...Abigail Denae Lockhart English 101 Dr. Rose November 24, 2014 The Disease of Drug Addiction A major problem in the United States today is the disease of addiction. The disease of addiction is unlike many other diseases, people generally struggle greatly while making an attempt to change for the better. In many cases, the addicts may be clean for a various amount of time, but generally will have a relapse. The media produces tales of inspiration and hope, but also pressure for the addict in various ways. The disease presents various problems with the addict’s behavior, appearance, and attitude. The views of society make it hard for addicts to change, so the addict’s chances of ever being fully clean are slim. Drug addiction is a serious physical and psychological impairment that is very difficult to ever truly recover from. “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences” (Science of Addiction). Since addiction is labeled as a brain disease, the addict’s brain cannot function properly without the drugs. Drug addicts act on their cravings for the drug, and they do not think about the repercussions of the drugs. The high of a drug is like no other, and they keep coming back for more and more. Other than the fact the person is addicted to drugs, there is many different reasons people abuse drugs. One of the many reasons people start doing drugs is to do better at something...
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...should subsidize methadone clinics. All though it may seem costly to people in the long run it is more beneficial because it keeps the crime rate down since addicts are not stealing to get there next fix. There our pro’s and con’s when it comes to using methadone treatment for addicts. The pro’s our that and addict has more of a chance to keep his or hers sobriety, they are given the tools to help them succeed. It gives them the chance to get a job, home and to be a positive role model. When they are using methadone the come down is nothing compared to going cold turkey. The pain is so intense if they are doing it on their own this is why they go back to using. Methadone gives them somewhat of a normal life. One of the biggest cons of using methadone is when addicts are not serious about their sobriety and they continue to use they are more apt to having an overdose and dying. When they manage to get take homes and they accidentally leave there methadone out and a child gets ahold of it one sip and the child is dead. This in turn cost the tax payers money because of the hospital stay or the funeral. It also puts a red flag out for that methadone clinic because the government wants to make sure that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. I do think that methadone is more useful that hurtful because it cuts down on the criminal...
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...compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse could affect a person's self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. However what people don't realize is the effects this can have on not only their own life, but on those around them as well. Addiction affects the individual, physical and mental health. It affects the individual financially and economically. Most importantly, drug addiction affects the people the addict cares about most. According to the gateway foundation, more deaths, illnesses and disabilities stem from substance abuse than from any other preventable health condition. Today, one in four deaths is attributable to illicit drug use. Drugs hijack the “reward” system of the brain. This can cause unusually large amounts of dopamine to flood the system. This flood of dopamine is what causes the “high” associated with drug abuse. The problem with this however, is that when one is sober their emotions and brain interactions do not function normally. This can cause them to have extreme mood swings, and often time’s very angry outbursts or paranoia. Not only does drug abuse affect the brain, it can also cause serious health issues down the line. Drugs weaken the immune system increasing susceptibility...
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...The Effects of Drug Addicts in Neighborhoods Is your neighborhood being turned upside down by drug addicts? Do you really understand the effects of drug addiction and how you may be able to help to kick the habit? Taking part in your neighborhood can help to take the drug war at hand. Drug dependency is becoming more than just physically harmful, but is turning neighborhoods and cities upside down with drug dealing, prostitution, and violence. Drug Addiction is not only physically harmful, but can become an expensive habit that is able to destroy a person’s life. According to drugabuse.gov approximately ½ Trillion dollars is spent a year in drug addiction for treatment, health and crimes, Including 181 billion for illicit drugs, 168 billion on tobacco use and 185 billion on alcohol. Alcohol and tobacco are well known to addicts because of the availability. Drug addiction can be physically harmful by destructing your brain and liver. Prescription drugs are considered safe and not physically harmful, but illegal use can cause addicts to overdose, becoming physically harmful. Narconon Drug Rehab states that “Drug addiction is a biological, pathological process that alters the way in which the pleasure center, as well as other parts of the brain functions.” For example, “When cocaine enters the brain, it blocks the dopamine transporter from pumping dopamine back into the transmitting neuron, flooding the synapse with dopamine. This intensifies and prolongs the...
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... Is it a choice or just an effect? What most people do not understand, is that no one really chooses to be an addict. Addiction is a condition where people become obsessed with a substance or activity. Substance abuse makes people become reliable on a certain substance, and they don’t realize that it is affecting their life. Addicts let their addictions affect their responsibilities that they have at home or at work. Addiction can affect people’s relationships and health. People with addiction usually don’t think that their behavior is affecting themselves and others. According to National Institutes of Health, there are about 3.6 million people in the United States that are addicted to drugs. Many of these addicts are addicted to more than one type of drug. Many people that are addicted to something were not always like that. Addiction can happen anywhere in the world. Just because you say that you will never be addicted to something it doesn’t mean that it will never happen. There are many factors that can contribute to addiction. One major factor that causes addiction is through genetics. Individuals don’t realize that whatever their family does impacts their life. According to the Mediresource website, explains that there is a connection between addiction and genetics. Children who are around addictive parents usually have a higher chance of becoming an addict themselves (Mediresource). Family has a major influence on their children. Children’s role model are usually their...
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...Physiology and Psychological Distress of family and friends of an Addict. Vonsha Marshall COM/156 July 7, 2013 University of Phoenix Ms. Roberts Introduction Even though you may not be the person using alcohol or drugs, or violating the law, you can Certainly be a victim of an alcohol or drug-related crime. In fact, millions of people each year are victims of alcohol or drug related crime, including millions of young people. (NCADD, 2013). Generation after generation have suffer from some form of psychological and physical distress dealing with a love one are a close friend whom may have had an alcohol or drug addiction. Ranging from lied to for no reason, stole from or spending our money to bail them out of jail as well as providing transportation to and from different places. Everyone seem to overlook the matter of the physiology and psychology distress that an addict my cause to different individuals as well as family members. People who use drugs and alcohol are often times attempting to numb disturbing emotional and psychological pain that they don't want to feel (Dayton, 2010). Over the years I have witness several friends allow some type of addiction to take over their daily routine. Fighting a battle within a battle, numbing the pain only to be faced with pain again. Living with addiction often results in cumulative trauma that deeply affects family members. When addicts are using they are, for all intents and purposes, out of their minds...
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...has a hold on a person, it destroys not only the addict but all the ones that care and love the addict get brought down in the aftermath. There is someone in everyone’s lives that is somehow touched by addiction, is that person strong enough to beat this disease? Or will they be another statistic? Injection drug users seem to have very little concern regarding the possibilities of contracting diseases from needle sharing, and unsafe sexual practices (Eriksson, 2011). Substance abuse is out of control in many societies. Leaving the people that are not drug users to deal with the repercussions of those whom are addicts. The possible solutions for addicted people are relapse prevention, rehabilitation facilities, and some say utilizing the twelve step programs, while working the steps with a sponsor. There are some that think using twelve step programs actually make an addict want to use drugs even more than before going to a twelve step meeting. Elaborating more on the twelve step programs, some feel that counselors that are trying to help those seeking recovery are better equipped to deal with addicts if they themselves are recovering addicts. Turning to a counselor that has lived the life as an addict is common practice among people suffering from addiction. The counselor that is trying to help an addict is more trusted if the counselor has lived as an addict and has the life experience behind their belt. In order for an addict to listen and respect a counselor, knowing the...
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...rewards, due to physical exercise being a central aspect to their day to day lives. However, someone who is a regular exerciser but not an ‘addict’ performs physical exercise to receive extrinsic rewards and finds exercise important, but is not a central aspect to their lives (Landolfi, E. 2013, p.5). A negative addicted exerciser is a person who will continue to exercise regardless of physical injury (Anshel, 1971), they will also have a psychological dependence on doing regular exercise which is also known as exercise dependence. So due to this exercise dependence the normal benefits of exercise are lost, this is caused from the factors that are attached with it such as anxiety and stress. Another aspect to exercise dependence is the change in mood behaviour, if their exercise regime is broken and in many cases this can cause extreme anxiety and even depression (Cox, 2007). These two aspects that are experienced by an exercise addict if a session is missed can be a way of determining if an athlete has exercise dependence because someone who is in the lines of doing it for the extrinsic rewards may feel slightly bad that they missed a session, but unlike the exercise addict which do it for intrinsic rewards, they don't go into depression and feel anxious about when they are going to exercise...
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...Disease of Addiction Harley E. Lang Argosy University English 101 Module 4, Assignment 2 3-28-2015 There has been a war of two sides about substance abuse and addiction; scientific research has proven time and time again that addiction is a disease. The opposition side says that substance abuse and addiction is a choice of behavior. In an article published by Psychiatric Times, Jeffrey A. Schaler, author of Addiction Is a Choice, stated “Addiction is a behavior and thus clearly intended by the individual person.” He goes on in this article talking about how the addict monitors their use and the amount they use, so they are aware of what they are doing which makes it a choice to use. However scientific research proves that the use of drugs and alcohol changes brain patterns and the release of hormones in the brain which actually causes addiction, a disease after the choice to use is in the past. If addiction is a choice then so would be choosing to live an empty life full of pain, health issues, loss, and jail time. Who in their right mind would choose to lead a life like that? Drug and alcohol addiction only begins as a choice which creates a disease developed when the brain is subjected to substance abuse over a period of time, once the brain patterns change, it’s not about choice anymore. The disease of addiction should not be judged by people who have no personal experience and are not willing to face scientific facts. Studies have proven how the brain goes...
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...Heroin Addiction and Treatment Abstract This paper offers a brief explanation of the history of heroin. Describing the origins of heroin, who discovered it and describe the detrimental effects heroin has on an individual. There are several treatment options available for heroin addicts and this paper will look at a few of the ones that have shown the most success. Heroin Addiction and Treatment Introduction: A Brief History of Heroin Heroin comes from the opium poppy. This plant has been used by a number of various civilizations going back to include ancient civilizations. Opium, heroin, and morphine are derived from the poppy. Opium had been used by Drs. in the United States for many years prior to the Civil War. When morphine was discovered Drs. switched to using morphine instead of opium for pain, mainly because the hypodermic needle had been invented and morphine could be injected and pain could be better controlled. Heroin was derived from a chemical process discovered by Felix Hoffman in 1874. Heroin was initially distributed as a pain killer, and cough suppressant by Bayer Company in 1898. Drs. initially thought that heroin could replace morphine because they thought heroin did not possess the addictive qualities of morphine. In fact Drs. used heroin to get their patient’s off morphine. They thought...
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...professionalism. He plays an airline flight captain addicted to money, sex, and alcohol. Whip decides to use cocaine to wake up after a night with little sleep to fly the next morning. That morning during the flight Whip meets intense turbulence. In fact, while at cruising altitude, Whip falls asleep leading the copilot to take over. Finally, a mechanical noise wakes him abruptly. Here is when we see the characteristic that appears to make Whip a hero. His confidence to land the plane during mechanical malfunction is very symbolic in terms of being seen as a hero. The standout heroic moment in the film is when the plane travels at high speeds straight for the ground and Whip purposely turns’ the plane upside down causing them to fly inverted. Whip chose to do this to slow down the speed of plane and he then turns’ the plane back over as they approach the ground and landing the plane right side up. This decision saved many lives. Now his addiction to drugs is deliberately mentioned several times in the film, but merely referred to as his "medicine". This can be seen as a contrast to the...
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...Dealers carrying large quantities or quantities high enough for it to count as drug trafficking should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But when we look at recreational users and addicts, we should deal with them differently and not treat them the same as drug traffickers. The reason for this is because drugs addicts will still be able to find drugs in prison and when they are out, they are going to be a lot worse off than they were when they first got in. Chemical drugs to me and to many others is a completely different story when compared to marijuana, and because of the extensive number of laws and different illegal drugs out there, for the sake of time in my report we will be focusing on the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in Canada. We will see the many political, legal, economic and social issues revolving around legalizing marijuana in Canada along with the beneficial and harmful impacts of legalizing illegal narcotics in other countries. Furthermore I will be breaking down the supply and demand sides of the issue and their impact on the drug trade and politics along with comparing and contrasting the meaning of decriminalization vs legalization of...
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...frankfurt uses the example of an unwilling addict. h states that the unwilling addict is not free but i believe otherwise when it comes down to compatabilism. the unwilling addict had a free will before ever taking the drug to turn away from it and walk away. instead he stayed therefore determining his future as an addict and revoking his sense of free will to the drug. frankfurt states that there is free of will and freedom of action. one’s will is not always allowed to be acted on since one tends to restrict thise since a person is morally responsible for their...
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...Addiction Addiction is a physical, psychological and physiological state that is as a result of dependence on substances that are psychoactive. These substances are known to cross the barrier between blood and brain when they are taken into the body either through smoking, drinking, injection or any other means that may cause their entry into the body. These substances work by altering the normal functioning of the brain and results in what is often called 'getting high' (Heyman, 2009). The addiction develops when an individual cannot stay for prolonged periods of time without relying on the psychoactive substance that they are addicted to. An addiction may also include habits or behavior patterns that with time become ingrained in our day to day lives and which an individual eventually finds out that they cannot live without indulging in their particular habit or behavior. Though the involvement in the activity or substance is initially a means to seek bliss and enjoyment, after a while, the individual will need to engage in the substance or activity to feel that he or she is normal. Experts in psychology have identified addiction in many forms, but all of them highlight the unusual psycho-dependency on substances and activities. These include; gambling, eating, sex and/or pornography, the internet, work, watching TV, shopping and many more. The main forms of addiction discussed widely though involve excessive drinking, excessive gambling, drug use, eating and sexuality (Orford...
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...addiction is not bred from the drug itself, but from the feeling of abandonment or neglect. Mate also uses personal anecdotes from people he has met that have issues with drug abuse. The mixture of the scientific statistics, and personal anecdotes validate his argument, and make the reader agree with what he is saying. In “Embraced by the Needle” Mate discusses the ways in which addiction is bred and how it can eventually take over someones life. Gabor states “No drugs, in itself, are addictive.” This means that it is not the drug that causes the addiction, it is why the people are doing the drugs in the first place, and the way it makes them feel. If people grow up in an abusive household and have never experienced a “warm, soft hug”(305), they turn to drugs because it will give them that feeling. Although some may agree with Mate’s argument, the ways in which he gives his evidence and examples lacks all the necessary information needed in order to make a decision on whether you agree or disagree with his argument. In paragraph four Mate uses a scientific example saying, “Only about 8 per cent to 15 per cent of people who try, say alcohol or marijuana, go on to addictive use.” (305) While this statistic may be true, it is difficult to report on how many of those people of that eight to fifteen per cent are using it because they simply have an addictive personality. For Mate to say that all addictive drug use is caused from neglect issues is not accurate because he does not account for...
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