Drug Abuse, Addiction and Effects on User Profile

Drug Abuse, Addiction and Effects on User Profile

This paper focuses on identifying abused substances and their various effects including the psychology and physiology of addiction. The focus of this paper will continue with the identification of specific drug substances including stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens, and cannabis. Additionally the discussion will change focus on the addiction potential of various abused drugs along with the effects on the brain and the withdrawal symptoms. Finally, the paper will end with a discussion of how prescription drug abuse leads to addiction.

Psychology and Physiology of Addiction

When one talks of drug abuse and addiction, the two variables that can combat one's ability to overcome and stop using and abusing drugs cold turkey are the psychology and physiology repercussions of long-term use. The psychology of addiction is the most important to understand for the state of mind of the abuser can be of such that they are and fear the repercussions and physiology and pain of withdraw. The psychology of addiction is also fear of not reaching that state of euphoria that feeling of loss and emptiness can be prominent when one is attempting to stop using a substance one is abusing and has become part of the individual's routine (Levinthal, 2010). From a psychological and physiological stance drugs reduce the experience of feeling bad and "enhance the reward value of substances over time to the point that automatic addictive behaviors occur without thinking (a combination of the effects of drugs on the brain's reward systems, particularly dopamine signaling in the nucleus" (Gifford & Humphreys, 2007, p. 353).

The physiology of addiction can be as clear as outward sweating and anxiety, diarrhea, and insomnia or be more complicated with a combination of psychology magnifying the physical pain associated with addiction and the attempt to conquer it. Any drug can have side effects associated with them; some have more physiological effects. For example, Heroin has many physical side effects associated with the long term use can cause pain and fever and even when the physical pain has subsided heroin can still have a long psychological effect with cravings and thoughts of use for months to follow stopping. Other drugs not as physical addictive such as cocaine and marijuana may not have the addictive traits as heroin but they still can affect the physiology of an addict. If one stops using marijuana he or she can become tense, stressed, and suffer from insomnia as a short term physiological repercussion Alcoholics who stop drinking alcohol can have many physical withdraw that will be a combination of both psychological as well.

Drug Substances

As mentioned above the drugs of choice by abusers each can have both psychological and physiological impacts on the abuser. This section will delve into the specific substances found to cause these affects of the various illicit drugs in particularly stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogens, and cannabis.

Stimulants

The first drug is stimulants, such as cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine all known to give boost of energy and depress the appetite of the user. Cocaine is widely used in the United and properties' are isolated from the coca leave grown in South American country' and refined to a pure state for distribution (Levinthal, 2010).As all stimulants cocaine gives the user increased energy and feeling of euphoria. Amphetamines are isolated to a plant used by ancient Chinese called medicinal herb called ma huange or Ephedra vulagri. Amphetamines uses are for diet suppressants, energy-enhancers, but the chemical ephedrine is banned for over-the-counter use. A derivative of amphetamines is methamphetamine types of amphetamine, addicts refer to it as meth, speed, or crank (Levinthal, 2010).

Depressants and Narcotics

Depressants can come in many forms and almost can share the same symptoms to all drugs. Most noted depressants are drugs such as Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines and even prescription sleeping pills. Narcotics come from opium and all the derivatives called opiates. The different forms of narcotics are heroin, morphine, and designer synthetic pill forms called OxyContin and Hydrocone also known as Vicodine. Hallucinogens can come in many forms such as synthetically produced or from nature. LSD, ecstasy, and PCP are powerful hallucinogens synthetically produce and abused for its affects. Natural Hallucinogens are wild mushrooms or psilocybin and dimethyltryptamine has the same effects and is from the bark and resin of trees and nuts in Central America. The Hallucinogen Mescaline is from peyote a cactus found in southwest America (Levinthal, 2010).

Cannabis

Cannabis is from the leaves and buds of the hemp plant. The various forms of cannabis are the various grades of marijuana ranging from two to three percent (THC) for low grade to 15% with high-grade marijuana called sinsemilla, thus (THC) is the intoxicating chemical found in cannabis. Hashish is a concentrated version of the tar from the marijuana leaves cooked down to dough like consistency. A strong version of cannabis is Hash oil and dried hashish oil crystals (Levinthal, 2010).