Signs and symptoms of addictionMood swings, Anxiety, Depression, Irritability, Euphoria, Periods of hyperactivity, Agitation, Problems in interpersonal relationships. There are several ways a person can take drugs, such as injection, inhalation, and ingestion. The effects of the medication on the body may depend on how the medication is administered. For example, injecting drugs directly into the bloodstream has an immediate impact, while ingestion has a delayed effect.
But all misused drugs affect the brain. They cause large amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate our emotions, motivation and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain and produce a “high”. Over time, drugs can change the way the brain works and interfere with a person's ability to make decisions, leading to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behavior can develop into substance dependence or drug addiction.
Today, more than 7 million people suffer from an illicit drug disorder, and one in four deaths is due to illicit drug use. In fact, there are more deaths, illnesses and disabilities associated with drug abuse than with any other preventable health condition. People who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction are also at increased risk for unintentional injuries, accidents, and incidents of domestic violence. Clinically known as substance use disorder, drug abuse or addiction is caused by regular intake of addictive substances.
Drugs include alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens, and opioids. Substance use disorder is a disease that causes people to use drugs compulsively despite the consequences. All drugs (nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and others) affect the brain's “reward circuit”, which is part of the limbic system. This area of the brain affects instinct and mood.
Drugs attack this system, which causes large amounts of dopamine, a brain chemical that helps regulate emotions and feelings of pleasure, to flood the brain. This Dopamine Flood Is What Causes a “High”. It is one of the main causes of drug addiction. While initial drug use may be voluntary, drugs can alter brain chemistry.
In fact, this can change how the brain works and interfere with a person's ability to make decisions. May cause intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behavior can develop into substance dependence or addiction to drugs and alcohol. See Why Newsweek Magazine Named Us One of America's Top Addiction Treatment Centers for the Second Year in a Row.
The effects of withdrawing from a substance of abuse are closely related to the drug of abuse and the length of time a person continues to use. The exact mental or cognitive effects of SUD may vary depending on the type of drug and the duration of use. Other environmental factors that may increase the likelihood of developing a drug addiction include poor academic performance, ineffective coping skills, dating peers who abuse drugs, or a feeling that drug abuse is appropriate. One of the most important steps in the recovery process is to understand the signs, symptoms, and side effects of barbiturate addiction.
Imaging scans, chest x-rays, and blood tests can show the harmful effects of long-term drug use on the whole body. Cocaine can be inhaled, eaten, smoked, or injected, and the effects and the high achieved depend on the way the drug is abused. These effects of drug abuse have serious consequences, such as absence from work, punishable offenses, accidents and injuries. The effects of these drugs can be dangerous and unpredictable, as there is no quality control and some ingredients may not be known.
These drugs are not all in the same category, but they share some similar effects and dangers, including long-term harmful effects. .
