Categories Health

Understanding Drug Addiction

What Is Drug Addiction?

The term “drug” has a broad spectrum that consists of substances such as alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana, among others. When a person is fully dependant on such substances for their daily life activities, the person is known to be a victim of drug addiction. Also known as substance use disorder, drug addiction progresses to become a disease that affects the person’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being where he or she is unable to control using illegal medication or drugs. Check https://anaheimlighthouse.com/ for more information.

The Reasons For One To Get Addicted To Drugs Could Include:

  • Peer pressure
  • Early use
  • Mental health disorder
  • Family history of addiction
  • Lack of involvement of family

Symptoms Of Drug Addiction

The Behavioral Symptoms Include:

  • Unstable mood swings and violent outbursts
  • Overconfidence and hyperactivity
  • Receding interest from normal daily activities
  • Uncharacteristic restlessness and talkativeness
  • Constant cravings for the drug and inability to stop
  • Obtaining crack at the expense of finances, family, job, and other relationships.
  • Frequent cases of lawbreaking and arrests due to accidents or violence
  • Lowered concentration
  • Losing jobs or dropping out of school

The intensity of the symptoms and also the type of symptoms differ according to the drugs used, the longevity of use, and of course, and the purity.

  • Cannabis containing substances would give the feeling of “high,” accompanied by a dry mouth, anxiety, high blood pressure, frazzled concentration, red eyes, decreased mental sharpness, etc.
  • Synthetic cannabinoids will elevate the mood with a “high” feeling, hallucinations, paranoia, confusion, nausea, loss of muscle control, panic attacks, etc.
  • CNS depressants like hypnotics, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines causes’ drowsiness, and slurred speech, dizziness, and memory problems. Mood swings, accidents, lack of coordination, and more in addicts.
  • Stimulants in the likes of meth and cocaine boost pluck, rapid speech, impaired judgment, insomnia, paranoia, dilated pupils, etc.
  • Club drugs like ketamine are known to cause hallucinations, reduce inhibitions, poor judgment, reduced consciousness, etc.
  • Opioid painkillers or narcotics reduce the sensation of pain, constricts pupils, agitates, and cause problems with memory and attention, causes confusion and constipation, depression, and problems with coordination.
  • Inhalants like glue, gasoline, etc. can not only show symptoms like euphoria, nausea, decreased inhibition, dizziness, tremors, rashes, and irregular heartbeat, among others, but also brain damage and sudden death.
  • Hallucinogens, as the name suggests, results in hallucinations paired with mood and emotional swings, impulsive behavior, tremors, flashbacks and rapid heart rate, and high blood pressure, among others.

Drug Addiction Treatment Options

One should most definitely seek medical help and visit https://anaheimlighthouse.com/when one realizes that he or she cannot stop using the drug when it leads to extremely harmful and casual behavior like having unprotected sex or sharing needles and if the person stops and faces traumatizing withdrawal symptoms.

One might need to seek emergency help in case of overdosing, chest pain, consciousness changes, seizures, and convulsions and has breathing troubles.

Please note that the same treatment program does not work for all since the reason or magnitude of addiction also varies from person to person.

A Final Thought

The first step would be for the addict to admit and accept that they have no power over drugs or their lives. Drug addiction affects not only the life of the individual but his/her family too.

One of the newer drugs that has been wreaking havoc on drug users in the US has been Fentanyl. Fentanyl is so cheap, addictive and concentrated, that it has become the go to drug for most users who want to take their addiction to the next level. It is also being used by drug dealers in order to cut some weaker drugs and make them much stronger and more addictive. So how addictive is Fentanyl? Fentanyl is one of the most addictive substances in the prescription drug market right now. It’s also extremely cheap and easy to get.

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