Negative Effects Of Stimulants On Wisegeek Essay
Negative Effects Of Stimulants on wiseGEEK: • Another common source of stimulants is nicotine, which is found in tobacco. Paradoxically, the effects of stimulants can be both an increase in anxiety as well as a decrease in anxiety. • Negative effects of caffeine can be broken down into moderate and serious side effects: Moderate negative effects of caffeine include: Headaches Irritability Increase in breast tenderness Restlessness Mild insomnia Increased heart rate Increased blood sugar Difficulty concentrating Mild stomach upset Severe negative effects of caffeine include: Panic attacks Irregular heartbeat Sleep deprivation Continuous stomach problems Prolonged depression Sleep disorders Though there are some positive effects of caffeine, the negativeeffects of caffeine should be understood.
Stimulants, which are also sometimes called psycho-stimulants, are drugs that are meant to create a temporary improvement of a person’s mental or physical abilities. They are sometimes casually referred to as “uppers.” One of the hallmark effects of stimulants is increased alertness. Stimulants are often defined in contrast to depressants, which have the opposite effects.
There are numerous types of medical, developmental, and mental conditions that can be treated with …show more content…
stimulants, such as attention-deficithyperactivity disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and narcolepsy. Stimulants can sometimes create a sense of well-being and euphoria. Because of this they are key ingredients of some illegal drugs. Cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine, which is more commonly referred to as ecstasy, both include stimulants.
One of the most common sources of stimulants are caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and some sodas. If you have ever had a strong cup of coffee in the morning and shortly thereafter had an acutely increased sense of wakefulness then you have already experienced theeffects of stimulants. Another common source of stimulants is nicotine, which is found in tobacco. Paradoxically, the effects of stimulants can be both an increase in anxiety as well as a decrease in anxiety. Most tobacco users find that the stimulants in nicotine reduce their anxiety levels.
Stimulants (Analeptics) produce a variety of different kinds of effects by enhancing the activity of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Common effects, which vary depending on the substance in question, may include enhanced alertness, awareness, wakefulness, endurance, productivity, and motivation, increasedarousal, locomotion, heart rate, and blood pressure, and the perception of a diminished requirement for food and sleep. Many stimulants are also capable of improving mood and relieving anxiety, and some can even induce feelings of euphoria. It should be noted, however, that many of these drugs are also capable of causing anxiety and heart failure, even the ones that may paradoxically reduce it to a degree at the same time. Stimulants exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include facilitation of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and/or dopamine activity (e.g., viamonoamine transporter inhibition or reversal[2]), adenosine receptor antagonism, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonism.
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Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount gives a stimulant (increases activity). A greater amount acts as a sedative (suppresses activity). A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one. This is true of any drug. Each requires a different amount. Caffeine is a drug, so coffee is an example. One hundred cups of coffee would probably kill a person. Ten cups would probably put him to sleep. Two or three cups stimulates. This is a very common drug. It is not very harmful as it takes so much of it to have an effect. So it is known as a stimulant. Arsenic is known as a poison. Yet a tiny amount of arsenic is a stimulant, a good-sized dose puts one to sleep and a few grains kills one. But there are many drugs which have another liability: they directly affect the mind. In order to have a good understanding of the mental effects of drugs, it is necessary to know something about what the mind is. The mind is not a brain. It is the accumulated recordings of thoughts, conclusions, decisions, observations and perceptions of a person throughout his entire existence. In Scientology it has been discovered that the mind is a communication and control system between a thetan and his environment. By thetan is meant the person himself, the spiritual being – not his body or his name, the physical universe, his mind, or anything else. The most obvious portion of the mind is recognizable by anyone not in serious condition. This is the mental image picture. Various phenomena connect themselves with this entity called the mind. Some people closing their eyes see only blackness, some people see pictures.
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The mind is a communication and control system between a thetan and his environment. The mind is not a brain.
The thetan receives, by the communication system called the mind, various impressions, including direct views of the physical universe. In addition to this he receives impressions from past activities and, most important, he himself conceives things about the past and future which are independent of immediately present stimuli. A person who has taken drugs, in addition to the physical factors involved, retains mental image pictures of those drugs and their effects.
Mental image pictures are three-dimensional color pictures with sound and smell and all other perceptions, plus the conclusions or speculations of the individual. They are mental copies of one’s perceptions sometime in the past, although in cases of unconsciousness or lessened consciousness they exist below the individual’s awareness. For example, a person who had taken LSD would retain “pictures” of that experience in his mind, complete with recordings of the sights, physical sensations, smells, sounds, etc., that occurred while he was under the influence of
LSD. Let us say an individual took LSD one day while at a fairground with some friends, and the day’s experiences included feeling nauseated and dizzy, getting into an argument with a friend, feeling an emotion of sadness, and later feeling very tired. He would have mental image pictures of that entire incident. At a later time, if this person’s environment were to contain enough similarities to the elements in that past incident, he may experience a reactivation of that incident. As a result he could feel nauseated, dizzy, sad and very tired – all for no apparent reason. This is known as restimulation: the reactivation of a past memory due to similar circumstances in the present approximating circumstances of the past. Such mental image pictures can also be reactivated by drug residuals, as the presence of these drugs in the tissues of the body can simulate the earlier drug experiences. Using the above example of the person who took LSD, sometime later – perhaps years afterward – the residuals of the drug that are still in his body tissues can cause a restimulation of that LSD incident. The mental image pictures are reactivated, and he experiences the same sensations of nausea, dizziness and tiredness, and he feels sad. He does not know why. He might also perceive mental images of the persons he was with and the accompanying sights and sounds and smells. These are the effects on the mind of past drug usage. However, the current use of drugs creates a similar and more immediate effect on the mind. When a person uses a drug such as marijuana, peyote, opium, morphine or heroin, mental image pictures of past times can “turn on” or restimulate below the individual’s conscious awareness, causing him to perceive something different than what is actually going on. Thus, right there before your eyes, apparently in the same room as you are, doing the same things, the drug-taker is really only partially there and partially in some past events. He seems to be there. Really he isn’t “tracking” fully with present time. What is going on to a rational observation is not what is going on to him. Thus, he does not understand statements made by another but tries to fit them into his composite reality, meaning a reality made up of different components. In order to fit them in, he has to alter them.
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Drugs affect the mind by reactivating incidents from a person’s past, below his conscious awareness. [pic]
This can distort the drug user’s perception of what is happening around him. [pic]
As a result, the person’s actions may appear very odd or irrational.
For example, a drug user may be sure he is helping one repair a floor that needs fixing, but in fact he is hindering the actual operation in progress which consists ofcleaning the floor. So when he “helps one” mop the floor, he introduces chaos into the activity. Since he is repairing the floor, a request to “give me the mop” has to be reinterpreted as “hand me the hammer.” But the mop handle is longer than a hammer handle so the bucket gets upset. This can be slight, wherein the person is seen to make occasional mistakes. It can be as serious as total insanity where the events apparent to him are completelydifferent than those apparent to anyone else. And it can be all grades in between. It is not that he doesn’t know what is going on. It is that he perceives something elsegoing on instead of the present sequence of events. Thus, others appear to him to be stupid or unreasonable or insane. As they don’t agree in their actions and orders with what he plainly sees is in progress, “they” aren’t sensible. Example: A group is moving furniture. To all but one they are simply moving furniture. This one perceives himself to be “moving geometric shapes into a cloud.” Thus, this one “makes mistakes.” As the group doesn’t see inside him and only sees another like themselves, they can’t figure out why he “balls things up so.” Such persons as drug-takers and the insane are thus slightly or wholly on an apparently different time track of “present time” events. A drug may be taken to drive a person out of an unbearable present time or out of consciousness altogether. In some persons they do not afterwards return wholly to present time. A thetan can also escape an unbearable present time by dropping into the past, even without drugs. The drug-taker and the insane alike have not recovered present time, to a greater or lesser degree. Thus they think they are running on a different time track than they are. These are the underlying facts in odd human behavior. As what is going on according to the perception and subjective reality of such a person is varied in greater or lesser degree from the objective reality of others, such a person disturbs the environment and disrupts the smooth running of any group – from family to business to nation. We have all known such a person, so it is not uncommon in the current civilization. The sudden remark which makes no sense, totally out of context with what is being spoken about; the blank stare when given an order or remark – behind these lies a whole imaginary world which is jarred by our attempts to get something done in present time. The repercussions of drugs then, go far beyond their immediate effects and often influence many others besides the user. The consequences can be very harmful. This is true not only of illegal street drugs but also of medical drugs that are supposed to help people. Painkillers Doctors and others prescribe painkillers such as aspirin, tranquilizers, hypnotics and soporifics (sleep-inducing drugs) in an understandable wish to relieve pain. However, it has never been known in chemistry or medicine exactly how or why these things worked. Such compositions are derived by accidental discoveries that “such and so depresses pain.” The effects of existing compounds are not uniform in result and often have very bad side effects. As the reason they worked was unknown, very little advance has been made in biochemistry – the chemistry of life processes and substances. If the reason they worked were known and accepted, possibly chemists could develop some actual painkillers which had minimal side effects. Pain or discomfort of a psychosomatic nature comes from mental image pictures created by the thetan which press against and affect the body. For example, a mental image picture of a past incident in which an arm was broken can be reactivated in the present, impinging on the body and causing pain in that same arm. By actual clinical test, the actions of aspirin and other pain depressants are to: A. Inhibit the ability of the thetan to create mental image pictures and also B. To impede the electrical conductivity of nerve channels. As a result, the thetan is rendered stupid, blank, forgetful, delusive and irresponsible. He gets into a “wooden” sort of state, unfeeling, insensitive, unable and definitely not trustworthy, a menace to his fellows actually.
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Pain depressants inhibit the thetan’s ability to create mental image pictures.
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They also act to impede electrical conductivity of the nerve channels.
When the drugs wear off or start to wear off, the ability to create mental image pictures starts to return and turns on somatics (body sensations, illnesses or pains or discomforts) much harder. One of the answers a person has for this is more drugs. To say nothing of heroin, there are aspirin addicts. The compulsion stems from a desire to get rid of the somatics and unwanted sensations again. The being gets more and more wooden, requiring more and more quantity and more frequent use. Sexually it is common for someone on drugs to be very stimulated at first. But after the original sexual “kicks,” the stimulation of sexual sensation becomes harder and harder to achieve. The effort to achieve it becomes obsessive while it itself is less and less satisfying. The cycle of drug restimulation of pictures (or creation in general) can be at first to increase creation and then eventually inhibit it totally. If one were working on the problem of pain relief biochemically, the least harmful pain depressant would be one that inhibited the creation of mental image pictures with minimal resulting “woodenness” or stupidity and which was body-soluble (easily dissolved in the body) so that it passed rapidly out of the nerves and system. There are unwanted sensations that drugs block off, but there is a whole sector of desirable sensations, and drugs block off all sensations. The only defense that can be made for drugs is that they give a short, quick oblivion from immediate agony and permit the handling of a person to effect repair. But even then this is applicable to persons who have no other system to handle their pain. Dexterity, ability and alertness are the main things that prevent getting into painful situations. These all vanish with drugs. So drugs set you up to get into situations which are truly disastrous and keep you that way. One has a choice between being dead with drugs or being alive without them. Drugs rob life of the sensations and joys which are the only reasons for living anyhow.
SIGNS, SYMPTOMS, AND HELP FOR DRUG PROBLEMS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
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Are you struggling with a drug problem that’s spiraled out of control? If so, you may feel isolated, helpless, or ashamed. Or perhaps you’re worried about a friend or family member’s drug use. In either case, you’re not alone. Addiction is a problem that many people face.
The good news is that you or your loved one can get better. There is hope—no matter how bad the substance abuse problem and no matter how powerless you feel. Learning about the nature of addiction—how it develops, what it looks like, and why it has such a powerful hold—will give you a better understanding of the problem and how to deal with it.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
▪ Understanding addiction
▪ Effects of drug abuse and addiction
▪ Signs and symptoms
▪ Warning signs in others
▪ Drug addiction and denial
▪ Getting help for drug abuse and addiction
▪ When a loved one has a drug problem
▪ Related links
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Understanding drug addiction
Other common addictions:
▪ Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse ▪ Smoking ▪ Gambling Addiction ▪ Internet Addiction
Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. People who are addicted feel an overwhelming, uncontrollable need for drugs or alcohol, even in the face of negative consequences. This self-destructive behavior can be hard to understand. Why continue doing something that’s hurting you? Why is it so hard to stop?
The answer lies in the brain. Repeated drug use alters the brain—causing long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions. These brain changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful.
How addiction develops
The path to drug addiction starts with experimentation. You or your loved one may have tried drugs out of curiosity, because friends were doing it, or in an effort to erase another problem. At first, the substance seems to solve the problem or make life better, so you use the drug more and more.
But as the addiction progresses, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important and your ability to stop using is compromised. What begins as a voluntary choice turns into a physical and psychological need. The good news is that drug addiction is treatable. With treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of addiction and regain control of your life.
5 Myths about Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse
MYTH 1: Overcoming addiction is a simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to. Prolonged exposure to drugs alters the brain in ways that result in powerful cravings and a compulsion to use. These brain changes make it extremely difficult to quit by sheer force of will.
MYTH 2: Addiction is a disease; there’s nothing you can do about it. Most experts agree that addiction is a brain disease, but that doesn’t mean you’re a helpless victim. The brain changes associated with addiction can be treated and reversed through therapy, medication, exercise, and other treatments.
MYTH 3: Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get better. Recovery can begin at any point in the addiction process—and the earlier, the better. The longer drug abuse continues, the stronger the addiction becomes and the harder it is to treat. Don’t wait to intervene until the addict has lost it all.
MYTH 4: You can’t force someone into treatment; they have to want help. Treatment doesn’t have to be voluntary to be successful. People who are pressured into treatment by their family, employer, or the legal system are just as likely to benefit as those who choose to enter treatment on their own. As they sober up and their thinking clears, many formerly resistant addicts decide they want to change.
MYTH 5: Treatment didn’t work before, so there’s no point trying again; some cases are hopeless.Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse doesn’t mean that treatment has failed or that you’re a lost cause. Rather, it’s a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach.
The far-reaching effects of drug abuse and drug addiction
While each drug of abuse produces different physical effects, all abused substances share one thing in common. They hijack the brain’s normal “reward” pathways and alter the areas of the brain responsible for self-control, judgment, emotional regulation, motivation, memory, and learning.
Whether you’re addicted to nicotine, alcohol, heroin, Xanax, speed, or Vicodin, the effect on the brain is the same: an uncontrollable craving to use that is more important than anything else, including family, friends, career, and even your own health and happiness.
Using drugs as an escape: A short-term fix with long-term consequences
[pic]Many people use drugs in order to escape physical and emotional discomfort. Maybe you started drinking to numb feelings of depression, smoking pot to deal with stress at home or school, relying on cocaine to boost your energy and confidence, using sleeping pills to cope with panic attacks, or taking prescription painkillers to relieve chronic back pain.
But while drugs might make you feel better in the short-term, attempts to self-medicate ultimately backfire. Instead of treating the underlying problem, drug use simply masks the symptoms. Take the drug away and the problem is still there, whether it be low self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness, or an unhappy family life. Furthermore, prolonged drug use eventually brings its own host of problems, including major disruptions to normal, daily functioning. Unfortunately, the psychological, physical, and social consequences of drug abuse and addiction become worse than the original problem you were trying to cope with or avoid.
Why do some drug users become addicted, while others don’t?
As with many other conditions and diseases, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. Your genes, age when you started taking drugs, and family and social environment all play a role in addiction. Risk factors that increase your vulnerability include:
▪ Family history of addiction
▪ Abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood
▪ Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety
▪ Early use of drugs
Signs and symptoms of drug abuse and drug addiction
Although different drugs have different physical effects, the symptoms of addiction are the same no matter the substance. The more drugs begin to affect and control your life, the more likely it is that you’ve crossed the line from drug use to abuse and drug addiction. Unfortunately, when you’re in the middle of it, you may be in denial about the magnitude of the problem or the negative impact it's had on your life. See if you recognize yourself in the following signs and symptoms of substance abuse and addiction. If so, consider talking to someone about your drug use. You’re on a dangerous road, and the sooner you get help, the better.
Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse
▪ You’re neglecting your responsibilities at school, work, or home (e.g. flunking classes, skipping work, neglecting your children) because of your drug use. ▪ You’re using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while high, such as driving while on drugs, using dirty needles, or having unprotected sex. ▪ Your drug use is getting you into legal trouble, such as arrests for disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, or stealing to support a drug habit. ▪ Your drug use is causing problems in your relationships, such as fights with your partner or family members, an unhappy boss, or the loss of old friends.
Common signs and symptoms of drug addiction
▪ You’ve built up a drug tolerance. You need to use more of the drug to experience the same effects you used to with smaller amounts. ▪ You take drugs to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms. If you go too long without drugs, you experience symptoms such as nausea, restlessness, insomnia, depression, sweating, shaking, and anxiety. ▪ You’ve lost control over your drug use. You often do drugs or use more than you planned, even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. You may want to stop using, but you feel powerless. ▪ Your life revolves around drug use. You spend a lot of time using and thinking about drugs, figuring out how to get them, and recovering from the drug’s effects. ▪ You’ve abandoned activities you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, and socializing, because of your drug use. ▪ You continue to use drugs, despite knowing it’s hurting you. It’s causing major problems in your life—blackouts, infections, mood swings, depression, paranoia—but you use anyway.
What drugs are most commonly abused and what are the signs and symptoms?
Almost all drugs have the potential for addiction and abuse, from caffeine to prescription medication. However, the majority of non-alcohol related addictions are due to a short list of drugs including sleeping pills, painkillers, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin.
Click here for a PDF factsheet on the symptoms and effects of commonly abused drugs.
Warning signs that a friend or family member is abusing drugs
Drug abusers often try to conceal their symptoms and downplay their problem. If you’re worried that a friend or family member might be abusing drugs, look for the following warning signs:
Physical warning signs of drug abuse
▪ Bloodshot eyes or pupils that are larger or smaller than usual. ▪ Changes in appetite or sleep patterns. Sudden weight loss or weight gain. ▪ Deterioration of physical appearance and personal grooming habits. ▪ Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing. ▪ Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination.
Behavioral signs of drug abuse
▪ Drop in attendance and performance at work or school. ▪ Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow or steal to get it. ▪ Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors. ▪ Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies. ▪ Frequently getting into trouble (fights, accidents, illegal activities).
Psychological warning signs of drug abuse
▪ Unexplained change in personality or attitude. ▪ Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts. ▪ Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness. ▪ Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out.” ▪ Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason.
Warning Signs of Teen Drug Use
There are many warning signs of drug use and abuse in teenagers. The challenge for parents is to distinguish between the normal, sometimes volatile, ups and downs of the teen years and the red flags of substance abuse.
▪ Being secretive about friends, possessions, and activities.
▪ New interest in clothing, music, and other items that highlight drug use.
▪ Demanding more privacy; locking doors; avoiding eye contact; sneaking around.
▪ Skipping class; declining grades; suddenly getting into trouble at school.
▪ Missing money, valuables, or prescriptions.
▪ Acting uncharacteristically isolated, withdrawn, or depressed.
▪ Using incense, perfume, or air freshener to hide the smell of smoke or drugs.
▪ Using eyedrops to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils.
Drug addiction and denial
[pic]One of the most dangerous effects of drug abuse and addiction is denial. The urge to use is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize the addiction. You may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you’re taking, how much it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over your drug use.
Denial is an unconscious defense mechanism. Minimizing and rationalizing the addiction is less scary than admitting that your drug use is dangerously out of control. But the cost of denial can be extremely high—including the loss of important relationships, your job, financial security, and your physical and mental health.
Do you have a substance abuse problem?
▪ Do you feel like you can’t stop, even if you wanted to?
▪ Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?
▪ Do you need to use drugs to relax or feel better?
▪ Do your friends or family members complain or worry about your drug use?
▪ Do you hide or lie about your drug use?
▪ Have you ever done anything illegal in order to obtain drugs?
▪ Do you spend money on drugs that you really can’t afford?
▪ Do you ever use more than one recreational drug at a time?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of the questions, you may have a drug problem.
Getting help for drug abuse and drug addiction
Finding help and support for drug addiction
▪ Visit Narcotics Anonymous to find a meeting in your area.
▪ Call 1-800-662-HELP to reach a free referral helpline from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
If you’re ready to admit you have a drug problem, congratulations! Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery, one that takes tremendous courage and strength.
Facing your addiction without minimizing the problem or making excuses can feel frightening and overwhelming, but recovery is within reach. If you’re ready to make a change and willing to seek help, you can overcome your addiction and build a satisfying, drug-free life for yourself.
Support is essential to addiction recovery
Don’t try to go it alone; it’s all too easy to get discouraged and rationalize “just one more” hit or pill. Whether you choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential. Recovering from drug addiction is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance.
Support can come from:
▪ family members ▪ close friends ▪ therapists or counselors ▪ other recovering addicts ▪ healthcare providers ▪ people from your faith community
[pic]Recovering from drug addiction
Addiction is a complex problem that affects every aspect of your life. Overcoming it requires making major changes to the way you live, deal with problems, and relate to others. It’s not just a matter of willpower or simply wanting to quit. Getting off drugs for good is difficult without treatment and ongoing support. The good news is that there are many tools that can help you on your journey to sobriety.
Read: Overcoming Drug Addiction: Drug Abuse Treatment, Recovery, and Help
When a loved one has a drug problem
If you suspect that a friend or family member has a drug problem, here are a few things you can do:
▪ Speak up. Talk to the person about your concerns, and offer your help and support. The earlier addiction is treated, the better. Don’t wait for your loved one to hit bottom! Be prepared for excuses and denial with specific examples of behavior that has you worried. ▪ Take care of yourself. Don’t get so caught up in someone else’s drug problem that you neglect your own needs. Make sure you have people you can talk to and lean on for support. And stay safe. Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. ▪ Avoid self-blame. You can support a person with a substance abuse problem and encourage treatment, but you can’t force an addict to change. You can’t control your loved one’s decisions. Let the person accept responsibility for his or her actions, an essential step along the way to recovery for drug addiction.
What Not To Do
▪ Don't attempt to punish, threaten, bribe, or preach.
▪ Don't try to be a martyr. Avoid emotional appeals that may only increase feelings of guilt and the compulsion to use drugs.
▪ Don't cover up or make excuses for the drug abuser, or shield them from the negative consequences of their behavior.
▪ Don't take over their responsibilities, leaving them with no sense of importance or dignity.
▪ Don't hide or throw out drugs.
▪ Don't argue with the person when they are high.
▪ Don't take drugs with the drug abuser.
▪ Above all, try not to feel guilty or responsible for another's behavior.
Adapted from: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information
When your teen has a drug problem
Discovering your child uses drugs can generate fear, confusion, and anger in parents. It’s important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and only do so when everyone is sober. Explain your concerns and make it clear that your concerncomes from a place of love.It’s important that your teen feels you are supportive.
Five steps parents can take:
▪ Lay down rules and consequences: Your teen should understand that using drugs comes with specific consequences. But don’t make hollow threats or set rules that you cannot enforce. Make sure your spouse agrees with the rules and is prepared to enforce them. ▪ Monitor your teen’s activity: Know where your teen goes andwho he or she hangs out with. It’s also important to routinely check potential hiding places for drugs—in backpacks, between books on a shelf, in DVD cases or make-up cases, for example.Explain to your teen that this lack of privacy is a consequence of him or her having been caught using drugs. ▪ Encourage other interests and social activities. Expose your teen to healthy hobbies and activities, such as team sports, Scouts, and afterschool clubs. ▪ Talk to your child about underlying issues. Drug use can be the result of other problems. Is your child having trouble fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? ▪ Get Help: Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen.Try a sports coach, family doctor, therapist, or drug counselor.
Related articles
[pic]Overcoming Drug Addiction
Drug Abuse Treatment, Recovery, and Help
[pic]Alcohol Treatment, Rehab, and Detox
How to Stop Drinking and Start Recovery
More Helpguide Articles:
▪ Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: Signs, Symptoms, and Help for Drinking Problems ▪ Understanding Depression: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Help ▪ Anxiety Attacks and Disorders: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment ▪ Feeling Suicidal? Coping with Suicidal Thoughts and Help to Get You Through
Related links for drug abuse and drug addiction
Understanding drug addiction and its effects
Addiction and the Brain's Pleasure Pathway: Beyond Willpower – Describes how the brain becomes addicted and why relapse is so common. (HBO.com)
Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction (PDF) – Booklet on drug addiction, including its effects on the brain and new approaches to preventing and treating the disease. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Signs and symptoms of drug abuse and drug addiction
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use – Covers physical and behavior signs and symptoms of drug use, as well as drug specific symptoms. (American Council for Drug Education)
Substance Abuse Symptoms Checklist – Checklist of substance abuse and drug addiction warning signs. Also see signs and symptoms in teens. (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of the San Fernando Valley)
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use – Includes general signs and symptoms of drug use, as well as links to more detailed, drug-specific information. (Narconon International)
Common drugs of abuse
StreetTalk Pamphlets – Series of straight-talking pamphlets on the ever-changing world of street drugs. Includes articles on crystal meth, ecstasy, heroin, and club drugs, among others. (Do It Now Foundation)
Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction (PDF) – Government guide to the growing problem of nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Drug abuse and drug addiction in teens and young adults
TeensHealth: Drugs and Alcohol – Straightforward talk on drug and alcohol abuse in a question and answer format, written for teens. (Nemours Foundation)
How to Tell if Your Teen is Using – Guide for parents on spotting the warning signs and symptoms of drug use in teens and how to take action to intervene. (The Partnership for a Drug-Free Amer
Stimulants, which are also sometimes called psycho-stimulants, are drugs that are meant to create a temporary improvement of a person’s mental or physical abilities. They are sometimes casually referred to as “uppers.” One of the hallmark effects of stimulants is increased alertness. Stimulants are often defined in contrast to depressants, which have the opposite effects.
There are numerous types of medical, developmental, and mental conditions that can be treated with …show more content…
stimulants, such as attention-deficithyperactivity disorder, depression, schizophrenia, and narcolepsy. Stimulants can sometimes create a sense of well-being and euphoria. Because of this they are key ingredients of some illegal drugs. Cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine, which is more commonly referred to as ecstasy, both include stimulants.
One of the most common sources of stimulants are caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and some sodas. If you have ever had a strong cup of coffee in the morning and shortly thereafter had an acutely increased sense of wakefulness then you have already experienced theeffects of stimulants. Another common source of stimulants is nicotine, which is found in tobacco. Paradoxically, the effects of stimulants can be both an increase in anxiety as well as a decrease in anxiety. Most tobacco users find that the stimulants in nicotine reduce their anxiety levels.
Stimulants (Analeptics) produce a variety of different kinds of effects by enhancing the activity of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Common effects, which vary depending on the substance in question, may include enhanced alertness, awareness, wakefulness, endurance, productivity, and motivation, increasedarousal, locomotion, heart rate, and blood pressure, and the perception of a diminished requirement for food and sleep. Many stimulants are also capable of improving mood and relieving anxiety, and some can even induce feelings of euphoria. It should be noted, however, that many of these drugs are also capable of causing anxiety and heart failure, even the ones that may paradoxically reduce it to a degree at the same time. Stimulants exert their effects through a number of different pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include facilitation of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and/or dopamine activity (e.g., viamonoamine transporter inhibition or reversal[2]), adenosine receptor antagonism, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonism.
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Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount gives a stimulant (increases activity). A greater amount acts as a sedative (suppresses activity). A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one. This is true of any drug. Each requires a different amount. Caffeine is a drug, so coffee is an example. One hundred cups of coffee would probably kill a person. Ten cups would probably put him to sleep. Two or three cups stimulates. This is a very common drug. It is not very harmful as it takes so much of it to have an effect. So it is known as a stimulant. Arsenic is known as a poison. Yet a tiny amount of arsenic is a stimulant, a good-sized dose puts one to sleep and a few grains kills one. But there are many drugs which have another liability: they directly affect the mind. In order to have a good understanding of the mental effects of drugs, it is necessary to know something about what the mind is. The mind is not a brain. It is the accumulated recordings of thoughts, conclusions, decisions, observations and perceptions of a person throughout his entire existence. In Scientology it has been discovered that the mind is a communication and control system between a thetan and his environment. By thetan is meant the person himself, the spiritual being – not his body or his name, the physical universe, his mind, or anything else. The most obvious portion of the mind is recognizable by anyone not in serious condition. This is the mental image picture. Various phenomena connect themselves with this entity called the mind. Some people closing their eyes see only blackness, some people see pictures.
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The mind is a communication and control system between a thetan and his environment. The mind is not a brain.
The thetan receives, by the communication system called the mind, various impressions, including direct views of the physical universe. In addition to this he receives impressions from past activities and, most important, he himself conceives things about the past and future which are independent of immediately present stimuli. A person who has taken drugs, in addition to the physical factors involved, retains mental image pictures of those drugs and their effects.
Mental image pictures are three-dimensional color pictures with sound and smell and all other perceptions, plus the conclusions or speculations of the individual. They are mental copies of one’s perceptions sometime in the past, although in cases of unconsciousness or lessened consciousness they exist below the individual’s awareness. For example, a person who had taken LSD would retain “pictures” of that experience in his mind, complete with recordings of the sights, physical sensations, smells, sounds, etc., that occurred while he was under the influence of
LSD. Let us say an individual took LSD one day while at a fairground with some friends, and the day’s experiences included feeling nauseated and dizzy, getting into an argument with a friend, feeling an emotion of sadness, and later feeling very tired. He would have mental image pictures of that entire incident. At a later time, if this person’s environment were to contain enough similarities to the elements in that past incident, he may experience a reactivation of that incident. As a result he could feel nauseated, dizzy, sad and very tired – all for no apparent reason. This is known as restimulation: the reactivation of a past memory due to similar circumstances in the present approximating circumstances of the past. Such mental image pictures can also be reactivated by drug residuals, as the presence of these drugs in the tissues of the body can simulate the earlier drug experiences. Using the above example of the person who took LSD, sometime later – perhaps years afterward – the residuals of the drug that are still in his body tissues can cause a restimulation of that LSD incident. The mental image pictures are reactivated, and he experiences the same sensations of nausea, dizziness and tiredness, and he feels sad. He does not know why. He might also perceive mental images of the persons he was with and the accompanying sights and sounds and smells. These are the effects on the mind of past drug usage. However, the current use of drugs creates a similar and more immediate effect on the mind. When a person uses a drug such as marijuana, peyote, opium, morphine or heroin, mental image pictures of past times can “turn on” or restimulate below the individual’s conscious awareness, causing him to perceive something different than what is actually going on. Thus, right there before your eyes, apparently in the same room as you are, doing the same things, the drug-taker is really only partially there and partially in some past events. He seems to be there. Really he isn’t “tracking” fully with present time. What is going on to a rational observation is not what is going on to him. Thus, he does not understand statements made by another but tries to fit them into his composite reality, meaning a reality made up of different components. In order to fit them in, he has to alter them.
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Drugs affect the mind by reactivating incidents from a person’s past, below his conscious awareness. [pic]
This can distort the drug user’s perception of what is happening around him. [pic]
As a result, the person’s actions may appear very odd or irrational.
For example, a drug user may be sure he is helping one repair a floor that needs fixing, but in fact he is hindering the actual operation in progress which consists ofcleaning the floor. So when he “helps one” mop the floor, he introduces chaos into the activity. Since he is repairing the floor, a request to “give me the mop” has to be reinterpreted as “hand me the hammer.” But the mop handle is longer than a hammer handle so the bucket gets upset. This can be slight, wherein the person is seen to make occasional mistakes. It can be as serious as total insanity where the events apparent to him are completelydifferent than those apparent to anyone else. And it can be all grades in between. It is not that he doesn’t know what is going on. It is that he perceives something elsegoing on instead of the present sequence of events. Thus, others appear to him to be stupid or unreasonable or insane. As they don’t agree in their actions and orders with what he plainly sees is in progress, “they” aren’t sensible. Example: A group is moving furniture. To all but one they are simply moving furniture. This one perceives himself to be “moving geometric shapes into a cloud.” Thus, this one “makes mistakes.” As the group doesn’t see inside him and only sees another like themselves, they can’t figure out why he “balls things up so.” Such persons as drug-takers and the insane are thus slightly or wholly on an apparently different time track of “present time” events. A drug may be taken to drive a person out of an unbearable present time or out of consciousness altogether. In some persons they do not afterwards return wholly to present time. A thetan can also escape an unbearable present time by dropping into the past, even without drugs. The drug-taker and the insane alike have not recovered present time, to a greater or lesser degree. Thus they think they are running on a different time track than they are. These are the underlying facts in odd human behavior. As what is going on according to the perception and subjective reality of such a person is varied in greater or lesser degree from the objective reality of others, such a person disturbs the environment and disrupts the smooth running of any group – from family to business to nation. We have all known such a person, so it is not uncommon in the current civilization. The sudden remark which makes no sense, totally out of context with what is being spoken about; the blank stare when given an order or remark – behind these lies a whole imaginary world which is jarred by our attempts to get something done in present time. The repercussions of drugs then, go far beyond their immediate effects and often influence many others besides the user. The consequences can be very harmful. This is true not only of illegal street drugs but also of medical drugs that are supposed to help people. Painkillers Doctors and others prescribe painkillers such as aspirin, tranquilizers, hypnotics and soporifics (sleep-inducing drugs) in an understandable wish to relieve pain. However, it has never been known in chemistry or medicine exactly how or why these things worked. Such compositions are derived by accidental discoveries that “such and so depresses pain.” The effects of existing compounds are not uniform in result and often have very bad side effects. As the reason they worked was unknown, very little advance has been made in biochemistry – the chemistry of life processes and substances. If the reason they worked were known and accepted, possibly chemists could develop some actual painkillers which had minimal side effects. Pain or discomfort of a psychosomatic nature comes from mental image pictures created by the thetan which press against and affect the body. For example, a mental image picture of a past incident in which an arm was broken can be reactivated in the present, impinging on the body and causing pain in that same arm. By actual clinical test, the actions of aspirin and other pain depressants are to: A. Inhibit the ability of the thetan to create mental image pictures and also B. To impede the electrical conductivity of nerve channels. As a result, the thetan is rendered stupid, blank, forgetful, delusive and irresponsible. He gets into a “wooden” sort of state, unfeeling, insensitive, unable and definitely not trustworthy, a menace to his fellows actually.
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Pain depressants inhibit the thetan’s ability to create mental image pictures.
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They also act to impede electrical conductivity of the nerve channels.
When the drugs wear off or start to wear off, the ability to create mental image pictures starts to return and turns on somatics (body sensations, illnesses or pains or discomforts) much harder. One of the answers a person has for this is more drugs. To say nothing of heroin, there are aspirin addicts. The compulsion stems from a desire to get rid of the somatics and unwanted sensations again. The being gets more and more wooden, requiring more and more quantity and more frequent use. Sexually it is common for someone on drugs to be very stimulated at first. But after the original sexual “kicks,” the stimulation of sexual sensation becomes harder and harder to achieve. The effort to achieve it becomes obsessive while it itself is less and less satisfying. The cycle of drug restimulation of pictures (or creation in general) can be at first to increase creation and then eventually inhibit it totally. If one were working on the problem of pain relief biochemically, the least harmful pain depressant would be one that inhibited the creation of mental image pictures with minimal resulting “woodenness” or stupidity and which was body-soluble (easily dissolved in the body) so that it passed rapidly out of the nerves and system. There are unwanted sensations that drugs block off, but there is a whole sector of desirable sensations, and drugs block off all sensations. The only defense that can be made for drugs is that they give a short, quick oblivion from immediate agony and permit the handling of a person to effect repair. But even then this is applicable to persons who have no other system to handle their pain. Dexterity, ability and alertness are the main things that prevent getting into painful situations. These all vanish with drugs. So drugs set you up to get into situations which are truly disastrous and keep you that way. One has a choice between being dead with drugs or being alive without them. Drugs rob life of the sensations and joys which are the only reasons for living anyhow.
SIGNS, SYMPTOMS, AND HELP FOR DRUG PROBLEMS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
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Are you struggling with a drug problem that’s spiraled out of control? If so, you may feel isolated, helpless, or ashamed. Or perhaps you’re worried about a friend or family member’s drug use. In either case, you’re not alone. Addiction is a problem that many people face.
The good news is that you or your loved one can get better. There is hope—no matter how bad the substance abuse problem and no matter how powerless you feel. Learning about the nature of addiction—how it develops, what it looks like, and why it has such a powerful hold—will give you a better understanding of the problem and how to deal with it.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
▪ Understanding addiction
▪ Effects of drug abuse and addiction
▪ Signs and symptoms
▪ Warning signs in others
▪ Drug addiction and denial
▪ Getting help for drug abuse and addiction
▪ When a loved one has a drug problem
▪ Related links
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Understanding drug addiction
Other common addictions:
▪ Alcoholism & Alcohol Abuse ▪ Smoking ▪ Gambling Addiction ▪ Internet Addiction
Addiction is a complex disorder characterized by compulsive drug use. People who are addicted feel an overwhelming, uncontrollable need for drugs or alcohol, even in the face of negative consequences. This self-destructive behavior can be hard to understand. Why continue doing something that’s hurting you? Why is it so hard to stop?
The answer lies in the brain. Repeated drug use alters the brain—causing long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions. These brain changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful.
How addiction develops
The path to drug addiction starts with experimentation. You or your loved one may have tried drugs out of curiosity, because friends were doing it, or in an effort to erase another problem. At first, the substance seems to solve the problem or make life better, so you use the drug more and more.
But as the addiction progresses, getting and using the drug becomes more and more important and your ability to stop using is compromised. What begins as a voluntary choice turns into a physical and psychological need. The good news is that drug addiction is treatable. With treatment and support, you can counteract the disruptive effects of addiction and regain control of your life.
5 Myths about Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse
MYTH 1: Overcoming addiction is a simply a matter of willpower. You can stop using drugs if you really want to. Prolonged exposure to drugs alters the brain in ways that result in powerful cravings and a compulsion to use. These brain changes make it extremely difficult to quit by sheer force of will.
MYTH 2: Addiction is a disease; there’s nothing you can do about it. Most experts agree that addiction is a brain disease, but that doesn’t mean you’re a helpless victim. The brain changes associated with addiction can be treated and reversed through therapy, medication, exercise, and other treatments.
MYTH 3: Addicts have to hit rock bottom before they can get better. Recovery can begin at any point in the addiction process—and the earlier, the better. The longer drug abuse continues, the stronger the addiction becomes and the harder it is to treat. Don’t wait to intervene until the addict has lost it all.
MYTH 4: You can’t force someone into treatment; they have to want help. Treatment doesn’t have to be voluntary to be successful. People who are pressured into treatment by their family, employer, or the legal system are just as likely to benefit as those who choose to enter treatment on their own. As they sober up and their thinking clears, many formerly resistant addicts decide they want to change.
MYTH 5: Treatment didn’t work before, so there’s no point trying again; some cases are hopeless.Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse doesn’t mean that treatment has failed or that you’re a lost cause. Rather, it’s a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach.
The far-reaching effects of drug abuse and drug addiction
While each drug of abuse produces different physical effects, all abused substances share one thing in common. They hijack the brain’s normal “reward” pathways and alter the areas of the brain responsible for self-control, judgment, emotional regulation, motivation, memory, and learning.
Whether you’re addicted to nicotine, alcohol, heroin, Xanax, speed, or Vicodin, the effect on the brain is the same: an uncontrollable craving to use that is more important than anything else, including family, friends, career, and even your own health and happiness.
Using drugs as an escape: A short-term fix with long-term consequences
[pic]Many people use drugs in order to escape physical and emotional discomfort. Maybe you started drinking to numb feelings of depression, smoking pot to deal with stress at home or school, relying on cocaine to boost your energy and confidence, using sleeping pills to cope with panic attacks, or taking prescription painkillers to relieve chronic back pain.
But while drugs might make you feel better in the short-term, attempts to self-medicate ultimately backfire. Instead of treating the underlying problem, drug use simply masks the symptoms. Take the drug away and the problem is still there, whether it be low self-esteem, anxiety, loneliness, or an unhappy family life. Furthermore, prolonged drug use eventually brings its own host of problems, including major disruptions to normal, daily functioning. Unfortunately, the psychological, physical, and social consequences of drug abuse and addiction become worse than the original problem you were trying to cope with or avoid.
Why do some drug users become addicted, while others don’t?
As with many other conditions and diseases, vulnerability to addiction differs from person to person. Your genes, age when you started taking drugs, and family and social environment all play a role in addiction. Risk factors that increase your vulnerability include:
▪ Family history of addiction
▪ Abuse, neglect, or other traumatic experiences in childhood
▪ Mental disorders such as depression and anxiety
▪ Early use of drugs
Signs and symptoms of drug abuse and drug addiction
Although different drugs have different physical effects, the symptoms of addiction are the same no matter the substance. The more drugs begin to affect and control your life, the more likely it is that you’ve crossed the line from drug use to abuse and drug addiction. Unfortunately, when you’re in the middle of it, you may be in denial about the magnitude of the problem or the negative impact it's had on your life. See if you recognize yourself in the following signs and symptoms of substance abuse and addiction. If so, consider talking to someone about your drug use. You’re on a dangerous road, and the sooner you get help, the better.
Common signs and symptoms of drug abuse
▪ You’re neglecting your responsibilities at school, work, or home (e.g. flunking classes, skipping work, neglecting your children) because of your drug use. ▪ You’re using drugs under dangerous conditions or taking risks while high, such as driving while on drugs, using dirty needles, or having unprotected sex. ▪ Your drug use is getting you into legal trouble, such as arrests for disorderly conduct, driving under the influence, or stealing to support a drug habit. ▪ Your drug use is causing problems in your relationships, such as fights with your partner or family members, an unhappy boss, or the loss of old friends.
Common signs and symptoms of drug addiction
▪ You’ve built up a drug tolerance. You need to use more of the drug to experience the same effects you used to with smaller amounts. ▪ You take drugs to avoid or relieve withdrawal symptoms. If you go too long without drugs, you experience symptoms such as nausea, restlessness, insomnia, depression, sweating, shaking, and anxiety. ▪ You’ve lost control over your drug use. You often do drugs or use more than you planned, even though you told yourself you wouldn’t. You may want to stop using, but you feel powerless. ▪ Your life revolves around drug use. You spend a lot of time using and thinking about drugs, figuring out how to get them, and recovering from the drug’s effects. ▪ You’ve abandoned activities you used to enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, and socializing, because of your drug use. ▪ You continue to use drugs, despite knowing it’s hurting you. It’s causing major problems in your life—blackouts, infections, mood swings, depression, paranoia—but you use anyway.
What drugs are most commonly abused and what are the signs and symptoms?
Almost all drugs have the potential for addiction and abuse, from caffeine to prescription medication. However, the majority of non-alcohol related addictions are due to a short list of drugs including sleeping pills, painkillers, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin.
Click here for a PDF factsheet on the symptoms and effects of commonly abused drugs.
Warning signs that a friend or family member is abusing drugs
Drug abusers often try to conceal their symptoms and downplay their problem. If you’re worried that a friend or family member might be abusing drugs, look for the following warning signs:
Physical warning signs of drug abuse
▪ Bloodshot eyes or pupils that are larger or smaller than usual. ▪ Changes in appetite or sleep patterns. Sudden weight loss or weight gain. ▪ Deterioration of physical appearance and personal grooming habits. ▪ Unusual smells on breath, body, or clothing. ▪ Tremors, slurred speech, or impaired coordination.
Behavioral signs of drug abuse
▪ Drop in attendance and performance at work or school. ▪ Unexplained need for money or financial problems. May borrow or steal to get it. ▪ Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviors. ▪ Sudden change in friends, favorite hangouts, and hobbies. ▪ Frequently getting into trouble (fights, accidents, illegal activities).
Psychological warning signs of drug abuse
▪ Unexplained change in personality or attitude. ▪ Sudden mood swings, irritability, or angry outbursts. ▪ Periods of unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness. ▪ Lack of motivation; appears lethargic or “spaced out.” ▪ Appears fearful, anxious, or paranoid, with no reason.
Warning Signs of Teen Drug Use
There are many warning signs of drug use and abuse in teenagers. The challenge for parents is to distinguish between the normal, sometimes volatile, ups and downs of the teen years and the red flags of substance abuse.
▪ Being secretive about friends, possessions, and activities.
▪ New interest in clothing, music, and other items that highlight drug use.
▪ Demanding more privacy; locking doors; avoiding eye contact; sneaking around.
▪ Skipping class; declining grades; suddenly getting into trouble at school.
▪ Missing money, valuables, or prescriptions.
▪ Acting uncharacteristically isolated, withdrawn, or depressed.
▪ Using incense, perfume, or air freshener to hide the smell of smoke or drugs.
▪ Using eyedrops to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils.
Drug addiction and denial
[pic]One of the most dangerous effects of drug abuse and addiction is denial. The urge to use is so strong that the mind finds many ways to rationalize the addiction. You may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you’re taking, how much it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over your drug use.
Denial is an unconscious defense mechanism. Minimizing and rationalizing the addiction is less scary than admitting that your drug use is dangerously out of control. But the cost of denial can be extremely high—including the loss of important relationships, your job, financial security, and your physical and mental health.
Do you have a substance abuse problem?
▪ Do you feel like you can’t stop, even if you wanted to?
▪ Do you ever feel bad or guilty about your drug use?
▪ Do you need to use drugs to relax or feel better?
▪ Do your friends or family members complain or worry about your drug use?
▪ Do you hide or lie about your drug use?
▪ Have you ever done anything illegal in order to obtain drugs?
▪ Do you spend money on drugs that you really can’t afford?
▪ Do you ever use more than one recreational drug at a time?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of the questions, you may have a drug problem.
Getting help for drug abuse and drug addiction
Finding help and support for drug addiction
▪ Visit Narcotics Anonymous to find a meeting in your area.
▪ Call 1-800-662-HELP to reach a free referral helpline from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
If you’re ready to admit you have a drug problem, congratulations! Recognizing that you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery, one that takes tremendous courage and strength.
Facing your addiction without minimizing the problem or making excuses can feel frightening and overwhelming, but recovery is within reach. If you’re ready to make a change and willing to seek help, you can overcome your addiction and build a satisfying, drug-free life for yourself.
Support is essential to addiction recovery
Don’t try to go it alone; it’s all too easy to get discouraged and rationalize “just one more” hit or pill. Whether you choose to go to rehab, rely on self-help programs, get therapy, or take a self-directed treatment approach, support is essential. Recovering from drug addiction is much easier when you have people you can lean on for encouragement, comfort, and guidance.
Support can come from:
▪ family members ▪ close friends ▪ therapists or counselors ▪ other recovering addicts ▪ healthcare providers ▪ people from your faith community
[pic]Recovering from drug addiction
Addiction is a complex problem that affects every aspect of your life. Overcoming it requires making major changes to the way you live, deal with problems, and relate to others. It’s not just a matter of willpower or simply wanting to quit. Getting off drugs for good is difficult without treatment and ongoing support. The good news is that there are many tools that can help you on your journey to sobriety.
Read: Overcoming Drug Addiction: Drug Abuse Treatment, Recovery, and Help
When a loved one has a drug problem
If you suspect that a friend or family member has a drug problem, here are a few things you can do:
▪ Speak up. Talk to the person about your concerns, and offer your help and support. The earlier addiction is treated, the better. Don’t wait for your loved one to hit bottom! Be prepared for excuses and denial with specific examples of behavior that has you worried. ▪ Take care of yourself. Don’t get so caught up in someone else’s drug problem that you neglect your own needs. Make sure you have people you can talk to and lean on for support. And stay safe. Don’t put yourself in dangerous situations. ▪ Avoid self-blame. You can support a person with a substance abuse problem and encourage treatment, but you can’t force an addict to change. You can’t control your loved one’s decisions. Let the person accept responsibility for his or her actions, an essential step along the way to recovery for drug addiction.
What Not To Do
▪ Don't attempt to punish, threaten, bribe, or preach.
▪ Don't try to be a martyr. Avoid emotional appeals that may only increase feelings of guilt and the compulsion to use drugs.
▪ Don't cover up or make excuses for the drug abuser, or shield them from the negative consequences of their behavior.
▪ Don't take over their responsibilities, leaving them with no sense of importance or dignity.
▪ Don't hide or throw out drugs.
▪ Don't argue with the person when they are high.
▪ Don't take drugs with the drug abuser.
▪ Above all, try not to feel guilty or responsible for another's behavior.
Adapted from: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol & Drug Information
When your teen has a drug problem
Discovering your child uses drugs can generate fear, confusion, and anger in parents. It’s important to remain calm when confronting your teen, and only do so when everyone is sober. Explain your concerns and make it clear that your concerncomes from a place of love.It’s important that your teen feels you are supportive.
Five steps parents can take:
▪ Lay down rules and consequences: Your teen should understand that using drugs comes with specific consequences. But don’t make hollow threats or set rules that you cannot enforce. Make sure your spouse agrees with the rules and is prepared to enforce them. ▪ Monitor your teen’s activity: Know where your teen goes andwho he or she hangs out with. It’s also important to routinely check potential hiding places for drugs—in backpacks, between books on a shelf, in DVD cases or make-up cases, for example.Explain to your teen that this lack of privacy is a consequence of him or her having been caught using drugs. ▪ Encourage other interests and social activities. Expose your teen to healthy hobbies and activities, such as team sports, Scouts, and afterschool clubs. ▪ Talk to your child about underlying issues. Drug use can be the result of other problems. Is your child having trouble fitting in? Has there been a recent major change, like a move or divorce, which is causing stress? ▪ Get Help: Teenagers often rebel against their parents but if they hear the same information from a different authority figure, they may be more inclined to listen.Try a sports coach, family doctor, therapist, or drug counselor.
Related articles
[pic]Overcoming Drug Addiction
Drug Abuse Treatment, Recovery, and Help
[pic]Alcohol Treatment, Rehab, and Detox
How to Stop Drinking and Start Recovery
More Helpguide Articles:
▪ Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: Signs, Symptoms, and Help for Drinking Problems ▪ Understanding Depression: Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Help ▪ Anxiety Attacks and Disorders: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment ▪ Feeling Suicidal? Coping with Suicidal Thoughts and Help to Get You Through
Related links for drug abuse and drug addiction
Understanding drug addiction and its effects
Addiction and the Brain's Pleasure Pathway: Beyond Willpower – Describes how the brain becomes addicted and why relapse is so common. (HBO.com)
Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction (PDF) – Booklet on drug addiction, including its effects on the brain and new approaches to preventing and treating the disease. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Signs and symptoms of drug abuse and drug addiction
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use – Covers physical and behavior signs and symptoms of drug use, as well as drug specific symptoms. (American Council for Drug Education)
Substance Abuse Symptoms Checklist – Checklist of substance abuse and drug addiction warning signs. Also see signs and symptoms in teens. (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of the San Fernando Valley)
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use – Includes general signs and symptoms of drug use, as well as links to more detailed, drug-specific information. (Narconon International)
Common drugs of abuse
StreetTalk Pamphlets – Series of straight-talking pamphlets on the ever-changing world of street drugs. Includes articles on crystal meth, ecstasy, heroin, and club drugs, among others. (Do It Now Foundation)
Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction (PDF) – Government guide to the growing problem of nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs. (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Drug abuse and drug addiction in teens and young adults
TeensHealth: Drugs and Alcohol – Straightforward talk on drug and alcohol abuse in a question and answer format, written for teens. (Nemours Foundation)
How to Tell if Your Teen is Using – Guide for parents on spotting the warning signs and symptoms of drug use in teens and how to take action to intervene. (The Partnership for a Drug-Free Amer