Facts About Substance Abuse

Words: 1558
Pages: 7
Open Document
The Facts About Substance Abuse
According to dictionary.com, substance abuse is defined as: long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning; broadly, alcohol or drug addiction. Substance abuse strikes an angry nerve in my body because people will go to extremes to cure the craving for their particular substance. When I was younger, my family and I found ourselves in a particularly odd situation because of substance abuse. My aunt had gotten herself pregnant after a crazy night of binge drinking and drug usage. Nine months later she was giving birth to my cousin Rachel and was granted the opportunity to name her daughter …show more content…
(Martin, 2016) While I do agree with this statement to an extent, I believe the definition should be extended to the illegal action that is committed to consume the alcohol or drugs. For example, a person’s willingness to purchase and consume medication when it is clearly illegal should be considered substance abuse. The reason I believe the definition should be written this way is because the individual’s consumption of alcohol or drugs may not be to the point where it is affecting their health, home or school life but the substance is taking control over their body and signaling the need for …show more content…
Opiates “include heroin, opium, codeine, and narcotic pain medicines that may be prescribed by a doctor or bought illegally.” (Martin, 2016) Opiates are an extremely addictive narcotic. I have been prescribed codeine based narcotics many times in my life from several different injuries. Each time, I have felt signs of addiction when I took the medication “as prescribed” and before my prescription was up. Other drugs listed as common drugs for substance abuse include: Stimulants - such as cocaine or amphetamines; Depressants – such as alcohol, Xanax or valium; Hallucinogens – such as LSD, shrooms, and PCP; and marijuana. (Martin, 2016) Symptoms of substance abuse include, but are limited to: confusion, violence, excuses to use drugs, neglecting to eat, and no longer participating in activities because of drug abuse. (Martin, 2016)
How does substance abuse affect
Show More

Related Documents: Facts About Substance Abuse

chrikim Presentation of Chapter 12 drug use part1 final Essay

Categorized › Marijuana – In a class all it’s own Illegal Drugs: The Cause of Effects › Dosage › Purity › Drug Mixing › Method of Administrations › Degree of Habituation Illegal Drugs: Interesting Facts › The three most often used – Marijuana – Heroin – Cocaine/Crack Illegal Drugs: Interesting Facts › The three newest drugs on the scene – Meth – Roofies – Ecstasy Social Dimensions of Drug Use › The Extent of Drug Use – 9% of US Population over 12 years of age use drugs every year and half of…

Words 733 - Pages 3

Building An Ethical Organization Part 1 1 Essay

organization that is focused on the welfare of people that are victims of domestic and substance abuse. The services provided by the organization would be support, counseling, temporary food, housing, emergency medical care, transportation, and self defense. For substance abuse there would be AA meetings and support groups. Social Skills Development, Mentoring/Peer Support, Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Education and Employment Counseling or training for Clients. The clientele will be people…

Words 1074 - Pages 5

Effects of Parental Drug Abuse on Children Essay

Heather Swenson Mandy Jesser English Composition I 1 May 2013 Effects of Parental Drug Abuse on Their Children As soon as birth, children are exposed to new things; new life experiences that will develop the path of which direction their life will take. Adolescence is the most important time in a child’s life because it is where they learn appropriate behavior from their family and the outside world. Some children are able to use these experiences to differentiate at an early age what is…

Words 1732 - Pages 7

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse Essay

Hitting Close to Home: Drug and Alcohol Abuse When it comes to drugs, alcohol, and other substances, abuse is quite prevalent in society. However, it seems that adolescents are taking the cake in this particular subject possibly because they are young, new to different environments, and influenced by many factors. There have been many negative effects on individuals who take these drugs and their lives due to the abuse and regular usage of substances. In efforts to cope with these problems, many…

Words 1484 - Pages 6

Incarceration Vs Rehabilitation

In some form or another, addictive and abusable substances have been available for most of human existence. Unfortunately, due to agricultural, chemical, and technological advances, illicit substances have become easier to obtain and abuse. Many people are affected by the abuse of these substances, so chances are that the average person at least knows someone who has been indirectly affected by substance abuse. The demographic that gets the worst of the effects, however, are the abusers and addicts…

Words 674 - Pages 3

Criminal Psychology

may resort to substance abuse. Furthermore, based on our class discussion we came to the conclusion that substance abuse could ultimately become another reason for criminal conduct. Substance abuse is almost cyclical as many individuals may turn to substances in order to deal with their criminal thoughts and then have substances themselves become the reason they turn into criminals. This pattern isn’t very well understood by many, so I picked the topic of chapter 9 – substance abuse – to serve as…

Words 1470 - Pages 6

Substance Abuse In Prison

Treatment for substance abuse issues are over looked in the jail and prison system. This paper will consider how and why substance abuse treatments should be provided. It will also explore what types of treatment are effective in this setting and how people can change if treatment is addressed. A focus on rehabilitation will help prevent returning to the prison system repeatedly. Most often incarceration is the first time offenders have their substance abuse identified while they are incarcerated…

Words 576 - Pages 3

Substance Abuse Essay

Substance Abuse It is a fact that most people who have an alcohol or drug addiction now, most likely were introduced to the substance as a teen or even younger. Substance abuse is the excessive use of potentially addictive drugs or alcohol, which can and will harm your bodily functions. Many people who begin abusing substances don’t realize how dangerous the substances are. Before they know it, they are abusing drugs and alcohol daily, and their abuse has become a problem. Substance abuse is…

Words 955 - Pages 4

Substance Abuse Essay

Substance abuse is a growing problem that not only affects the person who is abusing alcohol or drugs but affects the lives of those who are close to the abuser. Substance abuse is the abuse of any substance. A drug is a substance that modifies one or more of the body’s functions when it is consumed. Everything from over-the-counter pain medication, to opiates, prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, alcohol, cocaine, heroin and even coffee can be abused in one way or another. The two main substances…

Words 1869 - Pages 8

Essay on Child Abuse

child abuse and it’s staring us in the face as a problem we can lessen just by paying attention to it. The definition of child abuse might vary for person but the legal definition is physical maltreatment or sexual molestation of a child. There is also emotional maltreatment. According to the Administration for Children and Families child abuse is “Any recent act of failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation”…

Words 1537 - Pages 7