face in life is drug addiction. While experts are unsure and continue to debate over the root cause of addiction, the devastating effects of drug abuse are known. These effects can include the loss of employment, friends, and even the destruction of one’s family. This is why it is so very important to recognize the signs of addiction and seek the appropriate treatment as quickly as possible.
Addiction occurs when any substance is abused over a period of time and the user begins to compulsively seek more and more of that substance, regardless of the consequences. You will see hard earned money spent on drugs when bills are due and the cupboards are bare. Addicts will usually begin to lose interest in activities that they once enjoyed with family and friends, instead preferring to spend their time getting “high” or intoxicated. Eventually the addiction can begin to interfere with work performance and attendance. It is not rare to see an addict lose or even quit their job.
The abuse of any chemical substance can cause a tolerance to that drug. This makes it increasingly difficult to attain the same effects that were once so easily produced. Once a tolerance is achieved, the bitter battle of withdrawal begins. The brain will stop producing chemicals that are necessary for a person to feel good unless there is the presence of the abused substance. Without the drugs, the addict will feel real physical pain from withdrawal symptoms that only causes more of the same habitual behavior.
The most commonly abused chemical substances are marijuana, cocaine, and prescription pain medications. Each is habit forming in its own way and cause mental and physical health problems. Marijuana is not physically addicting. However, it can often affect one’s judgment and lead to a lifestyle that includes further experimentation with other drugs that are more addicting and habit forming. Cocaine can cause immediate and intense cravings for more, but the intensity of these cravings will usually subside with time and rest, away from the substance. Like marijuana, it is said that cocaine is not physically addictive but many who begin using the drug cannot quit and end up losing everything dear to them with this costly and unhealthy habit. Prescription pain medications belonging to the opiate family, such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Oxycontin, act in a different way and are considered to be physically addicting. This means that when an addict does not have access to these drugs they experience very uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. The habitual abuse of these medications can lead to tolerance and dependency.
The consequences of drug abuse, whether biological or learned behavior, can be life altering and even life threatening. Drug usage can cause a person to overdose which can lead to respiratory arrest, seizures, coma, and even death. The number of drug addiction related fatalities is on the rise. Do not become another statistic. If you are facing the hardships associated with drug addiction, seek medical assistance from an addiction specialist right away.