What is Drug Addiction?
King (2012) indicates that drug addiction relates to the desirous habit of taking drugs without an existing medical condition. This habit arises in a person after they actively involve themselves in taking certain substances and foodstuff loaded with a predominant chemical component that appears to be addictive. Drug addiction takes upon different forms; these include smoking, oral uptake, injection and even smearing on the surface of the body. According to King (2012), it takes time for the intake of drugs to gain an addictive connotation. Within the initial period, the process of addiction can easily be reversed, but after the body has fully adjusted itself to the drug, the individual involved has no option but to live with the condition unless rehabilitation efforts are applied.
According to King (2012), the popular opinion states that people who are affected by various addictions are not strict with their morals. This is majorly influenced by thinking that the negative results that accompany drug use should direct anyone to shun the practice. Opposed to this mode of thinking is the position held by the psychologists. Bordens & Horowitz (2002) argue that drug addiction is a result of numerous factors that act a part in the lives of the addicts. Research has given a clear capture of the role of dual diagnosis; this is unfortunate because such an approach introduces a bigger risk factor when compared to other factors that influence the uptake of drugs to addictive levels. A principal contributor to the addictive nature of drug taking in people is their biological makeup (Bordens & Horowitz, 2002). Genetics plays a vital role in facilitating the way the person’s views and outlook relate to drugs. A mentally disturbed person finds it harmless to consume drugs the same way a drug resistant individual will do. The biological factors combined with environmental factors further push the risk factor to extreme levels. Baranard (2007) indicates that the environment comprises the nature of friends and family members that an affected individual has. For instance, the family may act a significant motivator to drug taking when they continually avail drugs in different formats. This is also pegged closely to the wealth status of the family, and the kind of policy that addresses restraint on the family members. When peers who are engaged in drug taking surround an individual, there is a high chance that he or she may end up taking drugs as well due to peer pressure, influence or desire not to be different.
According to Barnard (2002), another factor that plays a key role in the addiction process is the cycle of development an individual experiences. The earlier an individual is introduced to drug taking, the earlier will the person get addicted to the drug. This principle advocates that the older members of the society should play a vital role in safeguarding the younger members from early exposure to drugs and the inherent negatives that follow the use and abuse of drugs. This does not imply that the elderly members of the society may freely take up the use of drugs.
What are the Causes of Drug Use Dependence?
Several articles and research efforts have sought to address the main causative agent of the drug abuse habit. Not all these efforts have revealed the main cause of drug addiction. The efforts have resulted in highlighting key psychological, biological and social factors that seemingly accelerate the rate at which individuals take up drugs to abusive levels. Studies indicate that drug abuse is evident in cases where successive legal problems occur to an individual who decides to forfeit several obligations and responsibilities he or she has in life. These suits, in general, seek to awake the individual from the slumber, which most frequently results in social and relationship problems.
It is also possible to identify if individuals are involved in drug addiction if they insist on taking large loads of particular drugs without prescription or existence of medical conditions. Another way of looking at this is the persistent resistance that comes whenever suggestions to stop taking drugs are implored. Another evident symptom of drug use is seen in the way an affected individual appropriates personal funds. For instance, marijuana smokers spend inordinate energy and finances in their efforts towards acquiring the drug.
Effects of Drug Uptake and Addiction
Marijuana smoking affects key executive areas of the brain; the result of such impairment is the loss of ability to prevent disastrous action that could easily be avoided. Cannabis conducts a disruptive influence on the brain functions. Such a state is affected by delaying and sometimes inhibiting the normal sending and receiving signal processes as well as the brain’s information processing power. Scientists have discovered two ways in which marijuana acts on the brain. One way holds that marijuana, due to its active chemical content – cannabis, imitates the natural chemical messengers of the brain and causes a lag in the fast execution of the brain functions. The second way involves the faking effect that cannabis has in inducing euphoria in the brain relays of the consumer. This side of drugs fuels the desire to frequently take up the drug. A sad revelation of the use of marijuana is that the brain alters its operations with time, hence leading to failure in deriving fulfillment from using the drug. With this state of affairs, the users allow themselves to engage more and more in taking the drug though the trend does not satisfy the desire. This trend of taking bigger amounts of a particular drug than in previous cases is called tolerance.
Prevention and Control
There exists a considerable chance of controlling the spread of addiction and the effects of taking drugs to abusive levels. To many stakeholders in the rehabilitation field, drug addiction is extremely preventable. The stakeholders in this field include the government, the community, medics, schools, and, even more importantly, families. The family has a vital role of communicating to its members that drug taking has detrimental effects that include ruined health and irresponsible behavior. The media is in a position to ensure that the society receives proper knowledge pertaining to the way drugs are killing vibrant economies.
The system of education also plays a defining role in the fight against the vice of drug addiction. The education system should be keen to highlight the nature in which drug taking is introduced to the youth. With a strict follow up on the addictive cycle, the education system should work tirelessly to enable the youth to understand the risks accompanying drug taking.
On its side, the government’s role is to adopt laws against drugs that are harmful to its citizens. The government is also charged with the role of setting up rehabilitation centers that enable the affected citizens to smoothly withdraw from the practice of abusing addictive drugs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is vital for the society to fully comprehend that drug abuse is not a tendency of the morally skewed individuals, but it is a trait that can affect any person. In addition, society should understand that there are key environmental contributors to the trait of drug taking and addiction. If the stakeholders in this vice address their part keenly, there is bound to be a considerable progress in the fight against drug addiction and abuse. This will positively affect the economy by supplying vibrant citizens to fill key sectors in the economy.