Preview

The Addiction Drugs

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1081 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Addiction Drugs
There are many different circumstances that lead to addiction and keep it a reoccurring issue. Addiction is a mental issue and has physical and psychological side effects. Many people experiment with drugs. Addiction is a very common issue. The majority of Americans sample drugs at least once in their life. Not all use of substances is considered an addiction. While there is a great deal of effect on the brain, it is also necessary to know the difference between use and addiction.

Drug use in America is a very serious issue. Millions of people try drugs at least one point in their life. The majority of Americans in fact admit to trying drugs at least once, about 60% (Robison Terry); when alcohol is added to this, about 90 %( Robinson Terry). Addiction is a result of this overall issue. Not everyone who tries drugs is classified as an addict however. Millions of Americans casually drink, that does not make everyone an Alcoholic. It is important to the differences between people who use drugs and alcohol, and those who become addicted over long periods of use. Overuse of many things can cause addiction, even every day substances like caffeine. Overeating can even be a form of addiction, however everybody has to eat. Even for a highly addictive drug like cocaine, only about 15% to 16 %( Robinson Terry) become addicted 10% after the first use. Drug use does not inevitably lead to addiction. There are also many different levels of addiction, as well as many substances that could qualify as addictive. This is also not limited to only substance abuse either, even an activity can become addictive, but may not have as many negative side effects. It is very important to be aware of the overall issue, in order to potentially help more people in the future if they do happen to develop a potentially dangerous addiction, which millions of Americans struggle with. Addiction is a physical and psychological disorder.

Drugs of all kinds have great effect on the



Cited: by: EMedicinehealth.com- Addiction- Medical author: Maureen C Nash, MD, MS The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine- Addiction Vol. 1. 4th ed. Detroit; Gale, 2011. P55-61 Robinson, Terry; Berridge, Kent C. Annual Review of Psychology 54 (2003): 25-53

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Per Stephen Morse addictions can be broken down into two models. The medical model and the moral model, or moral failure. In general, the medical model of addiction puts forth that the cause of addiction has a biological, neurological, genetic or environmental cause, and that the resulting behaviors are a symptom of the disease, while the moral model ascribes that those behaviors are due to a moral failure. “Although no uncontroversial definition of addiction exists and “addiction” and “addict” are not formal diagnostic terms, I shall use both for ease of exposition. Morse defines addiction phenomenologically – as do many researchers – “as persistently arising feelings of intense cravings to consume substances and attempting to seek and use…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A lot of times there different ways that people go about dealing with addictions. Addictions are a result of drug abuse and dependence on the drug. There are a lot of possible explanations to where addictions come from and their effects on a patient. Addictions were once considered to be a disease but there's more to it than that. Two explanations in particular that can show how drugs are associated with addictions fairly well are the psychological and the biological models.…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Drug Profile Paper

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Addiction is primarily psychological although addiction can be defined as the physiological changes in the body. Addiction continues to be considered as a social, cultural, genetic and experiential process as well. According to Lande, addictive behavior is seen as any behavior that gives temporary or short term pleasure and also provides relief from discomfort although there may be long term adverse effects. (Lande, 2012)…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alcoholics Anonymous

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Addiction is a condition that outcomes when someone ingests a substance or takes part in an action that can be pleasurable yet the proceeded with use/demonstration of which gets to be enthusiastic and meddles with customary life obligations, for example, work, connections, or wellbeing. Commonly, the users may not be mindful that their conduct is wild and bringing about issues for themselves as well as other people. Somebody who is dependent or snared mentally trusts that they can't work without this substance in their bodies. Medication and liquor enslavement and destroy families, they change people who once were the best individuals to be around with. Most addictions begin at a people immaturity age where they simply realizing who they are…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Is Addiction a Brain Disease

    • 2420 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Addiction, it is all around us, affecting people from all walks of life, it is not limited to certain social classes or lifestyles. It is found in every ethnic group, regardless of gender or age. It affects our neighbors, our friends, and our family either directly or indirectly. Although substances such as alcohol and illegal drugs are two of the most common addictions we hear about, there is a wide range of substances and even activities such as gambling and shopping. There is some debate whether addiction is a brain disease or a choice.…

    • 2420 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    NIDA Substance Abuse

    • 1565 Words
    • 7 Pages

    A substance abuse addiction can be described in many ways. The NIDA states that a “drug addiction is a chronic disease”. People abuse drugs despite the many consequences that it can have, especially changes in their brain. The start of any drug addictions begins with the use of taking drugs over time. After taking drugs for an extended period of time, it becomes a compulsive behavior that has major long-term affects on your brain function (NIDA, 2016).…

    • 1565 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Addiction has generally been attributed to drug addiction. Drug addiction is very serious and those that fall into substance abuse can cause severe damage to themselves and others around them. Drug addiction is the most common form of addiction. People use certain drugs and generally overuse will cause a physical and mental dependence. Addictive drugs such as heroin and cocaine are very dangerous and may lead people to become damaging to themselves and other around them. These drugs exhibit tremendous chemical effects, and which may be irritating to the user and only continuous use will help make it stop. But can you blame drugs for the addiction? Addiction is an experience that happens in a persons mind. It may be triggered by a drug and it usually creates comfort or some pleasurable feeling which is better then the person's normal state. This may be one reason why not everyone who tries drugs becomes an addict, as the feeling obtained by the drug is not better then a person's current state of affair. Drug addicts may fall into drug addiction as they may be depressed with their current state of affairs and drugs provide an escape from reality. While this cannot be generalized to all addicts there are many outside factors to consider when a person becomes addicted to drugs.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There has been controversy over the cause of addiction. Historically, it was thought that addiction was caused by lack of willpower, by poverty, moral weakness, mental illness, genetics, family socialization, anti-social personalities, and societal problems. Some scientists believe drug addiction is a disease, although the evidence to support this theory is weak.…

    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In society, drugs have been the downfall for many people. There are many reasons that a person may use drugs such as: peer pressure, relief of stress, increased energy, to relax, to relieve pain, to escape reality, to feel more self esteem, and for recreation ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011). What is it that causes the obsession and compulsion to use drugs? Why can some people stop and others go on to become addicts? Addiction is often now defined by the continuing, compulsive nature of the drug use despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user and society ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011). MRI’s have shown evidence that the brain of an addict has specific abnormalities of tissue malfunction that non-addicts do not have (About.com 2004). Drug addiction is a disease that can be defined as a disordered condition resulting from the effect of deficiency or imbalance on the body. Drug addiction can be considered almost like a cancer or virus because it takes over one’s body and can cause detrimental physical and mental effect (Antiessays.com, 2012) s. Addiction is a disease that affects not only the person taking the drugs, but also their family, friends and the community around them.…

    • 1969 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Addiction Essay Example 4

    • 1601 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Addiction is a chronic disorder proposed to be precipitated by a combination of genetic, biological/pharmacological and social factors. Addiction is a compulsion to repeat a behavior regardless of its consequences (Webster, 2003). Addiction is often characterized by a craving for more of the drug or behavior, increased physiological tolerance to exposure, and withdrawal symptoms in the absence of the stimulus (NIDA, 2008).…

    • 1601 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    References: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 3rd ed., revised. Washington,DC: American Psychiatric Press, 1987.…

    • 1701 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Addiction is the continued use of a mood altering substance or behavior despite adverse dependency consequences, or a neurological impairment leading to such behaviors. Addictions can include, but are not limited to, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, exercise abuse, pornography and gambling. Classic hallmarks of addiction include: impaired control over substances or behavior, preoccupation with substance or behavior, continued use despite consequences, and denial. The adolescents and young adults try drugs or other potentially addictive behavior because they are seeking some sort of reward or benefit. Those who take drugs, for instance, do so because of the physical effects they hope to experience. Drugs have a marked effect on the body and mind. If there were no effect, people would be unlikely to repeat the experience. No one sets out just to become addicted.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Addictions are everywhere we turn; the import thing is choosing the right path and knowing one wrong turn can change our entire life. An addiction can not only change an individual’s life, but their entire family as well. It can happen in one day, by making one choice and we need to be aware of it. Addictions are similar to a mental illness, but one that we chose to bring upon ourselves. Some people are born into the world with illnesses and to think people who are healthy make the choice to become ill due to a drug or substance.…

    • 1021 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The mystery behind addiction is that not everyone who tries drugs or alcohol becomes addicted to them. Many people believe that addiction is in our genetics. For example, if an…

    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Addiction

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As Dunnington states that addiction is defined a number of different ways. Addiction is defined as a “brain disease” personifies by “compulsive use of drugs” this definition comes from the Institute of Medicine (2011). The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines addiction as a “chronic, relapsing, brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behaviours”. Another more developed definition is from the World Health Organisation “Repeated use of psychoactive substance or substances, to the extent that the user is periodically or chronically intoxicated, shows a compulsion to take the preferred substance or substances, has great difficulty in voluntarily ceasing or modifying substance use, and exhibits determination to obtain psychoactive substances by almost any means”. DiClemente states that addiction has expanded to include any substance use or reinforcing behaviour that has a long for nature, has an obsessive and repetitive quality, is self-destructive, and is experienced as challenging to modify or stop (2006). There are also bad and good addictions. Examples of bad addictions include drug and alcohol taking and good addictions include exercise and meditation (DiClemente, 2006).…

    • 996 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics