Drug Abuse

The use of and abuse of illegal and prescription drugs are a health, social, and law enforcement problem that is affecting Americans across the country. Drug abuse is destroying the lives of many teens and adults and is also destroying families in the United States. The use of drugs is a major problem in the United States among all Americans, but drug addiction is the main cause for America's troubled teens today.

Exactly what is a drug? A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeutic effect in the body. Millions of people are abusing many different types of drugs today that are affecting the way the body functions. There are abused substances, which are prescription and over-the-counter medicines that prevent and treat diseases and illnesses and also to relieve symptoms; and there are illegal substances. Abused substances may include: tranquillizers, pain relievers (Percodan, Vicodin, and Oxycontin), sedatives, stimulants (Ritalin, diet pills), and sniffing chemical products (glue, paint, lighter fluid). Illegal substances may include: heroin ("smack), methamphetamines ("speed" or "ice"), cocaine ("coke" or "snow"), marijuana ("pot", "weed", "dope"), and Hallucinogens (LSD). The use of any illegal or prescription drug can become addictive overtime, causing people to become physically or psychological dependent on the drug. Drug abuse has several consequences; not only is it self-destructive, but it is also damaging to the health and safety of other people.

Many people who start using drugs never think that they will become addicted. In most situations the user has all control, but overtime the drug begins to control the user. Today, many people, especially America's teens, do not truly understand what an addiction is and the complete process of how an addition happens. The definition of a drug addiction by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) agency states: "a drug addiction is a complex brain disease. It is characterized by compulsive, at times uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking, and use that persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences. Drug seeking becomes compulsive, in large part as a result of the effects of prolonged drug use on brain functioning and, thus, on behavior. For many people, drug addiction becomes chronic, with relapses possible even after long periods of abstinence." The agency also points out that drug addiction is not only a brain disease but leads to social "illness" and other diseases. The NIDA agency also states: "Addiction often involves not only compulsive drug taking but also a wide range of dysfunctional behaviors that can interfere with normal functioning in the family, the workplace, and the broader community. Addiction also can place people at increased risk for a wide variety of other illnesses. These illnesses can be brought on by behaviors, such as poor living and health habits, that often accompany life as an addict, or because of the toxic effects of the drugs themselves." (National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA], 1999). All addictive drugs are "reinforcing", which means they make the user want to use the drug again. Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana, opium and barbiturates produce "positive reinforcement" because they bring pleasure to the user who is in a normal state of mind. Then there are the drugs that provide relief from pain and other unpleasant feelings. These drugs produce "negative reinforcement". Most of the common abused drugs are positive reinforcers. When people use these certain drugs it affects an area of the brain called the limbic system, which gives a pleasurable feeling or "reward". This feeling feels good to the user for a period of time which then causes repeated use. This is when the user becomes both physically and mentally dependent on the drug, which is addiction. Why do people get pulled into using drugs and exactly who is at risk? Many young Americans never think about why they are experimenting with drugs and what it might do to their future.

So many teenagers are beginning to use drugs at a very young age. During the ages of 12 and 18 it is common to experiment with drugs and alcohol, but most teens do not realize what experimenting with drugs and alcohol can lead to in the future. There are some teens that will experiment with drugs and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without major problems. Others will become addicted and move on to more dangerous drugs, which will then cause to other social