Continuum of Chemical Substance Abuse
...ple may use drugs for recreational reasons, such as enhancing their social activities. People often times lose their inhibitions and are able to interact with other people better. Sometimes people, especially younger people, think that it’s just cool if you use drugs. The worst reason to use drugs though is because you’re dependent on them. When people have to use drugs because they can’t survive without them, it can be a very tragic situation. To understand how drugs work, it is necessary to understand the changes that take place in different areas of the body when drugs take affect. Found in the brain are the synapses, the interaction point of two neurons. The synapses in the brain are often the main target of a drug, altering the perception of something at the point of perception. When a drug is taken, it attaches itself to receptors in the brain, which have a pattern chemically similar to the neurotransmitters that send and receive messages in the brain. The physiological responses created by these false signals, sent by both the drug and the extraneous neurotransmitters are what are perceived to be the effects of the drugs. Pharmacologists and physicians believe abuse is, physical dependence, as revealed by the occurrence of a withdrawal syndrome when drug administration is stopped. Behavioral scientists define abuse as, dependence (or dependence syndrome), defined as drug-taking behavior that has become preeminent in the user’s life, that displaces other goals, that alters social function, and that usually produces tolerance, physical dependence, and other functional or organic disturbances. The psychic or physical effects of drugs vary greatly from person to person. There are four main aspects to keep in mind when considering the effects of drugs on each individual person: (1) the individual, the particular human being, both as a unique biological organism with a possibly idiosyncratic response to a given chemical substance and as a unique personality and psychology; (2) the particular mental set of the person taking the drug, which often has a dramatic influence on its effects; (3) the setting in which a person takes a drug, which can range from a religious ceremony to a rock concert to an assisted suicide; and (4) the pharmacology of the drug itself. People who are dependent upon drugs have a difficult time trying to stop engaging in drug use. The upside is there are several intervention programs and support groups available to them. Twelve-step programs are non-profit organizations that are made up of peer groups of people who provide emotional and spiritual support for one another. These programs are for people who are living unhealthy lifestyles and want to make a change for the better. Whether the unhealthy lifestyle is a result of addictions, past traumas, divorce, physical or mental problems. 12-Step Programs have helped millions of people turn their lives around. Alcoholics Anonymous was the first 12-step program. Moreover , therapy for young drug abusers is a proven success. In a Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, and Portland based study, between 1993 and 1995, scientists looked at the outcomes for nearly 1,200 adolescents, ranging in age form 11 to 18, who were enrolled in one of 23 community-based treatment programs. It found that community-based treatment programs do reduce drug and alcohol abuse, improve performance and lower involvement with the criminal justice system. A California study was conducted by Dr. Yih-Ing Hser and her colleagues at UCLA. The study was done as part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s ongoing Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies for Adolescents. The research concluded the teens made significant progress, even though their length of time in treatment was generally short. The results found the longer the child stayed in treatment the lower the rates of arrests and drug use. “Community-based drug treatments do work for adolescents,” says Dr. Hser. “But in order to maximize their therapeutic benefits, we ne...