Drug use is part of life in the United States.
Some people use drugs formedical purposes and some use them to escape from reality or as a way tocope with problems. There are two main types of drugs, medicines andpsychoactive drugs. Medicines are used to help the body fight injury andpsychoactive drugs are used to cause a change in the users brain activity. Psychoactive drugs are very dangerous. They produce very powerful changesin the body. What a drug does is called its action and unwanted effects arecalled side effects.
The side effects of a psychoactive drug can range fromuncomfortable to life threatening. Abuse of a psychoactive drug often results independence or addiction where the body needs the drug to function normally. Withdrawal happens when the body is reacting to not having the drug. Withdrawal can be very painful. There are many risks of using drugs besideswhat they do to you. You can get AIDS from sharing needles, it can causemental and physical problems in babies, family relationships can be strained,there are sever legal risks, and there are major cost to society.
There aremany reason why people us drugs. There are 3 major factors that contributeto the risk of drug abuse in teens. Those factors are family, social, andpersonal. A family risk factor is poor relationships with family members. Ifteens have close relationships with their family member they are less likely toexperiment with drugs.
But if parents do no guide their children and are notsupportive of them then they might alienate from the family and feel closer topeers so they are more vulnerable to drug abuse. Social factors are peerpressure. Your friends urge you to try a drug and you do it to be accepted. Another factor is personal factors. These are stress, low self-esteem and lackof confidence that can place a teen at risk.
Drugs are categorized into theiractions. The 3 main types of actions are depressants, stimulants, andhallucinogens. Depressants slow down the heart rate and breathing rate, lowerblood pressure, relax muscles, and relieve tension. An example of adepressant would be heroin.
Stimulants speed up body activity. And exampleof a stimulant is cocaine. Hallucinogens alter perception, thought, and moodand have no medical use. An example of a hallucinogen is LSD.
Some drugsare made to look like other drugs and then sold on the street as the drug theyresemble. These are called look-alike-drugs and can contain any kind ofsubstance. Before a drug abuser can be helped they must first admit that theyhave a problem. Then they can seek treatment. There are different ways totreat drug abuse one is called detoxification. This program involves gradualbut complete withdrawal from the substance.
Another treatment method iscalled therapeutic communities. In this treatment, drug abusers live in a facilityand learn to adjust to drug free lives. Another type of treatment is methadonemaintenance treatment. In this treatment, users are given a drug calledmethadone that produces the same affect as heroin but does not have thesame high as heroin. This treatment involves substituting methadone for heroin.
Staying clean of drugs is a difficult decision when you are faced with peerpressure. But you can void drugs in your life by just being honest and sayingno. Also, try to manage you stress level this will help you to avoid drugs. There are many alternatives to drug use.
You could play sports, get involvedin various groups and organizations can help you gain self esteem andself-confidence. Do something that makes you happy so you can be drug freeand be in control f your life. Social Issues
