Facts About Substance Use & Abuse

Substance use and abuse can lead to substance addiction. According to research conducted by The National Institute on Drug Abuse, the natural end result of continued substance use and abuse is drug addiction---addiction is a brain disease that gradually changes the brain into an organ that requires the drug. Most substance abuse happens as a curious choice made by an individual who has no intention of using the drug often or of becoming an addict. However, once the euphoric and pleasant effects of the drug are experienced, the person desires to have the experience again.
As the individual returns to the drug repeatedly, the brain becomes more addicted to the drug until the drug gradually becomes the strongest motivator of the addict's behavior. Even before the individual becomes an addict, many negative consequences and relationships exist for the user directly and indirectly related to his or her substance use.

Cost

• According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the economic cost of substance abuse in the United States alone was estimated at a staggering $97.7 billion in the year 1992; researchers and economists believe it has increased with every year since 1975. Substance abuse and addictive disease has huge consequences on health-care, employment, the criminal justice system and on the lives of individuals who are personally affected by the problem.

High Risk Behavior

• Substance abusers engage in high risk sexual behavior, according to NIDA. Lowered inhibitions related to substance use and abuse cause drug users to engage in sexual behavior with people who they know less well and do so more often. According to research reported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse, intravenous drug use is either directly or indirectly related to 36 percent of all AIDS cases in the United States. Substance abuse is also correlated to virtually all sexually transmitted diseases within the United States, according to NIDA.
  Alcohol and drug use and abuse are believed to be the major cause of accidental death and disability due to violence, suicide, drowning and automobile accidents, according to health.com, an on-line source dealing with teens who abuse alcohol and drugs. Teens and adults who use and abuse substances are more likely to engage in destructive and high-risk behaviors.

Motivation

• Substance abusers are not always initially motivated by curiosity or a desire to feel euphoric. Many substance abusers begin using medications prescribed by their doctors in an effort to deal with physical pain or other treatable disease, without an understanding that people can become addicted to prescription drugs, even when they are under a doctor's care. As is true of the curious substance abuser, people who use prescription drugs are also exposed to the positive sensations produced by the drug and may become emotionally and physically addicted to the medication prescribed by their doctor. Addiction can and does occur in spite of good motives to well meaning and responsible law-abiding citizens.

Legal Drugs

• Some legal drugs are as addictive as illegal drugs and, in some cases, more difficult to stop abusing. Alcohol and nicotine are examples of legal drugs that have addictive potential. Caffeine is also a legal drug that is often abused to a destructive level of use. Some users of legal drugs feel that the drugs are more difficult to stop using, because they are considered harmless or associated with the users public, as well as private life. For example, no one could use cocaine or heroin while standing behind their workplace building with other co-workers, but cigarettes are often smoked under those conditions. Alcohol is considered socially acceptable by most Americans and is served at many social gatherings. Caffeine is in many non-alcoholic beverages and foods.

Drugs of Abuse

• Drugs commonly abused include central nervous system depressants, stimulants, psychedelic drugs and steroids. Central nervous system depressants include alcohol, most prescription drugs and street drugs such as heroin. They cause slower movements, retarded motor skills and slurred speech when taken to excess. Stimulant drugs cause extreme hyperactivity, then long periods of sleep and low energy, as the user becomes physically exhausted from his or her use of the stimulant drug. Psychedelic drugs include LSD-25, blotter acid and some drug combinations that include club drugs, such as ecstasy. These drugs create colorful effects, some hallucinations and can create delusions when taken. Steroid drugs are most often used by athletes, who attempt to build muscle mass, or excel at some sports event. The drugs are banned by sports officials, but continue to be used by athletes because they are difficult to detect through present drug screen methods.