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Essay on Drug Abuse

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Essay on Drug Abuse in 150 words

Essay on drug abuse in 250-300 words, essay on drug abuse in 500-1000 words.

Drug abuse is a global issue that poses serious risks to individuals and society. It involves the harmful and excessive use of drugs, leading to physical and mental health problems. Drug abuse can result in addiction, organ damage, cognitive impairment, and social and economic difficulties. Prevention efforts should focus on education, raising awareness about the dangers of drug abuse, and promoting healthy lifestyles. Access to quality healthcare and addiction treatment services is crucial for recovery. Strengthening law enforcement measures against drug trafficking is necessary to address the supply side of the problem. Creating supportive environments and opportunities for positive engagement can help prevent drug abuse. By taking collective action, we can combat drug abuse and build healthier communities.

Drug abuse is a growing global concern that poses significant risks to individuals, families, and communities. It refers to the excessive and harmful use of drugs, both legal and illegal, that have negative effects on physical and mental health.

Drug abuse has severe consequences for individuals and society. Physically, drug abuse can lead to addiction, damage vital organs, and increase the risk of overdose. Mentally, it can cause cognitive impairment, and psychological disorders, and deteriorate overall well-being. Additionally, drug abuse often leads to social and economic problems, such as strained relationships, loss of employment, and criminal activities.

Preventing drug abuse requires a multi-faceted approach. Education and awareness programs play a crucial role in informing individuals about the dangers of drug abuse and promoting healthy lifestyle choices. Access to quality healthcare and addiction treatment services is vital to help individuals recover from substance abuse. Strengthening law enforcement efforts to curb drug trafficking and promoting international cooperation is also essential to address the supply side of the issue.

Community support and a nurturing environment are critical in preventing drug abuse. Creating opportunities for individuals, especially young people, to engage in positive activities and providing social support systems can serve as protective factors against drug abuse.

In conclusion, drug abuse is a significant societal problem with detrimental effects on individuals and communities. It requires a comprehensive approach involving education, prevention, treatment, and enforcement. By addressing the root causes, raising awareness, and providing support to those affected, we can combat drug abuse and create a healthier and safer society for all.

Title: Drug Abuse – A Global Crisis Demanding Urgent Action

Introduction :

Drug abuse is a pressing global issue that poses significant risks to individuals, families, and communities. It refers to the excessive and harmful use of drugs, both legal and illegal, that have detrimental effects on physical and mental health. This essay explores the causes and consequences of drug abuse, the social and economic impact, prevention and treatment strategies, and the importance of raising awareness and fostering supportive communities in addressing this crisis.

Causes and Factors Contributing to Drug Abuse

Several factors contribute to drug abuse. Genetic predisposition, peer pressure, stress, trauma, and environmental influences play a role in initiating substance use. The availability and accessibility of drugs, as well as societal norms and cultural acceptance, also influence drug abuse patterns. Additionally, underlying mental health issues and co-occurring disorders can drive individuals to self-medicate with drugs.

Consequences of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse has devastating consequences on individuals and society. Physically, drug abuse can lead to addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms. Substance abuse affects vital organs, impairs cognitive function, and increases the risk of accidents and injuries. Mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosis, are often associated with drug abuse. Substance abuse also takes a toll on relationships, leading to strained family dynamics, social isolation, and financial instability. The social and economic costs of drug abuse include increased healthcare expenses, decreased productivity, and the burden on criminal justice systems.

Prevention and Education

Preventing drug abuse requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. Education and awareness programs are essential in schools, communities, and the media to inform individuals about the risks and consequences of drug abuse. Promoting healthy coping mechanisms, stress management skills, and decision-making abilities can empower individuals to resist peer pressure and make informed choices. Early intervention programs that identify at-risk individuals and provide support and resources are crucial in preventing substance abuse.

Treatment and Recovery

Access to quality healthcare and evidence-based addiction treatment is vital in addressing drug abuse. Treatment options include detoxification, counseling, behavioral therapies, and medication-assisted treatments. Rehabilitation centers, support groups, and outpatient programs provide a continuum of care for individuals seeking recovery. Holistic approaches, such as addressing co-occurring mental health disorders and promoting healthy lifestyles, contribute to successful long-term recovery. Support from family, friends, and communities plays a significant role in sustaining recovery and preventing relapse.

Law Enforcement and Drug Policies

Effective law enforcement efforts are necessary to disrupt drug trafficking and dismantle illicit drug networks. International cooperation and collaboration are crucial in combating the global drug trade. Additionally, drug policies should focus on a balanced approach that combines law enforcement with prevention, treatment, and harm reduction strategies. Shifting the emphasis from punitive measures toward prevention and rehabilitation can lead to more effective outcomes.

Creating Supportive Communities:

Fostering supportive communities is vital in addressing drug abuse. Communities should provide resources, social support networks, and opportunities for positive engagement. This includes promoting healthy recreational activities, providing vocational training, and creating safe spaces for individuals in recovery. Reducing the stigma associated with drug abuse and encouraging empathy and understanding are crucial to building a compassionate and supportive environment.

Conclusion :

Drug abuse remains a complex and multifaceted issue with far-reaching consequences. By addressing the causes, raising awareness, implementing preventive measures, providing quality treatment and support services, and fostering supportive communities, we can combat drug abuse and alleviate its impact. It requires collaboration and a collective effort from individuals, communities, governments, and organizations to build a society that is resilient against the scourge of drug abuse. Through education, prevention, treatment, and compassion, we can pave the way toward a healthier and drug-free future.

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The Effects of Drug Addiction on the Brain and Body

Signs of drug addiction, effects of drug addiction.

Drug addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease that involves complex interactions between a person’s environment, brain circuits, genetics, and life experiences.

People with drug addictions continue to use drugs compulsively, despite the negative effects.

Substance abuse has many potential consequences, including overdose and death. Learn about the effects of drug addiction on the mind and body and treatment options that can help.

Verywell / Theresa Chiechi

Drug Abuse vs. Drug Addiction

While the terms “drug abuse” and “drug addiction” are often used interchangeably, they're different. Someone who abuses drugs uses a substance too much, too frequently, or in otherwise unhealthy ways. However, they ultimately have control over their substance use.

Someone with a drug addiction uses drugs in a way that affects many parts of their life and causes major disruptions. They can't stop using drugs, even if they want to.

The signs of drug abuse and addiction include changes in behavior, personality, and physical appearance. If you’re concerned about a loved one’s substance use, here are some of the red flags to watch out for:

• Changes in school or work performance
• Secretiveness 
• Relationship problems
• Risk-taking behavior
• Legal problems
• Aggression 
• Mood swings
• Changes in hobbies or friends
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Unexplained odors on the body or clothing

Drug Addiction in Men and Women

Men and women are equally likely to develop drug addictions. However, men are more likely than women to use illicit drugs, die from a drug overdose, and visit an emergency room for addiction-related health reasons. Women are more susceptible to intense cravings and repeated relapses.

People can become addicted to any psychoactive ("mind-altering") substance. Common addictive substances include alcohol , tobacco ( nicotine ), stimulants, hallucinogens, and opioids .

Many of the effects of drug addiction are similar, no matter what substance someone uses. The following are some of the most common effects of drug addiction.

Effects of Drug Addiction on the Body

Drug addiction can lead to a variety of physical consequences ranging in seriousness from drowsiness to organ damage and death:

• Shallow breathing
• Elevated body temperature
• Rapid heart rate
• Increased blood pressure
• Impaired coordination and slurred speech
• Decreased or increased appetite
• Tooth decay
• Skin damage
• Sexual dysfunction
• Infertility
• Kidney damage
• Liver damage and cirrhosis
• Various forms of cancer
• Cardiovascular problems
• Lung problems
• Overdose and death

If left untreated drug addiction can lead to serious, life-altering effects on the body.

Dependence and withdrawal also affect the body:

• Physical dependence : Refers to the reliance on a substance to function day to day. People can become physically dependent on a substance fairly quickly. Dependence does not always mean someone is addicted, but the longer someone uses drugs, the more likely their dependency is to become an addiction.
• Withdrawal : When someone with a dependence stops using a drug, they can experience withdrawal symptoms like excessive sweating, tremors, panic, difficulty breathing, fatigue , irritability, and flu-like symptoms.

Overdose Deaths in the United States

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 100,000 people in the U.S. died from a drug overdose in 2021.

Effects of Drug Addiction on the Brain

All basic functions in the body are regulated by the brain. But, more than that, your brain is who you are. It controls how you interpret and respond to life experiences and the ways you behave as a result of undergoing those experiences.

Drugs alter important areas of the brain. When someone continues to use drugs, their health can deteriorate both psychologically and neurologically.

Some of the most common mental effects of drug addiction are:

• Cognitive decline
• Memory loss
• Mood changes and paranoia
• Poor self/impulse control
• Disruption to areas of the brain controlling basic functions (heart rate, breathing, sleep, etc.)

Effects of Drug Addiction on Behavior

Psychoactive substances affect the parts of the brain that involve reward, pleasure, and risk. They produce a sense of euphoria and well-being by flooding the brain with dopamine .

This leads people to compulsively use drugs in search of another euphoric “high.” The consequences of these neurological changes can be either temporary or permanent. 

• Difficulty concentrating
• Irritability 
• Angry outbursts
• Lack of inhibition 
• Decreased pleasure/enjoyment in daily life (e.g., eating, socializing, and sex)
• Hallucinations

Help Someone With Drug Addiction

If you suspect that a loved one is experiencing drug addiction, address your concerns honestly, non-confrontationally, and without judgment. Focus on building trust and maintaining an open line of communication while setting healthy boundaries to keep yourself and others safe. If you need help, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

Effects of Drug Addiction on an Unborn Child

Drug addiction during pregnancy can cause serious negative outcomes for both mother and child, including:

• Preterm birth
• Maternal mortality

Drug addiction during pregnancy can lead to neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) . Essentially, the baby goes into withdrawal after birth. Symptoms of NAS differ depending on which drug has been used but can include:

• Excessive crying
• Sleeping and feeding issues

Children exposed to drugs before birth may go on to develop issues with behavior, attention, and thinking. It's unclear whether prenatal drug exposure continues to affect behavior and the brain beyond adolescence.  

While there is no single “cure” for drug addiction, there are ways to treat it. Treatment can help you control your addiction and stay drug-free. The primary methods of treating drug addiction include:

• Psychotherapy : Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or family therapy , can help someone with a drug addiction develop healthier ways of thinking and behaving.
• Behavioral therapy : Common behavioral therapies for drug addiction include motivational enhancement therapy (MET) and contingency management (CM). These therapy approaches build coping skills and provide positive reinforcement.
• Medication : Certain prescribed medications help to ease withdrawal symptoms. Some examples are naltrexone (for alcohol), bupropion (for nicotine), and methadone (for opioids).
• Hospitalization : Some people with drug addiction might need to be hospitalized to detox from a substance before beginning long-term treatment.
• Support groups : Peer support and self-help groups, such as 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, can help people with drug addictions find support, resources, and accountability.

A combination of medication and behavioral therapy has been found to have the highest success rates in preventing relapse and promoting recovery. Forming an individualized treatment plan with your healthcare provider's help is likely to be the most effective approach.

Drug addiction is a complex, chronic medical disease that causes someone to compulsively use psychoactive substances despite the negative consequences.

Some effects of drug abuse and addiction include changes in appetite, mood, and sleep patterns. More serious health issues such as cognitive decline, major organ damage, overdose, and death are also risks. Addiction to drugs while pregnant can lead to serious outcomes for both mother and child.

Treatment for drug addiction may involve psychotherapy , medication, hospitalization, support groups, or a combination.

If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

American Society of Addiction Medicine. Definition of addiction .

HelpGuide.org. Drug Abuse and Addiction .

Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services. Warning signs of drug abuse .

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Sex and gender differences in substance use .

Cleveland Clinic. Drug addiction .

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction Drugs and the Brain .

American Heart Association. Illegal Drugs and Heart Disease .

American Addiction Centers. Get the facts on substance abuse .

Szalavitz M, Rigg KK, Wakeman SE. Drug dependence is not addiction-and it matters . Ann Med . 2021;53(1):1989-1992. doi:10.1080/07853890.2021.1995623

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. top 100,000 annually .

American Psychological Association. Cognition is central to drug addiction .

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Understanding Drug Use and Addiction DrugFacts .

MedlinePlus. Neonatal abstinence syndrome .

National Institute on Drug Abuse. Treatment and recovery .

Grella CE, Stein JA.  Remission from substance dependence: differences between individuals in a general population longitudinal survey who do and do not seek help . Drug and Alcohol Dependence.  2013;133(1):146-153. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.05.019

By Laura Dorwart Dr. Dorwart has a Ph.D. from UC San Diego and is a health journalist interested in mental health, pregnancy, and disability rights.

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7.4 Explaining Drug Use

Learning objectives.

• Understand the possible biological origins of drug addiction.
• Explain why longitudinal research on personality traits and drug use is important.
• Outline the aspects of the social environment that may influence drug use.

To know how to reduce drug use, we must first know what explains it. The major explanations for drug use come from the fields of biology, psychology, and sociology.

Biological Explanations

In looking at drug use, the field of biology focuses on two related major questions. First, how and why do drugs affect a person’s behavior, mood, perception, and other qualities? Second, what biological factors explain why some people are more likely than others to use drugs?

Regarding the first question, the field of biology has an excellent understanding of how drugs work. The details of this understanding are beyond the scope of this chapter, but they involve how drugs affect areas in the brain and the neurotransmitters that cause a particular drug’s effects. For example, cocaine produces euphoria and other positive emotions in part because it first produces an accumulation of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to feelings of pleasure and enjoyment.

Research on identical twins suggests that alcoholism has a genetic basis.

Michael Dorausch – Identical Twins Jedward – CC BY-SA 2.0.

Regarding the second question, biological research is more speculative, but it assumes that some people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of drugs. These people are more likely to experience very intense effects and to become physiologically and/or psychologically addicted to a particular drug. To the extent this process occurs, the people in question are assumed to have a biological predisposition for drug addiction that is thought to be a genetic predisposition.

Most research on genetic predisposition has focused on alcohol and alcoholism (Hanson et al., 2012). Studies of twins find that identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins (who are not genetically identical) to both have alcohol problems or not to have them. In addition, studies of children of alcoholic parents who are adopted by nonalcoholic parents find that these children are more likely than those born to nonalcoholic parents to develop alcohol problems themselves. Although a genetic predisposition for alcoholism might exist for reasons not yet well understood, there is not enough similar research on other types of drug addiction to assume that a genetic predisposition exists for these types. Many nonbiological factors also explain the use of, and addiction to, alcohol and other drugs. We now turn to these factors.

Psychological Explanations

Psychological explanations join biological explanations in focusing on why certain individuals are more likely than others to use drugs and to be addicted to drugs (Hanson et al., 2012). Some popular psychological explanations center on personality differences between drug users and nonusers. These explanations assume that users have personality traits that predispose them to drug use. These traits include low self-esteem and low self-confidence, low trust in others, and a need for thrills and stimulation. In effect, drug users have inadequate personalities, or personality defects, that make them prone to drug use, and once they start using drugs, their personality problems multiply.

One problem with research on personality explanations is methodological: If we find personality differences between drug users and nonusers, should we conclude that personality problems cause drug use, or is it possible that drug use causes personality problems? Most of the research on personality and drug use cannot answer this question adequately, since it studies drug users and nonusers at one point in time ( cross-sectional research ). To answer this question adequately, longitudinal research , which examines the same people over time, is necessary. Among initial drug abstainers at Time 1, if those with the personality traits mentioned earlier turn out to be more likely than those without the traits to be using drugs at Time 2, then we can infer that personality problems affect drug use rather than the reverse. Longitudinal research on personality and drug use that studies adolescents and college students does indeed find this causal sequence (Sher, Bartholow, & Wood, 2000). However, some scholars still question the importance of personality factors for drug use and addiction (Goode, 2012). They say these factors have only a small effect, if that, and they cite research questioning whether personality differences between users and nonusers in fact exist (Feldman, Boyer, Kumar, & Prout, 2011).

Other psychological explanations are based on the classic concept from behavioral psychology of operant conditioning —the idea that people and animals are more likely to engage in a behavior when they are rewarded, or reinforced, for it. These explanations assume that people use drugs because drugs are positive reinforcers in two respects. First, drugs provide pleasurable effects themselves and thus provide direct reinforcement . Second, drug use often is communal: People frequently use drugs (alcohol is certainly a prime example, but so are many other drugs) with other people, and they enjoy this type of social activity. In this manner, drug use provides indirect reinforcement .

Sociological Explanations

Sociological explanations emphasize the importance of certain aspects of the social environment—social structure, social bonds to family and school, social interaction, and culture—or drug use, depending on the type of drug. For drugs like heroin and crack that tend to be used mostly in large urban areas, the social structure, or, to be more precise, social inequality, certainly seems to matter. As sociologist Elliott Currie (1994, p. 3) has observed, the use of these drugs by urban residents, most of them poor and of color, reflects the impact of poverty and racial inequality: “Serious drug use is not evenly distributed: it runs ‘along the fault lines of our society.’ It is concentrated among some groups and not others, and has been for at least half a century.” This fact helps explain why heroin use grew in the inner cities during the 1960s, as these areas remained poor even as the US economy was growing. Inner-city youths were attracted to heroin because its physiological effects helped them forget about their situation and also because the heroin subculture—using an illegal drug with friends, buying the drug from dealers, and so forth—was an exciting alternative to the bleakness of their daily lives. Crack became popular in inner cities during the 1980s for the same reasons.

Social bonds to families and schools also make a difference. Adolescents with weak bonds to their families and schools, as measured by such factors as the closeness they feel to their parents and teachers, are more likely to use drugs of various types than adolescents with stronger bonds to their families and schools. Their weaker bonds prompt them to be less likely to accept conventional norms and more likely to use drugs and engage in other delinquent behavior.

Regarding social interaction, sociologists emphasize that peer influences greatly influence one’s likelihood of using alcohol, tobacco, and a host of other drugs (Hanson et al., 2012). Much and probably most drug use begins during adolescence, when peer influences are especially important. When our friends during this stage of life are drinking, smoking, or using other drugs, many of us want to fit in with the crowd and thus use one of these drugs ourselves. In a related explanation, sociologists also emphasize that society’s “drug culture” matters for drug use. For example, because we have a culture that so favors alcohol, many people drink alcohol. And because we have a drug culture in general, it is no surprise, sociologically speaking, that drug use of many types is so common.

To the extent that social inequality, social interaction, and a drug culture matter for drug use, sociologists say, it is a mistake to view most drug use as stemming from an individual’s biological or psychological problems. Although these problems do play a role for some individuals’ use of some drugs, drug use as a whole stems to a large degree from the social environment and must be understood as a social problem, and not just as an individual problem.

Beyond these general explanations of why people use drugs, sociological discussions of drug use reflect the three sociological perspectives introduced in Chapter 1 “Understanding Social Problems” —functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism—as we shall now discuss. Table 7.6 “Theory Snapshot” summarizes this discussion.

Table 7.6 Theory Snapshot

Functionalism

Recall that functionalist theory emphasizes the need for social stability, the functions that different aspects of society serve for society’s well-being, and the threats (or dysfunctions) to society’s well-being posed by certain aspects of society. In line with this theory, sociologists emphasize that drug use may actually be functional for several members of society. For the people who use legal or illegal drugs, drug use is functional because it provides them the various positive physiological effects that drugs have. For the people who sell legal or illegal drugs, drug use is functional because it provides them a major source of income. Illegal drug use is even functional for the criminal justice system, as it helps provide jobs for the police, court officials, and prison workers who deal with illegal drugs. Legal and illegal drugs also provide jobs for the social service agencies and other organizations and individuals whose work focuses on helping people addicted to a drug. At the same time, drugs, whether legal or illegal, have the many dysfunctions for society that this chapter discussed earlier, and this fact must not be forgotten as we acknowledge the functions of drugs.

Conflict Theory

Conflict theory stresses the negative effects of social inequality and the efforts of the elites at the top of society’s hierarchy to maintain their position. This theory helps us understand drugs and drug use in at least three respects. First, and as noted just earlier, much drug use in poor urban areas results from the poverty, racial inequality, and other conditions affecting people in these locations. They turn to illegal drugs partly to feel better about their situation, and partly because the illegal drug market is a potentially great source of income that does not require even a high school degree.

Second, conflict theory emphasizes that racial and ethnic prejudice and inequality help determine why some drugs are illegal as well as the criminal penalties for these drugs. For example, the penalties for crack are much harsher, gram for gram, than those for powder cocaine, even though the two drugs are pharmacologically identical. Crack users are primarily poor African Americans in urban areas, while powder cocaine users are primarily whites, many of them at least fairly wealthy. These facts prompt many observers to say that the harsher penalties for crack are racially biased (Tonry, 2011). Other evidence for this argument of conflict theory is seen in the history of the illegality of opium, cocaine, and marijuana. As we discussed earlier, racial and ethnic prejudice played an important role in why these common drugs in the nineteenth century became illegal: prejudice against Chinese immigrants for opium, prejudice against African Americans for cocaine, and prejudice against Mexican Americans for marijuana.

Third, conflict theory emphasizes the huge influence that multinational corporations have in the marketing and sale of the legal drugs—alcohol, tobacco, and many prescription drugs—that often have harmful individual and societal consequences. To maximize their profits, these companies do their best, as noted earlier, to convince Americans and people in other nations to use their products. They also spend billions of dollars to lobby Congress. As also mentioned earlier, the tobacco industry hid for years evidence of the deadly effects of its products. All these efforts illustrate conflict theory’s critical view of the role that corporations play in today’s society.

Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic interactionism focuses on the interaction of individuals and on how they interpret their interaction. Given this focus, symbolic interactionism views social problems as arising from the interaction of individuals. As such, it understands drug use as a behavior arising from an individual’s interaction with people who engage in drug use. From this type of social interaction, an individual learns how to use a drug and also learns various attitudes that justify drug use and define the effects of a drug as effects that are enjoyable.

A study of drug use that reflects this approach is Howard S. Becker’s (1953) classic article, “Becoming a Marihuana User.” Becker wrote that someone usually begins smoking marijuana in the presence of friends who are experienced marijuana users. This social interaction, he argued, is critical for new users to wish to continue using marijuana. To want to do so, they must learn three behaviors or perceptions from the experienced users who are “turning them on” to marijuana use. First, new users must learn how to smoke a joint (marijuana cigarette) by deeply inhaling marijuana smoke and holding in the smoke before exhaling. Second, they must perceive that the effects they feel after smoking enough marijuana (spatial distortion, hunger pangs, short-term memory loss) signify that they are stoned (under the influence of marijuana); their friends typically tell them that if they are feeling these effects, they are indeed stoned. Third, they must learn to define these effects as pleasurable; if people suddenly experience spatial distortion, intense hunger, and memory loss, they might very well worry they are having huge problems! To prevent this from happening, their friends say things to them such as, “Doesn’t that feel great!” This and similar comments help reassure the new users that the potentially worrisome effects they are experiencing are not only bad ones but in fact very enjoyable ones.

Key Takeaways

• Biological theories assume that some people are especially vulnerable to drug addiction for genetic reasons.
• A popular set of psychological theories assumes that drug addiction results from certain personality traits and problems.
• Sociological theories attribute drug use to various aspects of the social environment, including peer influences, weak social bonds, and the larger drug culture.

For Your Review

• When you think about the reasons for drug use and addiction, do you think biological factors, psychological factors, or the social environment play the most important role? Explain you answer.
• Write a brief essay in which you discuss a time when your friends influenced you, or someone else you know, to use a legal or illegal drug.

Becker, H. S. (1953). Becoming a Marihuana User. American Journal of Sociology, 59 , 235–242.

Currie, E. (1994). Reckoning: Drugs, the cities, and the American future . New York, NY: Hill and Wang.

Feldman, M., Boyer, B., Kumar, V. K., & Prout, M. (2011). Personality, drug preference, drug use, and drug availability. Journal of Drug Education, 41 (1), 45–63.

Goode, E. (2012). Drugs in American society (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Hanson, G. R., Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2012). Drugs and society (11th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.

Sher, K. J., Bartholow, B. D., & Wood, M. D. (2000). Personality and substance use disorders: A prospective study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68 , 818–829.

Tonry, M. (2011). Punishing race: A continuing American dilemma . New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Social Problems Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Substance Use Disorders and Addiction: Mechanisms, Trends, and Treatment Implications

• Ned H. Kalin , M.D.

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The numbers for substance use disorders are large, and we need to pay attention to them. Data from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ( 1 ) suggest that, over the preceding year, 20.3 million people age 12 or older had substance use disorders, and 14.8 million of these cases were attributed to alcohol. When considering other substances, the report estimated that 4.4 million individuals had a marijuana use disorder and that 2 million people suffered from an opiate use disorder. It is well known that stress is associated with an increase in the use of alcohol and other substances, and this is particularly relevant today in relation to the chronic uncertainty and distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic along with the traumatic effects of racism and social injustice. In part related to stress, substance use disorders are highly comorbid with other psychiatric illnesses: 9.2 million adults were estimated to have a 1-year prevalence of both a mental illness and at least one substance use disorder. Although they may not necessarily meet criteria for a substance use disorder, it is well known that psychiatric patients have increased usage of alcohol, cigarettes, and other illicit substances. As an example, the survey estimated that over the preceding month, 37.2% of individuals with serious mental illnesses were cigarette smokers, compared with 16.3% of individuals without mental illnesses. Substance use frequently accompanies suicide and suicide attempts, and substance use disorders are associated with a long-term increased risk of suicide.

Addiction is the key process that underlies substance use disorders, and research using animal models and humans has revealed important insights into the neural circuits and molecules that mediate addiction. More specifically, research has shed light onto mechanisms underlying the critical components of addiction and relapse: reinforcement and reward, tolerance, withdrawal, negative affect, craving, and stress sensitization. In addition, clinical research has been instrumental in developing an evidence base for the use of pharmacological agents in the treatment of substance use disorders, which, in combination with psychosocial approaches, can provide effective treatments. However, despite the existence of therapeutic tools, relapse is common, and substance use disorders remain grossly undertreated. For example, whether at an inpatient hospital treatment facility or at a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program, it was estimated that only 11% of individuals needing treatment for substance use received appropriate care in 2018. Additionally, it is worth emphasizing that current practice frequently does not effectively integrate dual diagnosis treatment approaches, which is important because psychiatric and substance use disorders are highly comorbid. The barriers to receiving treatment are numerous and directly interact with existing health care inequities. It is imperative that as a field we overcome the obstacles to treatment, including the lack of resources at the individual level, a dearth of trained providers and appropriate treatment facilities, racial biases, and the marked stigmatization that is focused on individuals with addictions.

This issue of the Journal is focused on understanding factors contributing to substance use disorders and their comorbidity with psychiatric disorders, the effects of prenatal alcohol use on preadolescents, and brain mechanisms that are associated with addiction and relapse. An important theme that emerges from this issue is the necessity for understanding maladaptive substance use and its treatment in relation to health care inequities. This highlights the imperative to focus resources and treatment efforts on underprivileged and marginalized populations. The centerpiece of this issue is an overview on addiction written by Dr. George Koob, the director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and coauthors Drs. Patricia Powell (NIAAA deputy director) and Aaron White ( 2 ). This outstanding article will serve as a foundational knowledge base for those interested in understanding the complex factors that mediate drug addiction. Of particular interest to the practice of psychiatry is the emphasis on the negative affect state “hyperkatifeia” as a major driver of addictive behavior and relapse. This places the dysphoria and psychological distress that are associated with prolonged withdrawal at the heart of treatment and underscores the importance of treating not only maladaptive drug-related behaviors but also the prolonged dysphoria and negative affect associated with addiction. It also speaks to why it is crucial to concurrently treat psychiatric comorbidities that commonly accompany substance use disorders.

Insights Into Mechanisms Related to Cocaine Addiction Using a Novel Imaging Method for Dopamine Neurons

Cassidy et al. ( 3 ) introduce a relatively new imaging technique that allows for an estimation of dopamine integrity and function in the substantia nigra, the site of origin of dopamine neurons that project to the striatum. Capitalizing on the high levels of neuromelanin that are found in substantia nigra dopamine neurons and the interaction between neuromelanin and intracellular iron, this MRI technique, termed neuromelanin-sensitive MRI (NM-MRI), shows promise in studying the involvement of substantia nigra dopamine neurons in neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric illnesses. The authors used this technique to assess dopamine function in active cocaine users with the aim of exploring the hypothesis that cocaine use disorder is associated with blunted presynaptic striatal dopamine function that would be reflected in decreased “integrity” of the substantia nigra dopamine system. Surprisingly, NM-MRI revealed evidence for increased dopamine in the substantia nigra of individuals using cocaine. The authors suggest that this finding, in conjunction with prior work suggesting a blunted dopamine response, points to the possibility that cocaine use is associated with an altered intracellular distribution of dopamine. Specifically, the idea is that dopamine is shifted from being concentrated in releasable, functional vesicles at the synapse to a nonreleasable cytosolic pool. In addition to providing an intriguing alternative hypothesis underlying the cocaine-related alterations observed in substantia nigra dopamine function, this article highlights an innovative imaging method that can be used in further investigations involving the role of substantia nigra dopamine systems in neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr. Charles Bradberry, chief of the Preclinical Pharmacology Section at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, contributes an editorial that further explains the use of NM-MRI and discusses the theoretical implications of these unexpected findings in relation to cocaine use ( 4 ).

Treatment Implications of Understanding Brain Function During Early Abstinence in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder

Developing a better understanding of the neural processes that are associated with substance use disorders is critical for conceptualizing improved treatment approaches. Blaine et al. ( 5 ) present neuroimaging data collected during early abstinence in patients with alcohol use disorder and link these data to relapses occurring during treatment. Of note, the findings from this study dovetail with the neural circuit schema Koob et al. provide in this issue’s overview on addiction ( 2 ). The first study in the Blaine et al. article uses 44 patients and 43 control subjects to demonstrate that patients with alcohol use disorder have a blunted neural response to the presentation of stress- and alcohol-related cues. This blunting was observed mainly in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a key prefrontal regulatory region, as well as in subcortical regions associated with reward processing, specifically the ventral striatum. Importantly, this finding was replicated in a second study in which 69 patients were studied in relation to their length of abstinence prior to treatment and treatment outcomes. The results demonstrated that individuals with the shortest abstinence times had greater alterations in neural responses to stress and alcohol cues. The authors also found that an individual’s length of abstinence prior to treatment, independent of the number of days of abstinence, was a predictor of relapse and that the magnitude of an individual’s neural alterations predicted the amount of heavy drinking occurring early in treatment. Although relapse is an all too common outcome in patients with substance use disorders, this study highlights an approach that has the potential to refine and develop new treatments that are based on addiction- and abstinence-related brain changes. In her thoughtful editorial, Dr. Edith Sullivan from Stanford University comments on the details of the study, the value of studying patients during early abstinence, and the implications of these findings for new treatment development ( 6 ).

Relatively Low Amounts of Alcohol Intake During Pregnancy Are Associated With Subtle Neurodevelopmental Effects in Preadolescent Offspring

Excessive substance use not only affects the user and their immediate family but also has transgenerational effects that can be mediated in utero. Lees et al. ( 7 ) present data suggesting that even the consumption of relatively low amounts of alcohol by expectant mothers can affect brain development, cognition, and emotion in their offspring. The researchers used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, a large national community-based study, which allowed them to assess brain structure and function as well as behavioral, cognitive, and psychological outcomes in 9,719 preadolescents. The mothers of 2,518 of the subjects in this study reported some alcohol use during pregnancy, albeit at relatively low levels (0 to 80 drinks throughout pregnancy). Interestingly, and opposite of that expected in relation to data from individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, increases in brain volume and surface area were found in offspring of mothers who consumed the relatively low amounts of alcohol. Notably, any prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with small but significant increases in psychological problems that included increases in separation anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Additionally, a dose-response effect was found for internalizing psychopathology, somatic complaints, and attentional deficits. While subtle, these findings point to neurodevelopmental alterations that may be mediated by even small amounts of prenatal alcohol consumption. Drs. Clare McCormack and Catherine Monk from Columbia University contribute an editorial that provides an in-depth assessment of these findings in relation to other studies, including those assessing severe deficits in individuals with fetal alcohol syndrome ( 8 ). McCormack and Monk emphasize that the behavioral and psychological effects reported in the Lees et al. article would not be clinically meaningful. However, it is feasible that the influences of these low amounts of alcohol could interact with other predisposing factors that might lead to more substantial negative outcomes.

Increased Comorbidity Between Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders in Sexual Identity Minorities

There is no question that victims of societal marginalization experience disproportionate adversity and stress. Evans-Polce et al. ( 9 ) focus on this concern in relation to individuals who identify as sexual minorities by comparing their incidence of comorbid substance use and psychiatric disorders with that of individuals who identify as heterosexual. By using 2012−2013 data from 36,309 participants in the National Epidemiologic Study on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III, the authors examine the incidence of comorbid alcohol and tobacco use disorders with anxiety, mood disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings demonstrate increased incidences of substance use and psychiatric disorders in individuals who identified as bisexual or as gay or lesbian compared with those who identified as heterosexual. For example, a fourfold increase in the prevalence of PTSD was found in bisexual individuals compared with heterosexual individuals. In addition, the authors found an increased prevalence of substance use and psychiatric comorbidities in individuals who identified as bisexual and as gay or lesbian compared with individuals who identified as heterosexual. This was most prominent in women who identified as bisexual. For example, of the bisexual women who had an alcohol use disorder, 60.5% also had a psychiatric comorbidity, compared with 44.6% of heterosexual women. Additionally, the amount of reported sexual orientation discrimination and number of lifetime stressful events were associated with a greater likelihood of having comorbid substance use and psychiatric disorders. These findings are important but not surprising, as sexual minority individuals have a history of increased early-life trauma and throughout their lives may experience the painful and unwarranted consequences of bias and denigration. Nonetheless, these findings underscore the strong negative societal impacts experienced by minority groups and should sensitize providers to the additional needs of these individuals.

Trends in Nicotine Use and Dependence From 2001–2002 to 2012–2013

Although considerable efforts over earlier years have curbed the use of tobacco and nicotine, the use of these substances continues to be a significant public health problem. As noted above, individuals with psychiatric disorders are particularly vulnerable. Grant et al. ( 10 ) use data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions collected from a very large cohort to characterize trends in nicotine use and dependence over time. Results from their analysis support the so-called hardening hypothesis, which posits that although intervention-related reductions in nicotine use may have occurred over time, the impact of these interventions is less potent in individuals with more severe addictive behavior (i.e., nicotine dependence). When adjusted for sociodemographic factors, the results demonstrated a small but significant increase in nicotine use from 2001–2002 to 2012–2013. However, a much greater increase in nicotine dependence (46.1% to 52%) was observed over this time frame in individuals who had used nicotine during the preceding 12 months. The increases in nicotine use and dependence were associated with factors related to socioeconomic status, such as lower income and lower educational attainment. The authors interpret these findings as evidence for the hardening hypothesis, suggesting that despite the impression that nicotine use has plateaued, there is a growing number of highly dependent nicotine users who would benefit from nicotine dependence intervention programs. Dr. Kathleen Brady, from the Medical University of South Carolina, provides an editorial ( 11 ) that reviews the consequences of tobacco use and the history of the public measures that were initially taken to combat its use. Importantly, her editorial emphasizes the need to address health care inequity issues that affect individuals of lower socioeconomic status by devoting resources to develop and deploy effective smoking cessation interventions for at-risk and underresourced populations.

Conclusions

Maladaptive substance use and substance use disorders are highly prevalent and are among the most significant public health problems. Substance use is commonly comorbid with psychiatric disorders, and treatment efforts need to concurrently address both. The papers in this issue highlight new findings that are directly relevant to understanding, treating, and developing policies to better serve those afflicted with addictions. While treatments exist, the need for more effective treatments is clear, especially those focused on decreasing relapse rates. The negative affective state, hyperkatifeia, that accompanies longer-term abstinence is an important treatment target that should be emphasized in current practice as well as in new treatment development. In addition to developing a better understanding of the neurobiology of addictions and abstinence, it is necessary to ensure that there is equitable access to currently available treatments and treatment programs. Additional resources must be allocated to this cause. This depends on the recognition that health care inequities and societal barriers are major contributors to the continued high prevalence of substance use disorders, the individual suffering they inflict, and the huge toll that they incur at a societal level.

Disclosures of Editors’ financial relationships appear in the April 2020 issue of the Journal .

1 US Department of Health and Human Services: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality: National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2018. Rockville, Md, SAMHSA, 2019 ( https://www.samhsa.gov/data/nsduh/reports-detailed-tables-2018-NSDUH ) Google Scholar

2 Koob GF, Powell P, White A : Addiction as a coping response: hyperkatifeia, deaths of despair, and COVID-19 . Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1031–1037 Link ,  Google Scholar

3 Cassidy CM, Carpenter KM, Konova AB, et al. : Evidence for dopamine abnormalities in the substantia nigra in cocaine addiction revealed by neuromelanin-sensitive MRI . Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1038–1047 Link ,  Google Scholar

4 Bradberry CW : Neuromelanin MRI: dark substance shines a light on dopamine dysfunction and cocaine use (editorial). Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1019–1021 Abstract ,  Google Scholar

5 Blaine SK, Wemm S, Fogelman N, et al. : Association of prefrontal-striatal functional pathology with alcohol abstinence days at treatment initiation and heavy drinking after treatment initiation . Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1048–1059 Abstract ,  Google Scholar

6 Sullivan EV : Why timing matters in alcohol use disorder recovery (editorial). Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1022–1024 Abstract ,  Google Scholar

7 Lees B, Mewton L, Jacobus J, et al. : Association of prenatal alcohol exposure with psychological, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study . Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1060–1072 Link ,  Google Scholar

8 McCormack C, Monk C : Considering prenatal alcohol exposure in a developmental origins of health and disease framework (editorial). Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1025–1028 Abstract ,  Google Scholar

9 Evans-Polce RJ, Kcomt L, Veliz PT, et al. : Alcohol, tobacco, and comorbid psychiatric disorders and associations with sexual identity and stress-related correlates . Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1073–1081 Abstract ,  Google Scholar

10 Grant BF, Shmulewitz D, Compton WM : Nicotine use and DSM-IV nicotine dependence in the United States, 2001–2002 and 2012–2013 . Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1082–1090 Link ,  Google Scholar

11 Brady KT : Social determinants of health and smoking cessation: a challenge (editorial). Am J Psychiatry 2020 ; 177:1029–1030 Abstract ,  Google Scholar

• Cited by None

• Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
• Addiction Psychiatry
• Transgender (LGBT) Issues

Essays About Drugs: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

Writing essays about drugs can be challenging; read our guide to find out how to tackle your next essay.

A sheriff once asked a teenager caught with drugs in his car to pen an essay about the substances’ effects . Instead of handcuffing the 17-year-old, the sheriff took into account the kid’s future and threw him a lifeline by giving him a second chance. The 500-word essay effectively made the teenager reflect on his wrongdoings. 

There’s still an ongoing debate on the recreational use of drugs. However, their harmful effects outweigh the positive as many fall victim to drug addiction. Drugs risk many lives and relationships, resulting in dangerous living environments, mental health disorders, and other trauma. As of last year, almost 32 million people actively participate in drug use. 

Because writing about drugs includes sensitive subjects, it’s critical to demonstrate your complete understanding of the topic and cite reliable sources. Consider the essay samples below to inspire your piece.

1. Long Essay on Drug Addiction by Veerendra

2. causes of drug use among young people by jill nicholson, 3. the failure of america’s war on drugs by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 4. drugs and alcohol abuse: reasons, effects and measures by anonymous on edubirdie.com, 5. social media impact on drug abuse by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 1. drug addiction: painkillers, 2. types of drugs, 3. causes and effects of drug abuse, 4. drug use vs. drug abuse, 5. drugs and destruction, 6. drugs as depicted in the movies, 7. depression and drug abuse, 8. a drug abuse journey.

“Drug addiction impacts millions and needs to be treated carefully to prevent further harm to the individual and letting them live a better life.”

Veerendra defines drug addiction as excessive substance intake leading to various behavioral and physical changes. First, he lists drugs that increase dopamine levels, including alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, and painkillers. Then, after adding the early symptoms of drug addiction, he delves into how it impacts a person’s mental cognition, communication skills, and mental health.

When a person stops taking drugs, withdrawal symptoms follow. These signs (nausea, fatigue, and tremors) can lead to the more detrimental phase known as relapse. Ultimately, he believes that drug addiction treatments and the full support of family and friends greatly aid in overcoming addiction. You might also be interested in these articles about driving under the influence .

“Many curious teens have died the first time they tried certain drugs, like ecstasy. Others have found their temporary escape became a permanent addiction.”

Nicholson discusses the three leading causes of drug use: curiosity, escape, and peer pressure. Mainstream media like TV, movies and social networking sites drive curiosity. Family and friends can also precipitate interest by discussing drugs in front of youngsters.

In the next section, Nicholson explains that most young people who have problems and are unhappy with their lives use drugs to escape reality and hide behind the feel-good chemicals. The last reason young people use drugs is to look cool to impress their peers. Nicholson notes that in a circle of friends if one is using drugs, people assume everyone else is doing it. One way to help these young people is by detailing the health risks accompanying these materials, zeroing in on the chains of addiction.

“… the United States has spent a lot of years trying to wage war on drugs. The cost has been violence, crime, corruption, the devastation of social bonds as well as the destruction of inner-city communities and the exponential development of several minorities and women ending up in jail.”

The essay focuses on the fact that despite spending billions of dollars on resources, alternative treatments, and casualties, the illegal drug trade in America continues and grows stronger. Some reason for this failure includes the public’s perception influenced by media campaigns and ill-suited punishments for non-violent and victimless crimes. 

The piece concludes that society will not benefit from anti-drug efforts as long as the government’s solution focuses on criminalization and not treatment.

“… drug abuse means when you use legal or illegal substances in ways you shouldn’t.”

Drug abuse refers to using chemicals to stimulate areas in the brain responsible for immediate gratification. The writer also pins down different drug types and their effects. Further, the essay accounts for users’ reasons for engaging with substance abuse (relationship complications, work pressure, and loneliness.) 

These chemical reactions deteriorate a person mentally and physically, with brain function the most affected. Exercising, consulting a doctor, eating healthy, and venting are the four measures to overcome drug and alcohol abuse.

“…active social media uses, especially adolescents, are more likely to try drugs because of the influence they see on the platforms.”

The essay expounds on how social media contributes to drug abuse by romanticizing their consumption. Unfortunately, these idealized posts are so rampant that drug use is socially acceptable. The steady increase of this content on social media attests to this phenomenon. 

The main encouragers are celebrities and social media influencers who advertise their wild lifestyle without regard for their followers’ ages or naivete.

If you want to learn about more essay topics, check out the best essay topics about social media.

8 Easy Writing Prompts for Essays About Drugs

Opioid addiction stems from the need to relieve pain from injury and other accidents. Unfortunately, up to 19% of these patients abuse prescription painkillers . For this prompt, research the roots of how painkillers begin as a means to heal victims to being the reason individuals suffer. Identify and explain how narcotic ruins the body. Include how people who need to take these medications can avoid getting addicted. 

Briefly explain the different drug types to give your readers an overview of how they work. Next, discuss the most commonly abused drugs and how they affect a person. Finally, add research findings, reliable data, and news articles to strengthen your essay and make it credible. 

There are many pieces discussing the causes and effects of drug abuse. To make your essay stand out, compare two families with one parent addicted to illegal substances. The addict in the first family went to rehab and counseling, while the second one didn’t. List down the different futures of these families, such as how the experience resonated with the children. 

A person who takes drugs to treat ailments differs from an individual who uses drugs in search of satisfying an impulse craving. Use this prompt to compare and contrast drug use and abuse and why their similarities and differences matter. 

Improper use of drugs doesn’t only ruin an individual’s psychological and physical health. It also destroys relationships and families. This destruction can be passed from generation to generation, snowballing the problem and making it more challenging to find a solution. Present this issue to discourage your readers from trying drugs.

Leonardo De Caprio’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” is one of the most famous movies showing how people justify taking drugs. First, write a short review of this film or pick other drug-related flicks you want to review in your essay. Next, juxtapose things you notice in movies that also happen in an addict’s real life. Finally, finish your piece by sharing what you learned from the film and its main characters.

Another reason some turn to drugs is to run away from their mental illness, such as depression. Substance Use Disorder explains why an individual can’t control the urge to abuse drugs and alcohol. Delve more into this condition and how it rewires the brain. Include addicts’ grounds for self-medication and other risk factors that can trigger this disorder.

It’s not easy to share drug-related experiences. However, many get inspiration from these stories too. To connect with your readers, write about a drug abuse journey. It can be your own or from a close friend or relative. Share how it started, including the reasons and influence it left on the people involved. Conclude with the steps the person did to overcome their drug addiction and how they rebuild relationships. Finally, end your essay with how they are currently living.

Here’s a great tip: If writing an essay seems daunting, start by simplifying it to simple paragraphs first. Then, read our guide on how to write a 5 paragraph essay .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Public Health Issues — Drug Addiction

Drug Addiction Essay Examples

Hook examples for drug addiction essays, the personal story hook.

Start your essay with a personal story or anecdote related to drug addiction. Share an experience or the journey of someone who has struggled with addiction to create an emotional connection with your readers.

The Shocking Statistics Hook

Begin with alarming statistics or data about drug addiction rates, overdoses, or the economic impact of addiction. Highlight the gravity of the issue to capture the reader's attention.

The Historical Perspective Hook

Explore the historical context of drug addiction. Discuss the evolution of drug policies, societal perceptions, and the impact of substances on different cultures and time periods.

The Celebrity Case Study Hook

Examine the stories of well-known individuals who have battled drug addiction. Discuss their struggles, treatment, and how their experiences shed light on the broader issue of addiction.

The Societal Consequences Hook

Highlight the societal consequences of drug addiction, such as family breakdowns, crime rates, and the burden on healthcare systems. Explain why addressing addiction is essential for the well-being of communities.

The Brain Science Hook

Introduce the science behind addiction by discussing how drugs affect the brain's reward system. Explain the neurological aspects and why addiction is considered a complex brain disorder.

The Recovery Success Hook

Share stories of individuals who have successfully recovered from addiction. Emphasize the themes of resilience, rehabilitation, and hope to inspire readers and showcase the possibility of recovery.

The Policy and Legislation Hook

Discuss drug policies and legislation related to addiction. Explain how policies have evolved and their impact on addiction treatment, prevention, and societal attitudes.

The Prevention and Education Hook

Highlight the importance of prevention and education programs. Discuss initiatives aimed at raising awareness, providing resources, and educating the public about the dangers of drug addiction.

The Personal Reflection Hook

Begin with a thought-provoking question or reflection on the broader implications of drug addiction. Encourage readers to consider their own perspectives and attitudes toward addiction.

Personal Experience with Addiction

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Addictions Causes and Factors Behind Dependency

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Drug Addiction in Our Brain

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Contrary to the popular belief, drug addiction is an issue that is not only met among famous rock stars or people living in the streets with no home or shelter of any kind. In truth, since the evolution of synthetic drugs, even middle school children have become the victims of drug addiction. The same can be said about people who tend to live with the help of strong painkillers and medication that contains narcotic substances. Finally, we can take the ongoing issue of recreational marijuana, which is also addictive. It shows that once you start exploring this social issue, it goes way further than we initially think.

While the subject of drug addiction can be met all over the world for decades, it does not get enough coverage or statistics regarding the range or scope of the problem. It has always been in discussion since the famous Opium Wars that you might have heard of while at school or in college. Still, the modern side of the problem has been linked to the nightclubs and entertainment among young people. You can see some of our free samples on this subject to get a better idea. Regardless if you take the past or the modern times, it will have enough to write about.

Starting with the World Federation Against Drugs (an international NGO) to famous celebrities who have battled addiction, we have several people who have started an international movement to show young people how a person cannot battle the woes of addiction alone without professional medical help. The examples include Robert Downey Jr, Demi Lovato, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore who has announced that she was an addict while being only 13, Elton John, Jamie Lee Curtis, a famous children’s book author, Keith Urban, Daniel Radcliffe, Eric Clapton, Carrie Fisher (Star Wars), and many others.

• Mental and physical degradation.
• Violation of the federal laws.
• Inability to recover without ruining one’s body.
• The physical danger of overdose.

Even if you have not faced any person with an addiction in your life, it is still something that we should not ignore. As a college student and a responsible person, you can make a major difference by protecting people from this awful situation with the help of education and social help. It also relates to people in recovery who require help and support. As the social stigma is quite strong, the addicts are usually left on their own and rarely ask for help, not only because they do not realize that they need help. By providing better information and exploring this subject, you can make a difference and save lives.

It does not matter what topic you may be given or have the freedom to choose for your college essay, you can explore the economical state, criminal situation, and many other aspects of life. For example, one of our paper samples talks about Bangladesh and drug addiction among young people while the other one explores the process of overcoming this problem. You can also start a debate regarding recreational marijuana and all those dangerous cocktails in modern nightclubs. The possibilities are virtually endless, which is why this topic is often approached by colleges worldwide.

The most important aspect here is understanding that you (or your friend) cannot cope alone without professional medical help. One of the reasons why addiction rehabs are present in the life of the ex-addicts is the role of the chemical processes in one’s body, which means that a person receives special medication to decrease the reception of the elements that lead to dangerous consequences. In addition, providing mental support is also important, which is something you can do as a student. Finally, the best method is to prevent something bad from happening, which can be done with the help of educational materials and discussions with young people.

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108 Drug Abuse Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best drug abuse topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on drug abuse, 💡 most interesting drug abuse topics to write about, ❓ drug abuse research questions.

Drug abuse essays are an excellent way to learn about the issue and its influence on various groups and populations while demonstrating your understanding.

Various substances, including alcohol, narcotics, and other mind-altering products, are a popular method for recreation in some communities.

However, they are prone to result in addiction, psychological as well as mental, and lead the person to pursue another dose before anything else.

In doing so, he or she can eventually ruin his or her life, which is why most drugs are currently banned around the world. This article will offer you some tips that will help you write an excellent essay and receive the top grade.

Youth is a major demographic that is affected by addiction issues due to drug consumption. Young people are impressionable and prone to search for new sensations. Drugs can offer a sense of novelty and provide an experience they have not had before, leading to considerable appeal.

Considering that young people are generally not wealthy and have to focus on work to succeed in life, essays on drug among youth can use a variety of excellent topics. You can offer your ideas on the reason for the phenomenon’s existence and ways in which it can be prevented.

However, remember that the purpose of the programs should be to help the people who are at risk.

There are many other drug abuse essay topics that you can explore, with poverty being a prominent example. Despite their conditions, many people turn to substance abuse to try and escape the unpleasant aspects of their life.

These population segments are more likely to suffer after acquiring a drug habit than young people because they generally receive less attention.

Furthermore, poor neighborhoods with relatively low amounts of surveillance by law enforcement are likely to house drug dealers who prey on vulnerable people.

You can discuss this topic or discuss a variety of other ones, as the relationship between poverty and poor outcomes has been researched deeply.

Here are some additional tips for your essay:

• Try to use examples to illustrate your points about various aspects of the issue. Drug addiction essay quotations from people who are affected by the condition or have overcome it can offer valuable insights. They also legitimize your findings by providing parallels with the real world.
• Alcohol essays are an excellent choice, as the substance is legal and available to everyone without much difficulty. Nevertheless, its effects can be devastating, especially if a person’s consumption is chronic.
• Try to write a drug abuse essay outline before starting work, as it will help you to organize the essay. Select some prominent ideas that you want to discuss and organize them in a manner that represents a logical progression. You do not have to discard all of the other concepts, as you can make them sub-headings under your main titles.
• Be sure to include a drug abuse essay introduction and conclusion in your work. They will help you provide a structure to the essay and make it easier for the reader to understand your ideas. The introduction should describe the topic and provide the thesis, and the conclusion should restate your main points.

Visit IvyPanda for drug abuse essay titles, and other useful samples on various subjects to help you with your writing work!

• Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse Drug trafficking contributes to drug abuse in the society. Drug trafficking also contributes to increased criminal activities that affect the security of citizens.
• Drug Abuse and Current Generation Drug abuse also breeds an array of behavioral problems among young people, which may affect their suitability to fit in the society.
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse For along time now, drug and alcohol abuse in the society has been a problem that affects the youth and the society at large. This paper highlights the problems of drug abuse and alcohol drinking […]
• Consequences of Drug Abuse The endless stream of drugs, obtainable to the individuals with little or no restrictions, poses a serious inquiry. When assessing the advantages of using pharmaceutical drugs, it is essential to consider the severity of health […]
• Drug Abuse & Its Effects on Families Focusing on the family seems to be by far, the most known and effective way of finding a solution with regards to the “war on drugs” since it more promising to end the vicious cycle […]
• Merton’s Argument of Deviance: The Case of Drug Abuse The most prominent example in support of Merton’s argument in relation to drug abuse is that cultural and social circumstances play a crucial role in defining people’s desire to engage in drug use.
• Social Media Impact on Drug Abuse Thus, social media platforms definitely contribute to the misuse of various drugs by romanticizing their consumption and making “social drug use” acceptable among users.
• Reasons Behind Youth’s Engagement to Drug Abuse in the 21st Century Although youths in the 21st century engage in drug abuse due to several factors, it suffices to declare factors such as the rising unemployment status, peer pressure, and their hiked tendency to copy their parents’ […]
• Drug and Substance Abuse Many experts consider addiction as a disease as it affects a specific part of the brain; the limbic system commonly referred to as the pleasure center.
• Drug Abuse: Age, Gender and Addictive Susceptibility This incorporates the aspects of gender where males and females possess varying biological constitutions that might affect the prescribed treatments in the realms of addiction. It is important to consider the rapidity and susceptibility of […]
• Drug Abuse. “Nine Years Under” Book by Sheri Booker The book is thought provoking and important because it allows representing the difficult social situation and the problems of gang violence and drugs in the United States from the personal point of view.
• Drug Abuse in High School and College With respect to social work and the problem of substance abuse, research has been carried out in terms of investigating the relationship between drug abuse and poverty, the effects of drug abuse on the society.
• Drug Abuse as an Ethical Issue On the side of duties and obligations, the societal norms stipulate that individuals should be caring to other members of the society especially the children and the old.
• Alcoholism, Domestic Violence and Drug Abuse Kaur and Ajinkya researched to investigate the “psychological impact of adult alcoholism on spouses and children”. The work of Kaur and Ajinkya, reveals a link between chronic alcoholism and emotional problems on the spouse and […]
• Drug Abuse Prevention in Probationers To reduce drug use in probationers and the probability of a new crime, the approach to drug testing needs to be changed.
• Drug Abuse: Awareness Amongst the Youths This project is going to carry out a public awareness campaign with the aim of educating the young people on the hazards related to the vice of drug and substance abuse. The awareness campaign is […]
• Drug Abuse and Its Psychological Effects The purpose of this paper is to explore in more depth the psychological effects of addiction on the family and inner circle of the addict.
• Drug Abuse, Aggression and Antisocial Behavior The use of abusive drugs can cause anger in people because of the effect they have on the brain. An example of how alcohol can cause aggression in a person is that it impairs an […]
• Policies for Pregnant Women With Drug Abuse Thus, out of all the offered policies, financial support for therapy is the best one, as it motivates prevention and treatment, which, in turn, causes the improvement of this situation.
• The Formative Evaluation: Program of Addressing Drug Abuse in Schools The proposed program sought to educate students about the challenges of drug abuse, its impacts on academic performance, and the best techniques to avoid the vice.
• Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Canada Therefore, it contributes as a central factor in the essence of the character, and it is crucial to understand the core definition and the elements that foster the ideology.
• Mitigating Drug Abuse in Pine View School The inclusion of professionals in the fields of health care, counseling, and drugs is expected to promote the delivery of desirable results.
• Drug Abuse and Its Negative Effects This paper aims to highlight what the field of psychology says about the negative effects of drugs and why people continue using despite the consequences. The main effect is that it creates a memory of […]
• Prevention Programs: Drug Abuse Resistance Education This program focuses on handling peer pressure among youths, a crucial cause of drug abuse in the country. The program is also grounded on sound research, which offers the critical elements vital to handling the […]
• Drug Abuse in Lake County, California The topic of drug abuse is essential for discussion due to the need to develop strategies to prevent and minimize the dangerous consequences of drug abuse in different regions.
• Drug Abuse Among Homeless Young Adults in New Jersey The reason why young adults in New Jersey get involved in drugs and alcohol after becoming homeless is to manage their situations in an attempt to attain the tentative pleasure of life despite their problems. […]
• Community Intervention Practices Against Drug Abuse The key features that result in successful community-based intervention on drug abuse are integrated for effectiveness and efficiency. On the other hand, drug abuse refers to the consumption of substances that elicit particular feelings and […]
• Teenage Drug Abuse in the United States The problem of teenage drug abuse inflicts a threat to the future society and health state of the overall population in the United States.
• Drug Abuse Effects on Health and Nervous System These numerous damages severely affect the quality of the brains work and the health of the nervous system. While discussing the effects of drug addiction, it is essential to notice that it has a devastating […]
• Early Substance Abuse Education Prevents Future Drug Abuse Still, this desire to get away from problems by means of substances instead of making effort to improve an individual’s environment contributed to the evolution of the challenge of substance abuse into a real public […]
• Drug Abuse Survey Analysis National survey results on drug use obtained by Monitoring the Future have a significant value to the development of various approaches with regard to the prevention of drug abuse.
• The Health Issues Associated With Drug Abuse It is therefore imperative to develop strategies for health promotion to reduce the number of teenagers, the most at-risk family member when it comes to drug abuse.
• Fentanyl – Drug Profile and Specific and Drug Abuse The drug has the effect of depressing the respiratory center, constricting the pupils, as well as depressing the cough reflex. The remainder 75% of fentanyl is swallowed and absorbed in G-tract.
• Cases of Drug Abuse Amongst Nursing Professionals It is noteworthy that at the top of the information, the date posted is Monday, February 14, 2011, yet against the information, the date is February 11, 2011.
• The Treatment of Drug Abuse Any medical practitioner treating a drug abuse patient has to be careful in many aspects, like: He has to be careful on the issue that if the addiction has effected the brain of the patient.
• Workplace Drug Abuse Over the past years, the issue of drug abuse in the workplace, whether the issue concerns the employees or their families, has become quite significant in the global context.
• Drug Abuse: Drug Court and Detoxification However, since 1989, the US federal system has been providing the majority of drug abusers with proper treatment or education with the help of a drug court option.
• Drug Abuse and Prevention Strategies When specialists deal with preventative factors, they pay attention to both mental and physical ways to resist the drug. The symbiosis of these procedures is exceptionally efficient in terms of the drug rehabilitation process when […]
• Drug Abuse – A Public Health Menace in Adolescents Between 15-19 Years In addition, the objectives of the paper are as follows: the first aim is to analyze the collected data and produce a review of the information.
• Drug Abuse in Adolescents and Its Causes Scientific research shows that the development factors for adolescent drug abuse are not limited to a set of three to five causes, but are usually linked to the integration of destructive environmental conditions.
• Drug Abuse and Addiction Holimon has succeeded in reviving some of her family relations, and she is still putting a lot of effort to get ahead in this area to the fullest extent possible.
• Drug Abuse and Sporting Activities His comments made me realize that it would be unwise by the end of the day for any parent to leave their children under the mercy of the media where they learned that doing drugs […]
• Intervention Techniques Focusing Drug Abuse and Alcoholism A technique of Family Intervention needs the concern, care and supremacy of love to penetrate the denial and start the treatment.
• Critical Issues in Education: Drug Abuse and Alcoholism For this case, the ministry concerned has a very hard task of ensuring there are no critical issues that are left unsolved that relate to education, failure to which will affect the performance of students […]
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education and Its Outcomes While evaluating the effectiveness of the DARE program analysis in accordance with the methodologies and evaluation criteria used, the given assessments refer to various methods of the analysis of participants, as well as various data […]
• Drug Abuse and Depression Treatment She states that her father was the main person who was able to give the right pieces of advice and she was not afraid of making the wrong decision.
• Drug Abuse Diagnostics in Counseling If either the client or the professional wishes to determine the extent to which an individual is dependent on drugs, the only thing he or she would have to do is read the individual’s behavior.
• Biopsychosocial Experience in Drug Abuse Treatment There has to be a preventive strategy in every intervention procedure to avoid the occurrence of a disease. I find the course of treatment in this intervention beneficial for the creation of the needed preventive […]
• Addictive Behavior Programs and Drug Abuse Trends The involvement of stakeholders is an essential condition for the effectiveness of this model of work and its results, and all the roles should be allocated in accordance with the capabilities of the program’s participants.
• Drug Abuse Among Young People in the US The paper analyzes studies regarding some of the most widespread types of substances, as well as discusses the role of the rap culture in the growing number of young addicts in the U.S.
• Social Behaviour as a Science: Drug Abuse in Youth Thus, the application of social psychology to the phenomenon of youth drug abuse helps to explain how social factors impact the prevalence of and risk for drug abuse.
• ACTIQ Prescription Drug Abuse The fast-acting characteristic of ACTIQ is a result of being absorbed in the mucosal lining of the mouth. ACTIQ is a synthetic drug that is available as lozenges/lollipops, which are designed to be sucked in […]
• Prescription Drug Abuse and Lebanon Students The first two authors are the representatives of the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at the American University of Beirut, and Martins is from the Department of Mental Health, the John Hopkins University.
• Drug Abuse Decreasing: Financial Plan Therefore, the first preferred sources for the program are the County Commission and the Alabama Department of Corrections. The program can be financed by the Montgomery County Commission in the short term and Alabama Department […]
• Addressing the Drug Abuse in Parolees and Probationers The aim of the program is to address the drug abuse in parolees and probationers during their probations and decrease the use of drugs in them.
• Problem of Drug Abuse in Schools The research worked on the hypothesis that the treatment would reduce or result in the total cessation of drug use, and better relations with family and friends.
• Youth Drug Abuse Among, Education, and Policies Although drug abuse encompasses improper use of drugs disregarding the prescriptions of medical practitioners, the principal challenges of drug abuse occasion from abuse of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.
• Prescription Drug Abuse in the United States The combination of Ibuprofen and acetaminophen are effective for the patients, who want to reduce and control the level of pain.
• Drug Abuse and Medicaid Program The emergence of alcohol and drug abuse as a problem and the intensification of people with mental health problems, have exposed the society to the likelihood of involvement of the population in substance abuse.
• Drug Abuse Among the Youth Essentially, this case study will allow the evaluation of the prevailing cases of drug abuse among the youth. In this regard, the pain and peer pleasure cannot be persevered to allow an explicit cure of […]
• Impact of Drug Abuse on Adolescent Development Therefore, it is important for counselors to consider these stages to help them address the issue of substance abuse among adolescents. In the habitual stage, most adolescents take drugs to help them modify their moods.
• Prevention Research: The Fight Against Drug Abuse It is agreeable that US’s ‘War on Drugs’ has been an effective substance abuse prevention plan despite the hiccups that the program faces and its inability to attain some of its designated mandates within the […]
• Drug Abuse Prevention Programs Additionally, it is possible to prospect the success of the program in case the required readiness from the community can be unveiled prior to the program execution.
• The Cultural Context and Ethics of Prevention of Drug Abuse The first prevention strategy outlined in the document is the involvement of young people in all levels of the prevention program establishment. Concurrently, it is crucial to relate this technique with the subject of culture […]
• Use of Psychotropic Medications in the Treatment of Drug Abuse This is because the mental illness is, literally, the one that sustains the abuse of drugs and thus after it is healed; the patient will have no reason to continue abusing the drugs.
• A New Alcohol and Drug-Abuse Rehabilitation Center in Liverpool Hospital, Sydney The hospital, in response to this distress, has decided to bring help closer to the people of Liverpool by the construction of the annex facility.
• Spirituality Effect on Drug Abuse Treatment Programs The hypothesis of the study was that spirituality is appropriate in the formal treatment of addiction; the study confirmed this hypothesis.
• Drug Abuse and Religious Spirituality Concept Particularly, this high rate of relapses was determined by Olmstead et al.as a direct result of a degree of failure on the part of drug abuse treatment programs to sufficiently address the primary reason why […]
• Drug Abuse and Harmful Health Effects The principle recognizes the importance of helping drug addicts out of the activity but also sees the importance of protecting their rights to health matters if the country is to realize economic development.
• The Extent of Drug Abuse Among People in America Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Said He Lied about Crack Cocaine Use Because He Was Embarrassed Mayor lied about the use of crack cocaine The article titled “Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he lied about crack […]
• Drug Use and Abuse in America: Historical Analysis The new law was similar to the Boggs Act of 1951 in that it employed the same formula of using perceived increase in drug use in the country.
• “Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction” by National Institute on Drug Abuse The literature provides us with a report of a research that has been conducted in the US regarding the topic of cocaine and drug abuse.
• Drug Abuse and Society Regardless of the many intervention measures that can be adopted to solve this problem of drug abuse, the most effective intervention measure is to create awareness to youths to enable them change their behaviors and […]
• Prescription Painkillers, the New Drug Abuse of Choice Studies attribute the recent increase in the misuse of prescription drugs to an increase in the use of the Internet, which facilitates the growth of illegitimate online drug stores and uncontrolled online prescription drug sales.
• Music Analysis: Drug Abuse in Music So in this song the artist is also lamenting the dangers of drugs and the theme of the music is one that advocates against tackling the problem with issues of drug abuse by arguing the […]
• Drug Abuse: Comprehensive Review The effects associated with drug abuse tend to vary depending on an individual’s age and the phase of drug abuse that the person is in.
• Drug Abuse as a Social Problem This poses as problem to the society because many of the people who are unemployed will resort to different ways of seeking money and pleasure.
• Adolescent’s Drug Abuse and Therapy Success When one accepts to put up with negative peer pressure, they end up giving up the personal trusts and values thus the pressure becomes a form of a negative force.”Does peer pressure affect the decision […]
• What Are Influences That Cause Drug Abuse on Youth?
• What Are Some Solutions to Drug Abuse?
• What Are the Primary Causes and Effects of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Among Young People?
• What Causes Teenage Drug Abuse?
• What Does Drug Abuse Truly?
• Why Do Children Need to Be Educated About Drug Abuse?
• Why Has the American Government Not Managed to Stop Drug Abuse All These Years?
• How Does Drug Abuse Affect Personal Development of Hong Kong Teenagers?
• How Does Pericarditis Form Due to Drug Abuse?
• How Drug Abuse Ruins Families and Destroys Relationships?
• How Does Prescription Drug Abuse Affect Teens?
• Does the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program Work?
• What Is the Drug of Abuse?
• What Are the Four Types of Drugs Abused?
• Which Is an Example of Drug Abuse?
• What Is the Leading Cause of Drug Abuse?
• What Are the Causes and Effects of Drug Abuse?
• What Are the Main Consequences of Drug Abuse?
• How Does Drug Abuse Affect Our Society?
• How Can We Prevent Drug Abuse?
• Why Is It Essential to Prevent Drugs?
• What Are the Ten Most Abused Drugs?
• How Do Drugs Affect Mental Health?
• What Are the Effects of Drug Abuse on Youths?
• What Is the Connection Between Adolescents From Divorced Families and Drug Abuse?
• Are Alcohol and Drug Abuse the Most Common Issues of Today?
• What Is Athletes’ Motivation for Performance-Enhancement Drug Abuse?
• What Is the Correlation Between Parietal and Adolescent Drug Abuse?
• How Is Dealing With Teenage Drug Abuse?
• What Is the Difference Between Drug Use and Drug Abuse?
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Understanding the Impact of Drug Use on Health

Exploring the vast landscape of drug use and its implications on health unfolds an intricate tableau that is as complex as it is fascinating. It’s a topic that wades through the muddy waters of scientific research, societal norms, and personal choices. In this discourse, we aim to dissect the myriad ways in which drugs – be they prescribed, over-the-counter, or illicit – play a role in shaping our health landscape. Let’s dive into this nuanced exploration with an open mind and a touch of curiosity.

The Role of Community in Recovery and Prevention

To begin, it seems pertinent to highlight that community resources and support networks play an indispensable role in both the prevention of drug misuse and the recovery process. Broader access to healthcare can help connect community members to unknown substance drug testing , treatment, recovery centers, and more. From there, resources like peer support groups and community education programs offer a framework for shared experiences and collective healing. Engaging with community initiatives can bolster individual resilience, reduce stigma, and promote a culture of health and well-being.

Navigating the World of Over-the-Counter Drugs

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, accessible and ubiquitous, offer both convenience and challenge. Their availability empowers individuals to manage minor health issues independently, fostering an environment of proactive self-care. However, the ease of access to OTC drugs can also lead to underestimated risks, including misuse and interactions with other medications . Enlightening ourselves about these potential pitfalls is key to maximizing their benefits while minimizing harm.

The Double-Edged Sword of Prescription Medications

Prescription medications, while a cornerstone of modern medicine, wield immense power over our health. These meticulously crafted compounds, when utilized with precision, can be life-saving. Yet, their misuse or overuse heralds a different tale – one of dependency, adverse reactions, and a cascading series of health complications. Unraveling the delicate balance between benefit and harm uncovers the critical importance of informed usage and healthcare guidance.

Advancements in Medical Treatments for Addiction

The field of addiction medicine has seen remarkable advancements in recent years, with new medications and therapies offering hope to those struggling with drug dependence. These medical interventions, when coupled with supportive psychotherapy and holistic care, can significantly improve outcomes for individuals. It’s an exciting time in the realm of substance use treatment, as researchers and clinicians continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

The Physical Body on Drugs: A Biological Perspective

At their core, drugs interact with the body’s biological systems in profound ways. This interaction, depending on the substance and the context, can either reinforce health or ravage it. This segment delves into the mechanics of how various drugs affect the body, highlighting the sometimes astonishing, sometimes alarming physiological changes that ensue.

The Ripple Effect of Illicit Drug Use

The realm of illicit drugs is fraught with danger, not solely because of legal implications but due to the profound and often irreversible impact they have on health. From the immediate high to the long-term degradation of mental and physical well-being , the ripple effects are wide-reaching. This section explores the intricate web of consequences that illicit drug use weaves, shedding light on the broader societal and individual health ramifications.

Prevention and Recovery: Navigating the Path to Health

While the landscape of drug use is undoubtedly complex, there lies hope in prevention, treatment, and recovery. The journey towards health, for those touched by drug use, is both personal and collective. Society’s role in supporting prevention efforts and recovery paths underscores the importance of compassion, understanding, and comprehensive health strategies.

Psychological Thrills and Spills: The Mental Health Equation

Drug use does not exist in a vacuum; its influence on mental health is significant and multifaceted. From temporary euphoria to the depths of depression, the psychological roller-coaster associated with drug use can be as compelling as it is catastrophic. Understanding the complex interplay between drugs and our mental state offers insights into the broader discussion of substance use and mental health care.

Exploring Holistic Approaches to Drug Recovery

In recent years, the move towards holistic care paradigms has been gathering momentum. This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of physical, psychological, and social health, advocating for strategies that encompass all aspects of a person’s life. By integrating traditional medical treatments with complementary therapies such as meditation, exercise, and nutritional counseling, individuals are finding new paths to recovery that are both empowering and sustainable.

Delving into the impact of drug use on health reveals a tapestry rich with challenges, lessons, and opportunities. As we navigate this intricate terrain, the importance of informed choices, supportive networks, and resilient health systems becomes glaringly apparent. It’s a journey that demands our attention, empathy, and action. Let’s tread this path with awareness and an eagerness to understand the vast spectrum of human health in the context of drug use.

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Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research. Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1996.

Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research.

• Hardcopy Version at National Academies Press

B Drug Abuse Research in Historical Perspective

David F. Musto, M.D.

Attempts to understand the nature of illicit drug abuse and addiction can be traced back for centuries, however, the search has always been limited by the scientific theories and social attitudes available or dominant at any one time. Dr. Benjamin Rush, a founder of the first medical school in the United States and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was one of the pioneers of U.S. drug abuse research. However, he had few scientific resources available to attack the problem. The intricacies of cellular response to a drug could not be understood until tools were developed to measure the response and to integrate this knowledge with complex cellular biochemistry—a technology that has been developed only in the past decade. One can compare this situation with that of pneumonia. A myriad of treatments and partially effective remedies were used until the discovery of penicillin, when the old treatments became a part of medical history. It is now possible, however, to be optimistic that the tools needed to resolve the addiction problem are at hand.

• BEGINNINGS OF MODERN DRUG ABUSE RESEARCH

Although the funding of drug abuse research has increased substantially since the 1960s-largely due to grants by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-significant research began much earlier. The vicissitudes of this research illustrate changing popular and professional attitudes toward illicit drugs and drug users and also provide insights into the relationship between scientific findings and drug policy.

Most of the modern problems, as well as the benefits, resulting from drug use are the outcome of scientific and technological progress. Excluding distilled spirits, the first addictive ingredient isolated from a natural product was morphine, which was extracted from crude opium by F.W.A. Serturner, a German pharmacist, in 1806. Increasingly widespread use of morphine, which constitutes roughly 10 percent of crude opium, revolutionized pain control.

One of the first careful studies of morphine addiction was made in 1875 by Levinstein, who identified key elements in opiate addiction that would interest researchers: the fixation on the drug that made it the highest priority even when the user's life situation was deteriorating, and the curious phenomenon of withdrawal that could be reversed quickly by giving more opiate (Levinstein, 1878).

Around the turn of the century, several new medical research issues attracted investigators: communicable diseases, bacteria, and viruses; the immune system, with its antibodies and antigens; autointoxication, or the body poisoning itself; the endocrine glands and their production of hormones; and the rapidly developing fields of biochemistry and pharmacology. A number of researchers in the United States and abroad attempted to apply those contemporary approaches to the study of illicit drug abuse, addiction (specifically, opiate addiction), and its treatment.

A particularly popular line of research related to discoveries about the immune system and concerned the possible creation in the user's body of either antibodies or a toxin to morphine. This research attempted to parallel the success of antitoxins to diphtheria and tetanus. Gioffredi reported in 1897 that serum from addicted dogs could be injected into kittens, who were then protected against large doses of morphine (Gioffredi, 1897). In 1914, Valenti stated that he had extracted serum from dogs undergoing the abstinence reaction and was able to produce similar effects by injecting the serum into normal animals—giving support for the hypothesis that a toxin produced abstinence effects (Valenti, 1914).

Application of the concept of ''autointoxication" to research on narcotic dependence emerged from the theories of Elie Metchnikoff, who won a Nobel Prize in medicine in 1908 for his work on toxins thought to be the product of fermentation in the large intestine (Metchnikoff, 1901). Other theories applied to drug addiction in the early 1900s included the blockage of endocrine gland passages (Sollier, 1898), changes in cell protoplasm (Cloetta, 1903), degenerative changes in brain cells (Wilcox, 1923), or changes in cell permeability (Fauser and Ottenstein, 1924). One other approach, exemplified by the New York physician Dr. Ernest S. Bishop, led to the claim that as long as the toxin or antibodies were balanced by a dose of morphine, the person would feel and function normally-a theory similar to that proposed for methadone treatment today (Bishop, 1920).

This early and active stage of research was characterized by optimism for medical research and the success of medical treatment. Estimates of cure ranged as high as 75-99 percent (Musto, 1987). Hope was great that the key to addiction had been found and that eventually a treatment as effective as that against diphtheria would be developed.

• END OF MEDICAL OPTIMISM

Soon, however, this situation changed dramatically. Around the time of World War I, extensive drug use in the United States—a combination of morphine, heroin, opium, and cocaine—created a growing fear of drug abuse. The association of opium with Chinese immigrants, cocaine with African Americans, and morphine addiction with careless physicians prompted more and more restrictive legislation and an antagonism to easy access to those drugs. A six-year federal effort to control the distribution of opiates and cocaine led to the Harrison Anti-Narcotics Act of 1914.

Regulations associated with the Harrison Act and promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1915 indicated that the maintenance of nonmedical addicts on narcotics to avoid withdrawal would not be considered legitimate medical practice. The federal government then began to use the act to prosecute doctors who issued prescriptions for that purpose. In 1919, the Supreme Court ratified the federal government's interpretation of the laws. The position against maintenance was controversial, however, not only because it seemed to represent an intrusion into medical practice, but also because the Gioffredi and Valenti hypotheses—that opiate use causes permanent physiological changes through creation of antibodies or a toxin—seemed to give support to those who considered addiction a medical disease.

E.J. Pellini, the Assistant City Chemist of New York, actively examined the Gioffredi and Valenti claims and, in the early 1920s, published a refutation of their hypotheses (Pellini and Greenfield, 1920, 1924). The general conclusion drawn from this debate over antibodies and toxins was that there was no organic basis for addiction and withdrawal and that these phenomena were "functional" or "psychological." Thus, research into addiction and withdrawal became a controversial field after 1919 due to the fact such that research might find evidence supporting a medical model and thereby possibly challenge established government policy.

• RESEARCH IN THE 1920s

Drug abuse research in the 1920s seems to have been at a relatively low level of activity. The Public Health Service (PHS) produced some estimates of the number of addicts and general statements on the nature and treatment of drug users. Perhaps the chief scientific contribution of that decade was the demonstration of morphine dependence in monkeys.

In addition to PHS, the Rockefeller Institute supported drug research. In 1913, the institute created the Bureau of Social Hygiene to study social problems generally and criminology in particular, and by the time the bureau was disbanded in 1933, 32 papers and books on addiction had been published with its support (Eddy, 1973). The vast majority described studies at Iowa State University of the effect of morphine on the gastrointestinal system and its fate in the body, as well as clinical efforts in Philadelphia to cure addicts and monitor morphine in the bodies of the patients. The foundation also supported the compendium The Opium Problem, a large anthology of information that is still in use (Terry and Pellens, 1928).

• NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON DRUG ADDICTION

At the close of the 1920s, the Bureau of Social Hygiene decided to transfer its support of research to the National Research Council (NRC), where it was hoped greater central direction could be achieved. In 1929, the Committee on Drug Addiction was established by the NRC's Chair of the Medical Sciences Division (May and Jacobson, 1989). Its members included medical school researchers and key government scientists and administrators, including the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, H. J. Anslinger. Their first task was to decide the direction of research, and their reasoning is quite instructive as to the state of research around 1930. The committee considered that further sociological studies were unlikely to help the drug situation. Given its resources, the committee felt that one drug should be targeted. Cocaine was considered but was dropped because it was no longer much of an abuse problem. Codeine appeared to be less addictive, thus posing less danger, so morphine was chosen as the target of this new research effort.

The goal of studying morphine was to find substitutes that were not habit forming. Scientists were well aware that they worked in a framework of law and policy that precluded maintenance and in an atmosphere of extreme antagonism to narcotic drugs. In addition to seeking safe substitutes, the NRC committee approved three more tasks: (1) synopses of the literature on morphine and other addictive drugs were to be prepared; (2) based on the literature search, rules and regulations governing the legitimate use of morphine and other habit-forming drugs were to be established; and (3) a determination of where gaps existed in biological knowledge was to be made.

The committee proceeded to attack the problem by working in three Settings—chemical laboratories that would create possible substitutes, a pharmacology lab where these would be tested, and a clinical setting in which human subjects could be studied. New substances for trial were created first at Yale and then at Dr. L.F. Small's laboratory at the University of Virginia. The substances were then sent to a new pharmacology unit at the University of Michigan headed by Dr. Nathan Eddy, where they were tested on laboratory animals.

Clinical facilities were meager until the "narcotic farms" opened in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1935 and Ft. Worth, Texas, in 1938. These institutions, dubbed farms by the sponsor of the legislation that established them, Representative Stephen G. Porter of Pennsylvania, were in fact special prisons for drug addicts, complete with cells and bars. They were officially under the control of the Treasury Department, which was charged with the enforcement of narcotic laws but were staffed by PHS officers. It was not until the late 1960s that the facility at Lexington became a true PHS hospital (Musto, 1987). Eventually the Addiction Research Center, under the leadership of C.K. Himmelsbach, was established at Lexington to determine the addictive liability of various compounds. Pharmacological research at the Lexington facility provided major contributions to the understanding of opiate and alcohol dependence and withdrawal, and included research on the quantification of opiate dependence as a physical or physiological phenomenon and on the effect of methadone on opiate withdrawal.

When it became apparent that the Rockefeller funding would not be continued, the chemical and pharmacological work was transferred to the PHS. At that time—in 1941—a non-habit-forming analgesic to replace morphine had not been found. However, many drugs had been tested, and experts were hopeful that compounds with a more salutary balance of effects, although still habit forming, might be developed. Certainly, many of the pitfalls of drug testing had been recognized. Judged by today's sophisticated research, the methods were simple. Addiction liability was typically tested by substituting the test drug for a regular dose of morphine in a morphine-dependent person and observing the results. The relation of molecular composition to effect was considered but at a level that could not take into account the actual shape of the molecule or the site on which it acted. These early studies illustrate the limitations of knowledge at the molecular level, where pain relief and dependence actually occurs.

• FROM THE CLOSE OF WORLD WAR II TO THE 1960s

In 1947, the National Research Council established a successor body, the Committee on Drug Addiction and Narcotics. Prominent among the reasons for this renewed activity was the appearance of methadone from German laboratories. Methadone had been substituted for morphine to meet German needs during World War II. Researchers' considerable interest in methadone's possibilities, together with other unfunded ideas for scientific studies in the field, prompted the group to consider asking pharmaceutical manufacturers for contributions to a research fund that the committee would administer. NRC approved, and by the end of 1949, eight firms had contributed a total of $18,500. This episode reveals the paucity of funding sources and the extremely modest amounts with which basic and practical research on pain relief was conducted immediately after World War II.

There were other supports for research in this area. University science departments contributed some of their own funds to these studies. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies themselves conducted research on analgesics, although their practice of sending new drugs for testing under the committee's auspices suggests that their programs in this area were not comprehensive.

In addition to its funding from pharmaceutical companies, NRC's Committee on Drug Addiction and Narcotics began to receive small annual amounts from the Veterans Administration (VA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1961. Research sponsored by the committee was varied and included studies of methadone as well as the opiate antagonists nalorphine, naloxone, and naltrexone. Additionally, the committee advised the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and the Food and Drug Administration on the potential abuse liability of marketable drugs. The committee changed its name to the Committee on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) in 1965 to meet the new definition of "addiction" promulgated by WHO. By 1977, CPDD had incorporated as an independent organization; it continued to grow as a locus of scientific interchange, later changing its name to the College of Problems of Drug Dependence.

• NATIONAL COMMISSION ON MARIHUANA AND DRUG ABUSE

The era from World War I through 1960 had seen a loss of faith in the possibility of successfully treating narcotics addicts. Dr. Alexander Lambert, a leading advocate of addiction treatment since 1909, exemplified this trend with his abandonment in 1920 of the "cure" he had advocated for 11 years. Federal drug policy became concentrated on narcotics control through law enforcement, and prevention and treatment were deemphasized. However, this trend began to decline with time.

During the 1960s, the entrenched commitment to law enforcement confronted an unprecedented rise in the nature and extent of illicit drug use. The transformation, especially in marijuana use, was associated with social and political turmoil, including the deep fissures caused by the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and profound demographic changes as the "baby boom" generation approached maturity. The first of several steps toward abandonment of the punitive-deterrent philosophy was the report of the President's Commission on Narcotics and Drug Abuse, which was an outgrowth of the 1962 White House Conference on Drug Abuse. The report advocated adoption of approaches more in keeping with the view of illicit drug abuse as a disease and with theories of social deviance control through medical means. This sort of thinking enjoyed widespread acceptance at that time and was the philosophy behind the establishment of federally funded community mental health centers which began the same year.

Congress responded by enacting the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970. This act attempted to deal with the growing wave of drug use in the context of new attitudes and approaches by making penalties, especially for marijuana possession, less severe and more flexible and by creating categories for drugs of varying dangerousness that would allow shifts between classes to be achieved administratively rather than requiring a new statute. One of the most important initiatives of the new law was the establishment of the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, which would report over two years (1971-1973) on the whole range of issues linked to drug use.

The commission's first report, Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding (NCMDA, 1972), recommended "decriminalization" as a response to the widespread use of marijuana. Although dealing in the drug would be still prohibited under this approach, users would no longer be subject to criminal punishment. This proposal was disavowed by President Nixon but influenced a number of state laws in the 1970s. Furthermore, the report urged substantial studies on marijuana, commissioned many itself, and published them in two large volumes of technical papers.

The commission's second report, Drug Use in America: Problem in Perspective (NCMDA, 1973), continued the strong recommendation both for government-sponsored research and for continuation of national surveys on drug use that the commission had begun. The technical papers of the second report include studies on patterns and consequences of drug use, social responses to drug use, the legal system and drug control, and treatment and rehabilitation. The commission conceived a wide range of research relevant to drug issues and set an example for the research programs of NIMH and NIDA.

• FOUNDATION SUPPORT

With the exception of studies on alcoholism, foundation support for drug abuse research did not emerge until the 1960s and 1970s, when changing use patterns made drug abuse a subject of national concern. The Ford Foundation had been receiving requests for support for drug abuse research since the 1950s, but not until 1968 did it award its first grant—$17,500 for a conference to discuss the possible role of the foundation.

In 1970, the Ford Foundation initiated the Drug Abuse Survey Project to pinpoint more precisely what should be done to combat drug abuse. Its final report, Dealing with Drug Abuse (Wald, 1972), analyzed in detail the great gaps in basic knowledge of drug actions within the body, psychological factors involved in deciding to use drugs, and the role of drugs in contemporary American society; it also made a strong appeal for more research. The report's practical outcome was creation of the Drug Abuse Council (DAC), which funded studies on illicit drug abuse from 1971 until 1978.

General foundation support for drug abuse research increased slightly in the 1980s, rising in the late 1980s as the crack epidemic crystallized national alarm over the drug abuse problem (Renz, 1989).

• NIMH AND NIDA: RECENT FUNDING ON DRUG ABUSE

The National Institute of Mental Health was established in 1949 as one of the National Institutes of Health. Its growth was considerable and included funding not only for research but also for training and services. As successor to the PHS Division of Mental Hygiene, concerns with alcohol and narcotics naturally fell under its mantle. For example, the Addiction Research Center (ARC) at Lexington, Kentucky, became part of NIMH. In the late 1960s, a Division of Narcotic Addiction and Drug Abuse (DNADA) was established within NIMH to oversee this responsibility. Eventually, the drug and alcohol divisions of NIMH evolved into the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).

NIDA had its origins in the Drug Abuse Office and Treatment Act of 1972, which had established the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention (SAODAP) in the Executive Office of the President. SAODAP provided the first federal funding of drug abuse treatment and was part of an ambitious response to public fears of widespread drug experimentation among youth, the possibility that drug-addicted Vietnam veterans would pose a danger to public order, and the general perception of a link between drug abuse and crime. This SAODAP legislation established an expiration date for the office of June 30,1975, and mandated devolution of its functions to a new institute of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), which was to come into existence on December 31, 1974. In fact, NIDA came into being over the summer of 1973 when HEW began a reorganization that created the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA); DNADA and SAODAP were merged under its aegis. (SAODAP had been operating on a lame duck basis since the 1972 presidential election and the resignation of its director in June 1973.) Further reorganization in 1992 divided drug abuse activities between the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and assigned NIDA to the former.

The creation of NIDA was itself an indication that the drug abuse problem was not expected to go away soon and that sustained research into the treatment, prevention, and biology of drug abuse was a national necessity. Over the years, however, NIDA's research budget has undergone unsettling perturbations as seen in changes of its extramural grant funding ( Table B.1 ). The 29 percent drop in 1982 was the most severe to date in NIDA's history. Drug abuse research is supported when the nation is in a state of alarm over a new drug or an escalation in drug use, but it is quickly reduced with changes in perception of drug use or when other issues become a priority. Thus, funding levels may shift significantly and may detrimentally affect research programs that rely on ongoing support both to maintain a specific research project and to keep trained experts employed in the field. Recent expansion of NIDA's budget can be attributed primarily to funds for research on human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS. In FY 1994, $143 million (34 percent of NIDA's $425 million budget appropriation) was designated for AIDS research (NIH, 1995). It is to NIDA's credit, however, and to the credit of drug abuse researchers that even with unstable funding levels, they have sponsored and conducted an extraordinary range of research that has resulted in many of the major accomplishments in the field discussed throughout this report.

Annual NIDA Extramural Research Budget, 1974-1994.

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• Cite this Page Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research. Pathways of Addiction: Opportunities in Drug Abuse Research. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1996. B, Drug Abuse Research in Historical Perspective.
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Section 1: perceptions of drug abuse, views of drug policies.

The federal government’s annual survey on drug use in the United States finds that the use of illicit drugs has increased over the past decade, in part because of a rise in marijuana use. The government treats marijuana as an illicit drug; marijuana is now legal for medicinal use in 18 states and for recreational use in two others (Colorado and Washington).

The number of Americans who had used marijuana in the last month increased from 14.5 million in 2007 (5.8%) to 18.9 million in 2012 (7.3%). Among the so-called “hard drugs,” heroin use more than doubled from 166,000 to 335,000 individuals per month between 2002 and 2012. Cocaine use declined slightly over this same period. In 2012, 6.8 million Americans used prescription-type medications that have legitimate medical uses, such as pain relievers including Oxycontin and Vicodin, but for non-medical purposes (referred to as psychotherapeutic drugs). These figures are statistically equivalent to usage levels going back to 2002 (2.7%).

Opinions about the problem of drug abuse differ little across most demographic and political groups. But young people are less likely than older Americans to say that drug abuse is a crisis nationally. Just 20% of those under 30 think drug abuse is a crisis compared with at least a third in older age groups. And 60% of young people say the problem of drug abuse in their neighborhoods is either a minor problem or not a problem, the lowest percentage of any age group.

Hispanics and those without college experience are more likely to view drug abuse as a serious problem in their neighborhood. A majority of Hispanics (63%) say that drug abuse is either a crisis or serious problem in their neighborhood, compared with about half of both non-Hispanic blacks (51%) and non-Hispanic whites (47%).

Among those with a high school degree or less education, 58% say drug abuse is a neighborhood crisis (14%) or serious problem (43%). College graduates see drug abuse as less of a problem in the neighborhoods where they live: 10% see a crisis, 35% a serious problem.

Race and Perceptions of Local Drug Abuse

The share of blacks saying drug abuse in their communities is a crisis declined later in the 1990s. By 2001, 16% of blacks regarded the problem of local drug abuse as a crisis; that is little different from the current measure (15%).

Compared with 2001, a greater share of whites – particularly less educated whites – say the problem of drug abuse in their communities is a crisis. Currently, 12% of non-college whites say drug abuse is a crisis in their neighborhood, double the percentage that said this 13 years ago.

Views of Drug Policies: States Dropping Mandatory Drug Sentences

More than six-in-ten (63%) say that state governments moving away from mandatory prison terms for non-violent drug crimes is a good thing, while just 32% say these policy changes are a bad thing. This is a substantial shift from 2001 when the public was evenly divided (47% good thing vs. 45% bad thing).

Across nearly all demographic groups majorities say that the move away from mandatory prison terms is a good thing, and in most cases these percentages have increased by double digits since 2001. Majorities of both men (64%) and women (62%) view these policy changes as a good thing – up 13 points among men and 20 points among women. In 2001, women were less supportive than men of sentencing revisions. Half of women said it was a bad thing compared with 40% of men.

About half of those 65 and older (49%) say that the move away from mandatory drug sentences is a good thing, up only modestly from 2001 (43%). By contrast, majorities among younger age groups have a positive view of the elimination of mandatory drug sentences, and this view has increased by double digits among those under 65 since 2001.

About half of Republicans (49%) have a positive view of the move away from mandatory drug sentences; in 2001, 41% viewed this change positively. Nearly seven-in-ten independents (69%) and 66% of Democrats say this is a good thing, up from 48% each in 2001.

The pattern is similar in opinions about how the government should deal with people who use illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Two-thirds (67%) say the government should focus more on providing treatment for people who use these type of drugs. Just 26% think the focus should be more on prosecuting illegal drug users.

In addition, while large majorities of Democrats (77%) and independents (69%) want the government’s focus more on treatment, a smaller share of Republicans (51%) favor this approach. Those 65 and older are less likely than those in younger age groups to say that the government should focus on providing treatment for drug users rather than prosecuting them.

Those who view drug abuse across the country as a crisis are about as likely as those who do not to favor treatment rather than prosecution for those using illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Among those who say drug abuse is a crisis in their neighborhood, 64% favor the treatment option, about the same percentage as those who view the problem less seriously (68%).

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Know the Risks of Using Drugs

Drug use—including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, as well as prescription drug misuse and illicit opioids—among adults is on the rise.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased drug use.

Different drugs pose different dangers. Drug use can lead to dependence and addiction, injury and accidents, health problems, sleep issues, and more. Drug use affects you and those close to you. Know there is help.

Do you or someone you know hide their drugs?

Hiding Places

Download the audio and video files for "Hiding Places."

The Risks are Real

The pressures on adults are real. Building careers, buying homes, getting married, having kids, and trying to do it all well comes with a lot of pressure. COVID-19 has magnified the stress. Some turn to drugs to cope. Just because some drugs are legal, doesn’t mean they are less dangerous.

Over time, the regular or habitual use of drugs becomes a crutch and only adds to the stress. Drugs can also cause other harms, including:

• Cocaine: Highly addictive, cocaine is involved in nearly one in five overdose deaths; its health effects include asthma, bowel decay, and increased risk of HIV.
• Methamphetamine (Meth): Meth causes devastating health effects , and sometimes death, even on the first try. Meth speeds up the body’s systems to dangerous levels. Chronic users experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, and more.
• Prescription and illicit opioids: Highly addictive, the substances are the top cause of overdose deaths; health effects include confusion, nausea, constipation, coma, and brain damage.
• Marijuana: Even though it is legal in many states, studies link marijuana use to various negative outcomes .

Before the risks become real and before drugs turn your life—and your family—upside down, know there is help. You can quit.

The Rise of Drug Use for Adults Ages 26-49

While young adults ages 18-25 have the highest rates of drug use across the board, drug use among adults ages 26-49 is on the rise:

• The percentage of adults age 26 and older using marijuana daily or almost daily has nearly doubled since 2015.
• Cocaine use and death rates have risen; cocaine-involved overdose rates in the U.S. have risen annually since 2012.
• Meth use is on the rise and overdose death rates climbed more than five-fold for those ages 25 to 54 between 2011 and 2018.
• The nation remains in a prescription and illicit opioids crisis, as 81,230 drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S.—the highest single year ever reported—in the 12 months ending in May 2020; most of the overdose deaths involved a prescription or illicit opioid.

If you, or someone you know, needs help with drug use or prescription drug misuse, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889, or text your zip code to  435748 (HELP4U), or use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to get help.

References and Relevant Resources:

• Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator
• National Survey on Drug Use and Health | SAMHSA
• Step by Step Guides to Finding Treatment for Drug Use Disorders If Your Adult Friend or Loved One Has a Problem with Drugs | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Drug Use and Addiction | Medline Plus
• Understanding Drug Use and Addiction DrugFacts | NIDA
• Prescription Opioids DrugFacts | NIDA
• Learn About Methamphetamine | SAMHSA
• Learn About Marijuana Risks | SAMHSA
• Resources for Families Coping with Mental and Substance Use Disorders | SAMHSA

Last Updated: 01/30/2024

Persuasive Essay Outline

Part 1: Persuasive Paragraphs The danger of drug use among high school students Drug use among high school students is a growing concern that endangers their physical and mental health, academic performance, and future prospects, and society must act quickly to address this issue and protect our youth from the dangers of drug use. First and foremost, drug use can have a catastrophic impact on children's physical health in high school. Drug usage can result in a number of health issues, such as addiction, overdose, and even death, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). One such effect of opiate use is respiratory depression, which can delay or stop breathing and ultimately result in death. Heart attacks, strokes, and seizures …show more content…

According to the NIDA, drug abuse can cause or worsen mental health conditions like psychosis, depression, and anxiety. For certain people who are genetically susceptible to mental illness, drug use may also be the catalyst for the onset of mental illness. Their general wellbeing and mental health may be negatively impacted for some time by this. NIDA, 2021 -. In addition to the risks to one's bodily and mental well-being, substance abuse can also have a noteworthy adverse effect on high school kids' academic achievements. A study that was published in the Journal of School Health found that drug use is linked to poorer academic performance, higher absence rates, and a higher chance of dropping out of school. This may reduce their opportunities for the future and make it harder for them to succeed in their objectives. Sznitman, Romer, & Oster, 2015. Moreover, drug use can have profound effects on society and the economy. Drug usage has the potential to cause criminal activity, which can lead to an arrest, jail time, and a criminal record. People may have trouble in the future finding housing, work, and other opportunities as a result of this. Drug abuse can also cause strained relationships with friends and family, which can result in a lack of support and social isolation. (Cohen et al., …show more content…

So, what are you waiting for? Upgrade your listening experience and elevate your studies with our top-quality headphones. Order yours today and experience the difference for yourself! References: Cohen, A., Vakharia, S. P., Netherlands, J., & Frederique, K. (2022). How the war on drugs impacts social determinants of health beyond the criminal legal system. Annals of Medicine, 54(1), 2024–2038. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2022.2100926 Griffin, K. W., & Botvin, G. J. (2010). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Evidence-based interventions for preventing substance use disorders in adolescents. Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics in North America, 19(3), 505–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2010.03.005. National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2021. The. The science of drug use and addiction: The basics. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/media-guide/science-drug-use-addiction-basics. Sznitman, S. R., Romer, D., & Oster, A. L. (2015). The association between adolescent substance use and young adult outcomes: A review. Journal of School Health, 85(11), 717-730. doi:

More about Persuasive Essay Outline

Characteristics of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Other Drug Use Among Persons Aged 13–18 Years Being Assessed for Substance Use Disorder Treatment — United States, 2014–2022

Weekly / February 8, 2024 / 73(5);93–98

Sarah Connolly, PhD 1 ,2 ; Taryn Dailey Govoni, MPH 3 ; Xinyi Jiang, PhD 2 ; Andrew Terranella, MD 2 ; Gery P. Guy Jr., PhD 2 ; Jody L. Green, PhD 3 ; Christina Mikosz, MD 2 ( View author affiliations )

What is already known about this topic?

Substance use, including drugs and alcohol, often begins during adolescence.

What is added by this report?

Among adolescents being assessed for substance use disorder treatment, the most commonly reported reasons for substance use included seeking to feel mellow or calm, experimentation, and other stress-related motivations. Most reported using substances with friends; however, approximately one half of respondents who reported past–30-day prescription drug misuse reported using alone.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Reducing stress and promoting mental health among adolescents might lessen motivations for substance use. Educating adolescents on harm reduction practices, including the risks of using drugs alone and ensuring they are able to recognize and respond to overdose (e.g., administering naloxone), could prevent fatal overdoses.

• Article PDF
• Full Issue PDF

Substance use often begins during adolescence, placing youths at risk for fatal overdose and substance use disorders (SUD) in adulthood. Understanding the motivations reported by adolescents for using alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs and the persons with whom they use these substances could guide strategies to prevent or reduce substance use and its related consequences among adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents being assessed for SUD treatment in the United States during 2014–2022, to examine self-reported motivations for using substances and the persons with whom substances were used. The most commonly reported motivation for substance use was “to feel mellow, calm, or relaxed” (73%), with other stress-related motivations among the top reasons, including “to stop worrying about a problem or to forget bad memories” (44%) and “to help with depression or anxiety” (40%); one half (50%) reported using substances “to have fun or experiment.” The majority of adolescents reported using substances with friends (81%) or using alone (50%). These findings suggest that interventions related to reducing stress and addressing mental health concerns might reduce these leading motivations for substance use among adolescents. Education for adolescents about harm reduction strategies, including the danger of using drugs while alone and how to recognize and respond to an overdose, can reduce the risk for fatal overdose.

Introduction

Initiation of substance use often occurs during adolescence ( 1 ), and adolescents commonly report using substances to feel good or get high and to relieve pain or aid with sleep problems ( 2 , 3 ). Adverse consequences of adolescent substance use include overdose, risk for development of substance use disorder (SUD), negative impact on brain development, and death. Prescription opioid misuse during adolescence is associated with SUD in adulthood ( 4 ). In the event of an overdose, immediate medical attention is necessary; bystanders can respond by calling emergency medical personnel and administering naloxone, which reverses overdoses caused by opioids. To guide the development and implementation of prevention strategies and help reduce substance use and fatal overdoses among youths, the motivations for substance use and the persons with whom adolescents report using substances were studied.

Data Source

Data were obtained from the National Addictions Vigilance Intervention and Prevention Program’s Comprehensive Health Assessment for Teens (CHAT) ( 5 ). CHAT is a self-reported, online assessment for persons aged 13–18 years who are being evaluated for SUD treatment. Assessments conducted during January 1, 2014–September 28, 2022, were analyzed. Because the assessment may be completed more than once, assessments completed by the same person within 60 days of a previous assessment were removed. The data set was restricted to assessments reporting past–30-day use of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs* and with at least one option selected for motivation or persons with whom substances were used.

Respondents were asked to report specific substances used within six categories: 1) alcohol, 2) marijuana, hashish, or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), 3) drugs other than alcohol or marijuana, † and misuse § of 4) prescription pain medications, ¶ 5) prescription stimulants,** or 6) prescription sedatives or tranquilizers. †† Motivation for use was asked for each of the six categories; each motivation question had 15 response options §§ and respondents were asked to select all options that applied. Respondents were also asked to select the persons with whom they used substances from four categories of substances: 1) alcohol, 2) marijuana, hashish, or THC, 3) drugs other than alcohol or marijuana, and 4) prescription drugs (which included prescription pain medications, prescription stimulants, and prescription sedatives or tranquilizers). Ten options describing the persons with whom substances were used were presented, ¶¶ and respondents were asked to select all that applied.

Data Analysis

The percentages of each motivation and the persons with whom substances were used were calculated.*** Responses were not mutually exclusive: a respondent could report more than one motivation or person with whom substances were used; therefore, the percentages sum to >100. R software (version 4.2.2; R Foundation) was used to conduct all analyses. This activity was reviewed by CDC, deemed not research, and was conducted consistent with applicable federal law and CDC policy. †††

Substance Use

Among 15,963 CHAT assessments conducted during the study period, 9,557 (60%) indicated past–30-day use of alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. Of those, 9,543 reported at least one motivation or person with whom substances were used and were included in further analyses. Marijuana was most commonly reported (84% of assessments), followed by alcohol (49%) ( Figure ) ( Table ). Nonprescription drug use was indicated on 2,032 (21%) assessments; those most commonly reported were methamphetamine (8%), cough syrup (7%), and hallucinogens (6%). Prescription drug misuse was indicated on 1,812 (19%) assessments, with prescription pain medication reported most commonly (13%), followed by prescription sedatives or tranquilizers (11%), and prescription stimulants (9%).

Reasons Reported for Using Substances

Overall, the most common reasons adolescents reported for using substances were to feel mellow, calm, or relaxed (73%), to have fun or experiment (50%), to sleep better or to fall asleep (44%), to stop worrying about a problem or to forget bad memories (44%), to make something less boring (41%), and to help with depression or anxiety (40%). By category, the most frequently reported motivation for alcohol use and nonprescription drug misuse was to have fun or experiment (51% and 55%, respectively), whereas use to feel mellow, calm, or relaxed was the most reported motivation for use of marijuana (76%), and misuse of prescription pain medications (61%) and prescription sedatives or tranquilizers (55%). The most common motivation for prescription stimulant misuse was to stay awake (31%).

Persons with Whom Substances Were Used

Adolescents most commonly used substances with friends (81%), a boyfriend or girlfriend (24%), anyone who has drugs (23%), and someone else (17%); however, one half (50%) reported using alone. Although using with friends and using alone were reported most often for all substances, the prevalence varied by substance type. Approximately 80% of adolescents who reported using alcohol, marijuana, or nonprescription drugs reported using these substances with friends; however, 64% of those who reported misusing prescription drugs used them with friends. Among adolescents reporting prescription drug misuse, more than one half (51%) reported using these drugs alone, whereas using alone was reported by 44% of those who used marijuana, 39% of those who used nonprescription drugs, and 26% of those who used alcohol.

This analysis summarizing self-reported motivations for use of various substances among adolescents being assessed for SUD treatment who used alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs during the previous 30 days, and the persons with whom adolescents used these substances, found that many adolescents use substances to have fun or experiment or to seek relief mentally, emotionally, or physically. These findings are consistent with those reported in a 2020 study that examined motivations for the nonmedical use of prescription drugs in a sample of young adults, which identified recreational and self-treatment motivations among young adults over time and across drug classes ( 2 ). Anxiety and experiencing traumatic life events have been associated with substance use in adolescents ( 6 ). Specific reporting of motivations, including “to stop worrying about a problem or to forget bad memories” and “to help with depression or anxiety,” underscores the potential direct impact that improving mental health could have on substance use.

One half of adolescents reported using substances while alone. Of particular concern, more than one half of respondents who reported past–30-day prescription drug misuse reported using the drugs alone. Prescription drug misuse while alone presents a significant risk for fatal overdose, especially given the proliferation of counterfeit pills resembling prescription drugs and containing illegal drugs (e.g., illegally manufactured fentanyl) ( 7 ). Education about harm reduction behaviors, such as using in the presence of others and expanding access to naloxone to all persons who use drugs, could reduce this risk.

Adolescents most commonly reported using substances with friends, which presents the opportunity for bystander intervention in the event of an overdose. Nearly 70% of fatal adolescent overdoses occurred with a potential bystander present, yet in most cases no bystander response was documented ( 8 ). Overdose deaths can be prevented through education tailored to adolescents to improve recognition of signs of overdose and teach bystanders how to respond, including the administration of naloxone ( 9 ) and increasing awareness of local Good Samaritan laws, which protect persons against liability when they provide emergency care to others ( 10 ). In addition, ensuring access to effective, evidence-based treatment for SUD and mental health conditions might decrease overdose risk.

Limitations

The findings in this report are subject to at least three limitations. First, the population represents a convenience sample of adolescents being assessed for SUD treatment and is not generalizable to all adolescents in the United States. Second, the assessment is self-reported and subject to potential reporting and recall biases as well as social desirability bias. Finally, several questions on motivations and persons with whom respondents use substances refer to categories of substances; thus, it was not possible to ascertain to which specific drug a person might be referring in their response if use of more than one substance within a drug category was reported.

Implications for Public Health Practice

Harm reduction education specifically tailored to adolescents has the potential to discourage using substances while alone and teach how to recognize and respond to an overdose in others, which could thereby prevent overdoses that occur when adolescents use drugs with friends from becoming fatal. Public health action ensuring that youths have access to treatment and support for mental health concerns and stress could reduce some of the reported motivations for substance use. These interventions could be implemented on a broad or local scale to improve adolescent well-being and reduce harms related to substance use.

Acknowledgment

Akadia Kacha-Ochana, CDC.

Corresponding author: Sarah Connolly, [email protected] .

1 Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC; 2 Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC; 3 Inflexxion, Irvine, California.

All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

* Two assessments that reported using only methadone were excluded.

† The category “drugs, other than alcohol or marijuana” included the following nonprescription drugs: inhalants, cocaine, methamphetamines, hallucinogens, phenylcyclidine or ketamine, heroin, ecstasy or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, gamma hydroxybutyrate or rohypnol, cough syrup, illegally made fentanyl (added to assessment in 2017), and xylazine (added to assessment in 2022), methadone, “other drug,” and “any drug.”

§ Misuse is described as prescription medication use “not as prescribed,” “without a prescription from a doctor,” “to get high,” or “to change how you feel.”

¶ A description of prescription pain medications provided in the assessment states, “Examples of painkillers include Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocet. Pain medications help people feel less pain after surgery, and help manage intense chronic pain.”

** A description of prescription stimulants provided in the assessment states, “Examples of stimulants include Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine. Stimulants help people concentrate or focus better.”

†† A description of prescription sedatives or tranquilizers provided in the assessment states, “Examples of sedatives include Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin. Sedatives or tranquilizers help people sleep or feel less anxious.”

§§ 1) To feel mellow, calm, or relaxed, 2) to sleep better or fall asleep, 3) to stay awake, 4) to feel less shy or more social, 5) to stop worrying about a problem or forget bad memories, 6) to have fun or experiment, 7) to be sexier or make sex more fun, 8) to lose weight, 9) to make something less boring, 10) to improve or get rid of the effects of other drugs, 11) to concentrate better, 12) to deal with chronic pain, 13) to help with depression or anxiety, 14) to fit in, or 15) other reasons.

¶¶ 1) Friend or friends, 2) brother or sister, 3) parent or parents, 4) adult relative or other adult, 5) relative near adolescent’s own age, 6) boyfriend or girlfriend, 7) coworker, 8) someone else, 9) anyone who has drugs, or 10) used alone.

*** The number of assessments for which an option was selected was divided by the total number of assessments in that substance type category.

††† 45 C.F.R. part 46.102(l)(2), 21 C.F.R. part 56; 42 U.S.C. Sect. 241(d); 5 U.S.C. Sect. 552a; 44 U.S.C. Sect. 3501 et seq.

• Meich RA, Johnston LD, Patrick ME, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG. Monitoring the future: national survey results on drug use, 1975–2022: secondary school students. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; 2023. https://monitoringthefuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/mtf2023.pdf
• Drazdowski TK, Kelly LM, Kliewer WL. Motivations for the nonmedical use of prescription drugs in a longitudinal national sample of young adults. J Subst Abuse Treat 2020;114:108013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108013 PMID:32527515
• Groenewald CB, Patel KV, Rabbitts JA, Palermo TM. Correlates and motivations of prescription opioid use among adolescents 12 to 17 years of age in the United States. Pain 2020;161:742–8. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001775 PMID:31815917
• McCabe SE, Veliz PT, Boyd CJ, Schepis TS, McCabe VV, Schulenberg JE. A prospective study of nonmedical use of prescription opioids during adolescence and subsequent substance use disorder symptoms in early midlife. Drug Alcohol Depend 2019;194:377–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.10.027 PMID:30481692
• Lord SE, Trudeau KJ, Black RA, et al. CHAT: development and validation of a computer-delivered, self-report, substance use assessment for adolescents. Subst Use Misuse 2011;46:781–94. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2010.538119 PMID:21174498
• Richert T, Anderberg M, Dahlberg M. Mental health problems among young people in substance abuse treatment in Sweden. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy 2020;15:43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-020-00282-6 PMID:32580732
• O’Donnell J, Tanz LJ, Miller KD, et al. Drug overdose deaths with evidence of counterfeit pill use—United States, July 2019–December 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:949–56. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7235a3 PMID:37651284
• Tanz LJ, Dinwiddie AT, Mattson CL, O’Donnell J, Davis NL. Drug overdose deaths among persons aged 10–19 years—United States, July 2019–December 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1576–82. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7150a2 PMID:36520659
• Walley AY, Xuan Z, Hackman HH, et al. Opioid overdose rates and implementation of overdose education and nasal naloxone distribution in Massachusetts: interrupted time series analysis. BMJ 2013;346:f174. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f174 PMID:23372174
• Hamilton L, Davis CS, Kravitz-Wirtz N, Ponicki W, Cerdá M. Good Samaritan laws and overdose mortality in the United States in the fentanyl era. Int J Drug Policy 2021;97:103294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103294 PMID:34091394

FIGURE . Percentage of persons aged 13–18 years being assessed for substance use disorder treatment reporting specific substances used during the previous 30 days* — National Addictions Vigilance Intervention and Prevention Program Comprehensive Health Assessment for Teens, United States, 2014–2022

Abbreviations: GHB = gamma hydroxybutyrate; MDMA = 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine; PCP = phenylcyclidine.

* Among those reporting previous 30-day use of any alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs, and at least one motivation or person with whom substances were used.

Abbreviation: THC = tetrahydrocannabinol. * Includes motivations or persons with whom adolescents used substances reported for any of the following: alcohol, marijuana, nonprescription drugs, prescription drug misuse, methadone, “other drug,” and “any drug.” † The alcohol motivation question is phrased, “People use alcohol for many reasons. Why have you used alcohol? Select all that apply.” The question asking with whom alcohol is used is phrased, “When you drink, who do you drink with? Select all that apply.” § The marijuana motivation question is phrased, “People use marijuana, hashish, or THC for many reasons. Why have you used marijuana, hashish, or THC? Select all that apply.” The question asking with whom marijuana is used is phrased, “When you use marijuana, hashish, or THC, who do you use it with? Select all that apply.” ¶ Inhalants, cocaine, methamphetamines, hallucinogens, phenylcyclidine or ketamine, heroin, ecstasy or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, gamma hydroxybutyrate or rohypnol, cough syrup, illegally made fentanyl (added to assessment in 2017), and xylazine (added to assessment in 2022). The motivation question is phrased, “People use drugs for many reasons. Why have you used drugs, other than alcohol or marijuana? Select all that apply.” The question asking with whom these substances are used is phrased, “When you use drugs, other than alcohol or marijuana, who do you use them with? Select all that apply.” This assessment section also included methadone, “other drug,” and “any drug,” which are captured by the same motivation question and the question asking with whom persons use. If a person reported methadone, “other drug,” or “any drug” in addition to one or more nonprescription drugs, the motivations and with whom they use (for methadone, “other drug,” or “any drug”) cannot be differentiated and are counted in this table. ** Includes persons who responded affirmatively to assessment questions asking about prescription pain medication use “not as prescribed,” “without a prescription from a doctor,” “to get high,” or “to change how you feel.” The motivation question is phrased, “People use drugs for many reasons. Why have you used prescription pain medications on your own? Select all that apply.” †† Includes persons who responded affirmatively to assessment questions asking about prescription stimulant use “not as prescribed,” “without a prescription from a doctor,” “to get high,” or “to change how you feel.” The motivation question is phrased, “People use drugs for many reasons. Why have you used prescription stimulants on your own? Select all that apply.” §§ Includes persons who responded affirmatively to assessment questions asking about prescription sedative and tranquilizer use “not as prescribed,” “without a prescription from a doctor,” “to get high,” or “to change how you feel.” The motivation question is phrased, “People use drugs for many reasons. Why have you used prescription sedatives or tranquilizers on your own? Select all that apply.” ¶¶ The question asking with whom substances are used is asked once for all prescription drugs and is phrased, “When you use prescription drugs, who do you use them with? Select all that apply.” The denominator for the number of assessments indicating past–30-day misuse of at least one prescription drug is 1,812. *** Motivation and persons with whom substances are used questions are in a “select all that apply” format; therefore, percentages sum to >100. Median and IQR summarize the number of motivations and the number of persons with whom they use substances that respondents selected for each question.

Suggested citation for this article: Connolly S, Govoni TD, Jiang X, et al. Characteristics of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Other Drug Use Among Persons Aged 13–18 Years Being Assessed for Substance Use Disorder Treatment — United States, 2014–2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:93–98. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7305a1 .

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The Science of Drug Use: A Resource for the Justice Sector

Why do people use drugs.

People use drugs for many reasons: they want to feel good, stop feeling bad, or perform better in school or at work, or they are curious because others are doing it and they want to fit in. The last reason is very common among teens.

Drugs excite the parts of the brain that make you feel good. But after you take a drug for a while, the feel-good parts of your brain get used to it. Then you need to take more of the drug to get the same good feeling. Soon, your brain and body must have the drug just to feel normal. You feel sick, awful, anxious, and irritable without the drug. You no longer have the good feelings that you had when you first used the drug. This is true if you use illegal drugs or if you misuse prescription drugs. Misuse includes taking a drug differently than how your doctor tells you to (taking more or crushing pills to "shoot up" or snort), taking someone else’s prescription, or taking it just to get “high.”

Drug use can start as a way to escape—but it can quickly make your life worse. Besides just not feeling well, different drugs can affect your brain and body in many different ways. Here are a few:

• Alcohol: You might have trouble making decisions, solving problems, remembering, and learning.
• Marijuana: You might forget things you just learned or have trouble focusing.
• Prescription pain relievers (opioids) or sedatives: Your heart rate and breathing may slow to dangerous levels, leading to coma or death.
• Heroin: Similar to opioid pain relievers, your heart rate and breathing may slow to dangerous levels, leading to coma or death.
• Prescription stimulants (e.g., ADHD medications): Your body temperature could get dangerously high, or you may have an irregular heartbeat, heart failure, or seizures.
• Cocaine and methamphetamine: You may get violent, have panic attacks or feel paranoid, or have a heart attack.
• MDMA (Ecstasy or Molly): You may feel confused for a long time after you take it and have problems with attention, memory, and sleep.
• LSD: Your emotions may change quickly, and you might not be able to recognize reality; frightening flashbacks can happen long after use.
• Inhalants: Your heart, kidneys, lungs, and brain may get damaged; even a healthy person can suffer heart failure and death within minutes of sniffing a lot of an inhalant.

Many drugs can also make driving a car unsafe. Marijuana can slow reaction time, make you judge time and distance poorly, and decrease coordination (how you move your body). Cocaine and methamphetamine can make a driver aggressive and reckless. Certain kinds of sedatives, called benzodiazepines, can make you dizzy or drowsy. These effects can lead to crashes that can cause injuries and even death.

What is drug addiction?

Drug addiction is when you can’t stop taking the drug even if you want to. The urge is too strong to control, even if you know the drug is causing harm. The addiction can become more important than the need to eat or sleep. The urge to get and use the drug can fill every moment of your life. The addiction replaces all the things you used to enjoy. A person who is addicted might do almost anything—lie, steal, or hurt people—to keep taking the drug. This can lead to problems with your family and friends, and can even lead to arrest and jail. You can get addicted to illegal drugs as well as prescription drugs if you misuse them.

Drug addiction is a chronic disease. That means it stays with you for a long time, even if you stop using for a while. It doesn't go away like a cold. A person with an addiction can get treatment, but quitting for good can be very hard.

Can I just use willpower to stop using drugs?

At first, taking drugs is usually your choice. But as you continue to take them, using self-control can become harder and harder; this is the biggest sign of addiction. Brain studies of people with addiction show physical changes in parts of the brain that are very important for judgment, making decisions, learning and memory, and controlling behavior. Scientists have shown that when this happens to the brain, it changes how the brain works and it explains the harmful behaviors of addiction that are so hard to control.

If I stay off drugs for a while (e.g., in the criminal justice system or in residential treatment), will it be easy to remain drug-free?

Sometimes people quit their drug use for a while because they’re away from triggers that remind them about their drug use. Away from home, drugs might be less available. Once you go back to normal life, you’re likely to start using again unless you take action to avoid your triggers. This return to drug use is called a relapse. People recovering from addiction often have one or more relapses along the way if they don’t take steps to avoid their triggers.

What is a trigger?

A trigger is anything that makes you feel the urge to go back to using drugs. It can be a place, person, thing, smell, feeling, picture, or memory that reminds you of taking a drug and getting high. A trigger can be something stressful that you want to escape from. It can even be something that makes you feel happy. People fighting addiction need to stay away from the people and triggers that can make them start using drugs again, just like people with breathing problems need to avoid smoke and dust.

People who have stayed sober for a while, either because they were in jail or in treatment, should know that they are at a high risk of overdose if they relapse and take the same amount of drug they used to. Their cravings may not have decreased, but their tolerance has, meaning their body can’t handle high doses of the drug anymore. Without immediate treatment, overdose often leads to death. This is why you often hear about people dying of an overdose soon after leaving rehab.

What makes people more likely to get addicted to drugs?

• Trouble at home.  If your home is an unhappy place, or was when you were growing up, you might be more likely to have a drug problem. When kids aren't well cared for, or there are lots of fights, or a parent is using drugs, the chance of addiction goes up.
• Mental health problems.  People who have untreated mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, or untreated attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to become addicted. They might use drugs to try to feel better.
• Trouble in school, trouble at work, trouble with making friends.  Failures at school or work, or trouble getting along with people, can make life hard. You might use drugs to get your mind off these problems.
• Hanging around other people who use drugs.  Friends or family members who use drugs might get you into trouble with drugs as well.
• Starting drug use when you're young.  When kids or teens use drugs, it affects how their bodies and brains finish growing. Using drugs when you're young increases your chances of becoming addicted when you're an adult.
• Your biology.  Everyone's bodies react to drugs differently. Some people like the feeling the first time they try a drug and want more. Other people hate how it feels and never try it again. Scientists don’t have a test yet that will predict how each person will react.

Can drug addiction be treated?

Yes. People who get treatment and stick with it can stop using drugs. They can change their lives so they don't go back to taking drugs. But they have to try hard and follow the treatment program for a long time. Recovery from addiction means you have to stop using drugs AND learn new ways of thinking, feeling, and dealing with problems. It’s best not to use in the first place. If you do get addicted, it’ll be a long and difficult road.

After you've stopped using the drug, you still have a lot to do:

• You have to relearn how to live without using drugs.
• You have to work on the problems your drug use caused with your family, your job, your friends, and your money.
• You have to stay away from people you used drugs with and places where you used.
• You have to learn what makes you want to take drugs again (your triggers), so you can avoid or work on those things.
• You may also need treatment for problems that led to your drug use, such as depression, anxiety, or other mental health problems.

Where to Get Help

You can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (toll free) or go to FindTreatment.gov at any time to learn more about substance use treatment and recovery support resources near you. If you or someone you know is experiencing severe symptoms or is in immediate danger, seek immediate medical attention by calling 9-1-1 or visit an emergency department.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a substance use and/or mental health crisis or any other kind of emotional distress, call or text 988 or chat www.988lifeline.org to reach SAMHSA’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline . Trained counsellors are available 24/7 to help you.

Loved ones of people with substance use disorders may be interested in SAMHSA’s Resources for Families Coping with Mental and Substance Use Disorders .

For information and help to quit smoking, visit SmokeFree.gov or call the National Cancer Institute Quitline at 1-877-44U-QUIT (1-877-448-7848).

Prevention Resources

For adults needing information for their own children or for children they care about:

• Underage Drinking Prevention: Talk. They Hear You  (SAMHSA)
• Partnership for Drug-Free Kids  (Drugfree.org)
• Alcohol Use: Conversation Starters  (Health.gov)
• Above the Influence