...English Cause and Effect Essay The Cause and Effect of Drug Addiction What is drug addiction? Drug addiction refers to the obsessive and repeated use of dangerous amounts of drugs and the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when not using drugs.Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to become compulsive. Many people view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak. One very common belief is that drug abusers should be able to just stop taking drugs if they are only willing to change their behavior. What people often underestimate is the complexity of drug addiction. Drug addiction is not just an addiction it is a disease that impacts the brain and because of that, stopping drug abuse is not simply a matter of willpower. Through scientific advances we now know much more about how exactly drugs work in the brain, and we also know that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and resume their productive lives. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. For this reason there are many causes of psychological and physical changes through the drug abuser as...
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...UNDERSTANDING DRUG ADDICTION Chartorieah Shinez Sanders COM/156 03/26/2012 Nicholas Delzotto Understanding Drug Addiction All over the world, people are losing their loved ones to a mind altering disease called drug addiction. If something isn’t done; the disease will continue to grow, destroy happy homes and take more young lives. Drug addiction is a severe illness that people should be taught to avoid the continuing overwhelming of the nation. First you should learn what the disease is, who is affected, what causes the disease and how we can help those that are suffering from this disease. Drug addiction has been described as a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use (What is Drug Addiction?, Section para.3). Yes, it is true that individuals have the option to refuse these mind altering substances that cause addiction and other health risks but there are several risk factors that could influence the individuals decision such as, a person’s biology but that problem drinking and problem drug use are not caused exclusively by biologic traits says Christopher Freed (2010). While biology is not completely the cause of drug addiction, some people were born into a family that has a history of drug addiction and if you combine that with peer pressure or, the feeling of wanting to fit in; your outcome will be another individual who uses or is addicted to drugs. This is one of the biggest influences on many teenagers and young...
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...Drug Profile Drug Profile * * Addiction is an escape of experiencing control it is an illusion and a mood altering experience. A pathological relationship with life-threatening or negative consequences, it is the experience that is addicting. People can become addicted to anything that alters our mood or consciousness. Addiction can be about self-harm and when done repeatedly it will stop or ease emotional pain that a person may be going through. An individual’s addiction can show an increased psychological and physiological dependence on the substance, and the person will cannot live a normal life. A drug addicted person will become unable to cope without the drug they are addicted too. Addiction can lead to antisocial behavior, violence; crime of all sorts, even murder to get what they want. Giving up drug addiction takes strength, mind strength mostly because the mind is responsible for the addiction. It is the beginning of addiction and the end of addiction. The mind and the body crave pleasure and stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain and the addiction finds pleasure in the drugs and the sensation itself. Any withdrawals from the drug will bring about depression, irritability, suicidal thoughts, restlessness, and anxiety. Addiction is mind control and can be overcome if the person wants, learning about his or her condition will give insight and understanding as why he or she may be addicted. There are three categories that certain drugs can share and have...
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...Alcohol and Drug Addiction Liberty University Abstract This paper is a reflection of addiction in the United States and the statistics that prove addiction is a major issue within the country. Discussed in the paper will be first the primary causes of addiction and risk factors that may lead to an addiction in an individual. Going further into the problem, the cycle of addiction and how to break free of the cycle and an individual’s addiction is talked about. Since there are different drugs that can cause addiction, a breakdown of certain drugs is given. These drugs include alcohol, prescription drugs, heroin, and marijuana. Next, the side effects of drug addiction to the drugs chosen are described in depth as well as the signs that can be viewed in screening for drug addiction. Resources available to drug addiction are touched on and treatment options to explore what can be done if an individual does suffer from drug addiction. Finally, what human service professionals are doing to assist individuals who are addicted and how they can improve on training to ensure that addiction can be caught early enough to make a difference? Introduction to Drug Addiction Addiction is a chronic disease of brain reward, motivation and memory in individuals who submit to any number of different drugs available to them. Such chronic need for the drugs leads to manifestations biologically, psychologically, spiritually and even socially in any given individual (ASAM, 2014). These, however...
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...Drug Abuse and its Psychological Effects Jessica Cadett University of Phoenix Abstract Substance abuse causes substance dependence that of which is a group of psychological and physical symptoms which causes addicts and drug abusers to use drugs and other substances compulsively in order to self-medicate. However, because an abuser takes high amounts of drugs daily, they tend to need larger amounts of drugs in order for an addict to receive a decent euphoric feeling from a drug. Withdrawal symptoms are psychological, as well as physical, causing person’s with drug abuse issues to feel the need of drugs in order to live or function, as well as feeling the need of drugs to help subside physical pain, sleeplessness, low energy levels, and stomach virus symptoms. These psychological symptoms are caused by the chemical chain reactions and chemical imbalances within the human brain. Drug abuse, especially a large amount of drug abuse, causes drug abusers to risk attaining addiction, as well as causing many psychological issues and physical issues within their life. Some people who do not understand addiction and drug abuse do not always realize that abusing drugs is not merely a way of life, but instead it is simply a serious health condition usually generated through genetic DNA or because of a physiological chemical imbalance from long-term drug use. Drug Abuse and its Psychological Effects For many years, drugs have become a huge epidemic throughout the world, affecting...
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...General Psychology Final Report 2/3/2009 Drug and Alcohol Addiction Many people in the world suffer from drug and alcohol addiction. There are many different causes and effects of addiction. Understanding the causes and effects of addiction can lead to treatment and or cures for them. Some people believe that nature; which refers to heredity, or the influence of inherited characteristics causes addiction. (Ciccarelli and Meyer, 2006). My theory is that nurture; which refers to the influence of the environment, plays a part in it as well. Often times it’s difficult to spot an addict. Some of the signs of being an addict are; mood, body language, and appearance. The mood of an addict can go from mean and angry, if they need a drink or drugs to calm their nerves, or they can be upbeat and very happy, if they are high on drugs or alcohol. Sometimes depending on the type of personality of the addict, they can become very depressed, even when they are high. The body language of someone that is high on drugs or alcohol is often apparent in their eyes, they are often vacant and void of the presence. Often times the eyes communicate an emptiness, loneliness or despair, such as in someone that is depressed. Sometime the pupils of the eyes are dilated, and the person can’t stay focused. (Answers.Yahoo.Com) The appearance of an addict can be an indication that they are using. They will often let their hair grow long and not comb it, or they are just unkempt looking...
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...Drug addiction Drug addiction is chronic and damages the body units day by day in addition it changes the structure and function of the brain It's very important to know what is drug addiction and must take in our consideration this perilous subject which has been exacerbating since tens of decades until this day. There has been awareness and consciousness of this subject in the world. And the world has acknowledged the importance and the seriousness of this issue. What are the main causes and impacts of it? This is what will be discussed. The rejection of the person by his\her family and society, bad friends, the situations, the circumstances which youth live under them and the free time when isn't exploited in the right way are drug addiction major causes. The loss of the ability to stay in touch with family and society, the loss of the ability to perform the worldly and the religious...
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...Causes and treatment of addiction Addiction Overview The current model to explain addiction suggests that addiction begins with the basic pleasure and reward circuits in the brain, which involve the chemical dopamine. These reward centers are designed to activate during pleasurable acts such as eating. Whenever ingesting a substance causes these reward circuits to activate, addiction and dependence is possible. However, addictive behaviors that are considered damaging or destructive have characteristics that distinguish them from normal behavior (see common characteristics of destructive addictions. Examples of common destructive addictions are alcohol intoxication, alcoholism, cocaine abuse, drug dependence and abuse, methamphetamine abuse, narcotic abuse, and substance abuse. People with addictions often cannot quit on their own. Addiction is an illness that requires treatment. Treatment may include counseling, behavioral therapies, self-help groups or medical treatment. People often assume that those with addictions should be able to quit by simply making up their minds to do so. Addiction is thought to be possible for a wide range of chemical substances. Dependence, most often related to physical symptoms, can occur for a subset of the chemicals that cause addiction. For instance, rarely an individual is prescribed a medication by a doctor for a legitimate reason (such as pain after an injury) and this can lead to physical withdrawal symptoms if this medication is stopped...
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...on a certain drugs or drug addictions. Drug addiction is inability of oneself to control the usage of a certain drug. Moreover, drug addiction or drug abuse can be chronic and also may lead to physical, mental and emotional problem. People who were addicted don’t know that they were in the state of addiction; they see it as a habit. They are mentally unaware that being addicted to drugs can cause a long-term illness or death. But, why people suffer from drug addiction? What are some causes of their addiction? Furthermore, what can be done to prevent or eliminate drug addiction? One of the main reason why people get addicted to drug is dependency. People may suffer from lots of diseases. They usually use drug as their own survival. Drug addiction can cause major negative effects on person’s life wh In this day and age, many teenagers and also adults are suffering from severe depression and anxiety, and one of the things they turned in to make themselves relieved and accompanied is drug. Drugs can be found everywhere, we often see bunch of people or a group of people held together to consume or make use of drugs, people often get addicted to drugs to belonged, consorted or to be known to others. They used it to boost their own self-esteem and confidence. Curiosity can also be the cause of being addicted to drugs, people who used a highly abuse potential drugs out of curiosity don’t have the knowledge of what the adverse effects and the outcome of taking that drug, that can lead...
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...MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEMS Anyone who has any sort of addiction can often say they have tried to quit whatever their addiction might be, hence the word addiction. Most of the time we don’t understand why they become addicted. Some people’s addiction or addictions can often progress to lead to other addictions, or even some sort of health issue, including mental illness. In this paper you will continue to read how drugs in general can cause people to become mentally challenged, and how some who suffer from a mental illness turn to drugs to self-medicate and how the cycle is hard to stop. You will read how drugs can worsen the effect of a mental illness, and how it can also cause a temporary mental effect such as hallucination or panic attacks. Often times we don’t understand why a person is addicted to drugs. Since we don’t have an understanding we can be very judgmental towards the person and think they don’t care or have any morals. We fail to understand that drug addiction is a disease. In all reality, drug addiction can be a very complex disease. Drug addiction relapse’s the brain which then can make the individual seek more drugs and become more and more of a frequent user. They are aware of what the drugs do to them and realize the consequences. As you can see drug addiction is a demon that becomes harder to resist the more the person uses the drugs. Drug addiction or addictions can be some form of self-medication that the person who is participating...
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...Causes and Treatments of Addictions Tracy J Lancaster Behavioral Satistics 325 July 29th 2012 Instructor Sasha Flearly Causes and Treatments of Addiction Introduction Addiction is a condition defined by an individual's intense need to consume a particular substance, usually an illicit drug or alcohol. Typically regarded as a disease or medical condition, addiction is seen by many as a form of disability. Addiction is generally diagnosed based on the following criteria: tolerance, withdrawal, and craving. Tolerance refers to the body's ability to metabolize, or tolerate, a certain quantity of a substance prior to reaching the point of intoxication. Withdrawal refers to the agitated behavior, ranging from mild irritability to severe physical illness that many habitual substance users display when they cannot consume their desired substances (Hamid, 2002). Finally, craving refers to a user's physical, and frequently psychological, need to consume a substance in order to offset withdrawal symptoms. People are believed to be addicts when they habitually consume drugs or alcohol, often to the point of intoxication, and when they display signs of withdrawal and craving in the absence of those substances. Recently some scholarship has examined how many behaviors like gambling, sex, and exercise can also be addictive based on these criteria. Thesis Statement Drug Addiction is a relatively recent construct in a social phenomenon. That is, regardless of the use...
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...Heroin Addiction Psyc 305 B-03 June 15, 2015 Abstract: This paper will serve to provide information about heroin addiction in our society. Heroin addiction is an epidemic problem in the United States and is growing every year. Factors such as genetics and environmental factors will be discussed as they relate to heroin addicts. Trends with prescription pain medication and their effects on heroin use will be discussed. This paper will also highlight the prevalence of heroin in the United States. Heroin affects different groups of people in all walks of life. Treatment for heroin will be discussed in the latter portion of this paper. This will highlight different options to fit specific needs. Addiction: a physical dependency on a substance (Doweiko, 2015), a chronic brain disease that causes compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences, (Addiction, 2015). There is no universally accepted way to define addiction. It seems that it is easier to qualify behavior as an addiction than it is to define the word itself. For the purpose of this paper we will use the four general categories of the DSM-5 to help identify and understand heroin addiction. This paper will serve to provide information about heroin addiction’s possible causes, prevalence and treatment. What causes heroin addiction? The causes of heroin addiction are not clear. As with most drugs it is thought that the user is trying to feel better or self-medicate...
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...Addiction has been a sociological issue for decades upon centuries. Alcoholism was first treated as a mental health condition in the New York State Inebriate Asylum in 1864 after Founding Father Benjamin Rush brought to light the concept of addiction as a disease (Patterson.) Addiction causes people around the world to suffer from the loss of the ability to resist craving despite the negative consequences of the craving (Addiction.) Two basic types of addiction are highlighted: behavioral addiction and drug or alcohol addiction. Both behavioral and drug or alcohol addiction come from changes in the make up of the brain. This factor essentially makes it a brain disease (Leshner.) Leading factors of addiction are very important to look at as well as how to diminish the addiction population in the context of society. Addiction is important to look at from a sociological perspective, seeing how it affects the everyday interactions within a society. Behavioral...
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...Addiction in Adolescence Valencia Scafe Dr. Jimmy Myers 23 April 2014 Addiction in Adolescence It is a curious thing that people continue to pursue habits that cause them certain or a definite harm, this harm maybe caused to their individual self or those around them, and yet they continue to pursue it. The answer to why may not be given clearly even by these people themselves. Most of the smokers, substance abusers and alcoholics, as well as drug addicts are well aware of the negative effects that they may be dragging themselves towards but are not able to change their habits, for their addiction is too great and their self-control too weak. For most people, pain is nothing but a nuisance, but for many others pain is what controls their lives. Pain however is a feeling that brings us discomfort and puts us through feelings that are at times almost imaginable; and we all can relate to different kinds of pains that we as human beings have gone through. Pain is a feeling that can lead to quite a few side effects in life, if not dealt with in a proper way; these side effects may include several different forms of pain such as anxiety, depression hence pushing the individual towards an incredible amount of stress (Abuse, 2010). Drug addiction and drug abuse has been a commonly, widespread global problem and refers to the excessive consumption of any substance that may cause addiction, this consumption reaches such a level that...
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...Cocaine Addiction Education ENG 122: English Composition II September 1, 2008 Drug addiction and alcoholism is wide spread among adults and teenagers in today’s society. The percentage of adults affected by these addictions has always been high; however the percentage of teenagers affected by drug and alcohol addictions is growing astronomically. Cocaine has become the drug of choice for adults and teenagers, next to alcohol and prescription drugs. It is the quickest high that can be achieved but one of the deadliest. Cocaine addition affects not only those getting high but their loved ones and friends. If there was more emphasis on cocaine addiction education for the loved ones and friends of those affected, there would be decreased incidents of relapse and overdoses. My research and personal experiences with cocaine addiction will enable me to provide general information on cocaine, cocaine addiction, and how relationships are affected. What is cocaine? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, it was used in tonics/elixirs to treat a variety of illnesses during the 1900’s.” (NIDA, 2008) Cocaine is used in two chemical forms which are powdered and freebase. The powdered form known as hydrochloride salt is snorted up the nose and known on the street as “coke,” “blow,” “snow,” “flake,” and “C.” It is also injected...
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