Drug Use
Drug Use
By Bijoukoba
What are drugs?
Drugs are chemical substances that can change how your body
and mind work. They include prescription medicines, over-the-
counter medicines, alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
What is drug use?
Drug use, or misuse, includes:
Using illegal substances, such as Anabolic steroids, club drugs, cocaine, heroin, inhalants,
marijuana, methamphetamines, misusing prescription medicines, including opioids. This
means taking the medicines in a different way than the health care provider prescribed.
This includes taking a medicine that was prescribed for someone else, taking a larger
dose than you are supposed to, or using the medicine in a different way than you are
supposed to. For example, instead of swallowing your tablets, you might crush and then
snort or inject them, using the medicine for another purpose, such as getting high,
misusing over-the-counter medicines, including using them for another purpose and using
them in a different way than you are supposed to.
Drug use is dangerous. It can harm your brain and body, sometimes permanently. It can
hurt the people around you, including friends, families, kids, and unborn babies. Drug
use can also lead to addiction.
What is drug addiction?
Drug addiction is a chronic brain disease. It causes a person to take drugs
repeatedly, despite the harm they cause. Repeated drug use can change
the brain and lead to addiction.
Your biology. People can react to drugs differently. Some people like the feeling the
first time they try a drug and want more. Others hate how it feels and never try it
again.
Mental health problems. People who have untreated mental health problems, such as
depression, anxiety, or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely
to become addicted. This can happen because drug use and mental health problems
affect the same parts of the brain. Also, people with these problems may use drugs to
try to feel better.
Trouble at home. If your home is an unhappy place or was when you were growing up,
you might be more likely to have a drug problem.
Trouble in school, at work, or with making friends. You might use drugs to get your
mind off these problems.
Hanging around other people who use drugs. They might encourage you to try drugs.
Starting drug use when you're young. When kids use drugs, it affects how their bodies
and brains finish growing. This increases your chances of becoming addicted when
you're an adult.
What are the signs that someone has a drug problem?
Signs that someone has a drug problem include:
The counseling may be individual, family, and/or group therapy. It can help you:
If you have a mental disorder along with an addiction, it is known as a dual diagnosis. It
is important to treat both problems. This will increase your chance of success.
If you have a severe addiction, you may need hospital-based or residential treatment.
Residential treatment programs combine housing and treatment services.
Can drug use and addiction be prevented?
THANK YOU