During the month of May, a group of Neenah High School students competed in the Greenbay half marathon. This is a group of kids in the Runner’s High class at Neenah High School to help prevent use of drugs, and help kids fighting addiction. According to dictionary.com, addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease. It is when the addict uses the drug compulsively despite its’ negative or dangerous effects. Tolerance to drug (meaning the need for a higher dose to attain the same effect) is usually part of addiction. Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence. People who use drugs for pain relief may become dependent, although this is rare in those who don’t have history of addiction (Medicine Plus Encyclopedia). Since drug addiction is becoming severe in the United States, we need to know the causes to try stopping it, though the exact cause is not yet known. It has been found that adperson’s genes, actions of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress all can be factors. Another big factor is parents. Kids who grow up with parents who use drugs are at a much higher risk of drug addiction than kids without drug addicted parents.
Before anyone thinks of using drugs to feel “good,” they should know the harmful effects of the drugs. The user may think that when they are doing drugs that it only affects them, but in reality it affects everyone around them. Drug addiction changes the user’s brain, body, and mind (WebMD). The effects can range from mild itching to comas, and even at the worse cases, death. There aren’t any specific psychological effects but there are many different ones that are associated with drug addictions itself. Along with the effects on the user, there are also effects on the
Cited: "About_dare." D.A.R.E. Web. 20 May 2010. . Behnke, Duke. "Runner 's High at Neenah High School Shows At-risk Students Another Path." Appleton Post Crescent. 15 May 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. "Drug Dependence: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 20 May 2010. . "Prescription Drug Abuse: Addiction, Types, and Treatment." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. Web. 20 May 2010. .