WAHT IS DRUG ABUSE

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive

drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted
individual and to those around him or her.
Medline's medical encyclopedia defines drug abuse as "the use of illicit
drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes
other than those for which they are indicated or in a manner or in quantities
other than directed."
Different Types of Drug Addiction
Currently, there are more drugs available to abuse than ever before in our
history. Drug treatment centers and emergency rooms report a steady
stream of cases involving the abuse of (and addiction to) the following drugs:

Heroin
Cocaine
Marijuana
Crystal Meth
Vicodin
OxyContin
Amphetamines and Others

Each of these drugs carries different dangers and health hazards.

Marijuana (Weed, Pot) Facts
Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mix of dried, crumbled leaves from the
marijuana plant.
Marijuana can be rolled up and smoked like a cigarette (called a joint) or a
cigar (called a blunt). Marijuana can also be smoked in a pipe. Sometimes
people mix it in food and eat it.
EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA
Memory Problems
Marijuana makes it hard to remember things that just happened a few
minutes ago. That makes it hard to learn in school or to pay attention to
work.
Heart Problems

Using marijuana makes the heart beat fast and raises your risk of having a
heart attack.
Coughing and Breathing Problems
Marijuana smokers can get some of the same coughing and breathing
problems as cigarette smokers. Marijuana smoke can hurt your lungs.
Drugged Driving
Driving when you're high on marijuana is dangerous, just like driving drunk.
Your reactions to traffic signs and sounds are slow. It's hard to pay attention
to the road. And it's even worse when you're high on marijuana and alcohol
at the same time.
You Stop Caring
Over time, marijuana users can get "burnt out." They don't think about much
or do much. They can't concentrate. They don't seem to care about anything.
COCAINE
Cocaine is a white powder. It can be snorted up the nose or mixed with water
and injected with a needle.
Effects of Cocaine on Bodies and Brains
These are just some of the problems cocaine can cause:
You Feel Sick
Cocaine can cause stomach pain and headaches. It can make you shake,
throw up, or pass out.
No Appetite
Cocaine can make you not want to eat. Over time, you might lose a lot of
weight and get sick.
Heart Attack and Stroke
Cocaine raises your blood pressure and makes your heart beat faster. This
can hurt your heart. It can give you a heart attack or stroke (brain injury from
a blood clot). Some people die because of it.
HIV&Hepatitis

People who inject (shoot up) cocaine can get HIV/AIDS and hepatitis (a liver
disease) if they share used needles.
HEROIN
Heroin is a white or brown powder or a black, sticky thick. It can be mixed
with water and injected with a needle. Heroin can also be smoked or snorted
up the nose.
EFFECTS
Sick and Itchy
Heroin can make you throw up and feel very itchy.
You Stop Breathing
Heroin can slow or stop your breathing. It can kill you.
HIV&Hepatitis
Sharing used needles to inject (shoot up) heroin can give you HIV/AIDS and
hepatitis (a liver disease).
Overdose
People overdose on heroin because they can't tell how strong it is until they
take it. Signs of a heroin overdose are slow breathing, blue lips and
fingernails, cold clammy skin, and shaking. You can die from a heroin
overdose. People who might be overdosing should be taken to the
emergency room immediately.
Coma
Heroin can put you in a coma. That's when nothing can wake you up, and
you may die.
And others drug are:
PAINKILLERS
METH
ALCOHOL
CIGARETTES AND TOBACCO

SIGNS AND SYMPTONS OF DRUG ABUSE

Knowing the signs and symptoms of drug abuse is key to help an individual
struggling with addiction to get help and achieve sobriety. Abused drugs
range from over-the-counter cold remedies to cocaine, heroin, and
methamphetamines. Symptoms of abuse vary widely between different
drugs. One thing they all have in common: an inability to manage life once
addiction takes hold.
The following article describes some common signs and symptoms of drug
abuse and what to look for if you suspect someone of being addicted to
drugs.
SIGNS OF ADDICTION
Withdrawal family and friends
Justifying greater amounts or a higher frequency of use
Hiding use of a substance or lying about use of a substance
Change in friends, associates, and activities
Problems with the law
Significant problems at work
Poor decision-making
Placing oneself in dangerous situations
Lack of responsibility and trustworthiness
While addiction signs can be blatantly obvious at first, some can struggle
with addiction for multiple years before their problems become evident to
themselves or others. Depending on the person and their own history with
substance abuse and addiction, it may not been apparent that there is a
problem. However, there are certain signs of drug or alcohol abuse that
cannot be hidden and are almost always sure signs of abuse and addiction.
TREATEMENT
Friends and Family Can Help
Some people want treatment so they can learn how to stop using drugs and
start to regain their lives.

Other people are so deep in their addiction that they don't want to be in
treatment. Many drug abusers go into treatment because the police, their job,
or family members make them do it. It might take a while for them to
understand that they have a problem, and want to stop using drugs. But
treatment can work even when someone doesn't want it.
When friends and family show that they care, it can help people stick with
treatment even when it's very hard.
There are many things you can do to help someone in treatment:

Find treatment services and information

Offer rides to treatment and support groups
Remind the person to take any medicine they are given
Help them find a place to live, if they need one
Help them get a job, if they need one
Find things to do that will take their mind off drugs
Help them avoid places and people that might tempt them to take drugs
again
Talk with them about their feelings and drug cravings
Understand if they relapse(started taking drug again), and help them
get back into treatment quickly

How Treatment work

Treatment helps people stop using the drugs they're addicted to. Treatment
can include talk therapy, medicine, or both. It helps them learn to fight the
urges to use drugs again, and it helps them regain control in their lives.
People start taking drugs for different reasons. Sometimes it's because
they're upset about personal problems and don't know how to cope. But
drugs can make these problems worse. Treatment can help people work on
the problems in their lives, such as family trouble, money trouble, or
problems at work.
Drug abuse can mess up every part of a person's life. So treatment needs to
work with all areas of your lifeyour relationships, your work, the way you
have fun, and how you deal with problems.

Treatment can help people who are just starting to get addicted.
You don't have to be at "rock bottom" for treatment to work.
When someone quits taking drugs and starts learning how to live life
without drugs, we say he is "in recovery."

Prevention of Drug Abuse

UNODC in collaboration with UNAIDS and WHO encourages an approach
based on promoting, protecting and respecting human rights of drug users,
ensuring that the environment in which these measures are offered must be
supportive.

How Can Drug Abuse be Prevented?

Individuals, especially people in their teens take to drug abuse mainly
because of some psychological disturbance. Disturbed childhood, negligent
family, pressure to perform, broken homes, etc., are observed to be some
common excuses stated by people who take to substance abuse at an early
age. Easy availability of banned substances and substantial amount of
pocket money also makes their journey on this wrong path easier. Initially
done for fun, the abuse becomes an absolute necessity later on.
Drug abuse prevention, also known as substance abuse prevention, is a
process which attempts to prevent the initiation of drug abuse and curb the
problems associated with it. These preventive efforts specially focus on
children between the age of 11 and 20, who are at the most risk to take to
this habit. Environmental prevention of drug abuse refers to making the
surroundings free of banned substances and curbing its availability in the
society.
Some commonly used addictive substances include alcohol, tobacco,
marijuana, cocaine and steroids. Club drugs like 'ecstasy', has become a
popular trend among youngsters these days. The recent addition to
substance abuse is use of solvents, or glue sniffing, which is mostly observed
among children. Some medical drugs only obtained through prescription are
also used more as recreational drugs than as medications. Though treatment
options for drug abuse are available today, it is wiser to prevent it in the first
place.
It is noticed that adolescents who are either idle or bored are more at risk of
taking to drug abuse, than those who keep themselves engrossed and busy
in life. Hence, the most effective way of preventing drug abuse in teenagers
is to keep them interested and involved in other activities. A report on
Substance Abuse Prevention by the US Center stated that 'alternative
programming appears to be most effective among those youth at greatest
risk for substance abuse and related problems'.

Youths need to be made aware of the various ill-effects of substance abuse.

The education, based on facts, should be imparted either by trained
professionals or by parents. Very often, it is noticed there are more chances
of an individual taking to drug abuse when people around him indulge in it.
Eventually, this sheer fun turns into an absolute danger.
Establishing drug-free zones can help to keep the society free from the
substance abuse. A drug-free zone is a particular area in which the menace
of drug trafficking has been totally curbed. Areas wherein children gather,
like schools or parks, should be compulsorily made drug-free zones. Self-help
groups can also work to make their locality a drug-free zone by spreading
awareness and following some simple steps.
Drug abuse is one of the major problems in society today. Millions of lives
have already been lost, and millions are on the verge of being lost. The need
of the hour is to form and strictly implement some stringent laws and
punishments to curb the menace of drug abuse

Talk with your children:

Explain how taking drugs can hurt their health, their friends and family, and
their future. Tell them you don't want them to do drugs.

Keep your home safe:

Put your medicines in a safe place. Make sure they can't be taken by others.

But the best protection from the dangers of drugs is to not start in the
first place.

ITS NOT TOO LATE TO TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND...

Drug Abuse Prevention Phone Numbers and Websites

You can find more information on preventing drug abuse.
By phone:

Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Toll-Free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
On the Web (click the links to go to the websites):
Underage Drinking: Talk Early, Talk Often, Get Others Involved
Partnership at DrugFree.org
Alcohol Use: Conversation Starters
Alcohol Use and Older Adults
Parents. The Anti-Drug.

These drug abuse prevention websites are for kids:

NIDA for Teens
Check Yourself
Above the Influence
The Cool Spot

REFERENCE:
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/drugs/a/aa030425a.htm
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drugabuse-addiction
http://www.drugabuse.net/drug-abuse/
http://easyread.drugabuse.gov/index.php
http://drugabuse.com/library/symptoms-and-signs-of-drug-abuse/
http://www.treatment-centers.net/signs-and-symptoms.html
http://easyread.drugabuse.gov/drug-treatment.php

http://easyread.drugabuse.gov/prevent-drug-abuse.php
http://www.unodc.org/southasia/en/topics/frontpage/2009/drugprevention.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/drug-abuse-prevention.html