What is Drug Abuse?

• Cocaine
• Cannabis
• Ecstasy
• Amphetamines or Speed
  
• Prescription Medication

It was believed in the past that a person was a drug addict only if they needed the drug daily, or if they went through withdrawal symptoms such as vomiting, seizures, cramps, etc when they would abruptly stop using the substance. It was thought that drug addicts were unemployed, poor, and from the inner city.
 
These are misunderstandings. Many drug abusers do not use drugs daily and do not experience physical withdrawal when they stop using. The majority of people are employed and appear to be functioning normally. They may be your average person in normal employment or in highly paid prestigious positions and of high standing in their communities.
 
Another delusion deals with the differences between physical and psychological addiction. Physical addiction was thought to be the determining factor in addiction, and little attention was paid to psychological addiction. For example, many people believed that cocaine was not a dangerous drug because it was psychologically, but not physically, addictive. The current cocaine epidemic in this country has broadened the understanding of addiction. It is now known that all addictions are characterized by physical and psychological changes. Addiction is far more than physical or psychological dependency: it is a primary disease.  

Characteristics of Abuse

Loss of control - The user cannot predict what will happen when he or she uses the substance. One day they may be able to stop after one line of cocaine; the next day they may not be able to control their use at all.
 
Compulsive preoccupation - The addict spends a great deal of time thinking about the substance.
 
Continued use despite negative consequences - If drug use causes problems but one continues to do it, one is tempting addiction or is already addicted. The person has lost voluntary control of the use of that substance.

1 in 10 Becomes Addicted

The rate of addiction varies from substance to substance. Crack cocaine, for example, has a much higher potential for addiction than other drugs. It is estimated that about one of every 10 people who uses a mind altering substance will become addicted. Many of these will have difficulty stopping without the help of NA (Narcotics Anonymous) or a treatment centre.

 
The use and abuse of mood-altering drugs contribute to the overburdening of the health care, criminal justice, and educational systems. Both users and abusers have the potential for driving under the influence, overdosing, committing crimes to support their use, and contributing to family discord and violence.

Back to More About Drugs