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Drug Abuse
Below is a free essay on "Drug Abuse And Drug Addiction" from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples.
Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction

COM 220
May 23rd, 2010

When it comes to drug abuse, many things can happen as far as long term and short term. Many people today, adults and young adults abuse drugs due to many different things going on in their lives. When I discuss the many different drugs, the cause and effects that they have on people, then you will understand why drugs are dangerous. Day by day drug use in the United States becomes larger and more families are affected by it. Some people can overcome drug use by going to rehab and counseling, others end up dyeing or mentally ill from them.
Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society. Estimates of the total overall costs of substance abuse in the United States including health and crime related costs as well as losses in productivity exceed half a trillion dollars annually. This includes approximately $181 billion dollars for illicit drugs, $168 billion dollars for tobacco, and $185 billion dollars for alcohol. Staggering as these numbers are, however, they do not fully describe the breadth of deleterious public health and safety implications, which include family disintegration, loss of employment, failure in school, domestic violence, child abuse, and other crimes. All this information is given and provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The term drug abuse most often refers to the use of a drug with such frequency that it causes physical or mental harm to the user or impairs social functioning. Although the term seems to imply that users abuse the drugs they take, it is actually themselves and others they abuse by using the drugs. Also when it comes to using the term drug abuse, it is referred to using any type of drugs which are prohibited by law. These drugs may be harmful or they may not be.
There are many signs and symptoms

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