Drug Addiction

Almost 12 percent of young Americans aged 18 years old are now addicted to illicit drugs and approximately 27 million Americans use illicit drugs regularly.

Results of the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and Addiction revealed that while millions of Americans habitually smoke pot, drink alcohol, snort cocaine, and swallow prescription drugs, many drug users do not recognize that they have a painkiller or other drug addiction problem. The figure of those “in denial” about their drug addiction is estimated at more than 4.6 million.

Individuals who struggle with drug addiction do not set out to destroy themselves, or everyone and everything in their path. Rather, these disastrous consequences are the effects of the vicious cycle of drug addiction. For many, drugs seem to be a means of averting emotional and physical pain by providing the user with a temporary escape from life's sometimes uncomfortable realities such as depression and stress.

Physiological sensations are abused to create a new reality or a “high” when one does not wish to correct one’s physical, emotional, and spiritual reality. An addicted person does not believe that it is possible to have a satisfying, happy life without the use of narcotics.

Addiction or substance abuse is a complex psycho-chemical problem. A person with an addiction experiences cravings that persist even in the face of extremely negative consequences. During a craving, a person with an addiction misses the habit-forming drug terribly, and often he or she experiences symptoms of withdrawal.

Withdrawal refers to the physical problems and emotions you experience if you are dependent on a substance (such as alcohol, prescription medications, or illegal drugs) and then suddenly stop or drastically reduce your intake of the substance. Symptoms of withdrawal are caused by decreased amounts of alcohol or drugs in the blood or tissues of a person who has grown accustomed to prolonged heavy use and who then suddenly stops. Withdrawal syndrome is a set of symptoms that occur when you decrease or stop drinking or using drugs after using alcohol or drugs for a long time.

Symptoms of withdrawal from either illegal drugs or medications such as antidepressant prescriptions depend on the drug or combination of drugs. The common symptoms of withdrawal include:

Abdominal pain
Nausea and vomiting
Drenching sweats
Nervousness and shaking
Seizures
Death

Withdrawal symptoms can last a few days to a few weeks and may include nausea or vomiting, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety. Withdrawal symptoms only occur if a person has regular, heavy use of a drug.

Drug withdrawal symptoms can be extremely uncomfortable without professional help. Treatment for withdrawal from alcohol or drugs may require a medical professional to be present.

Drug and alcohol rehabilitation is often the best way to overcome withdrawal symptoms and recovery from drug addiction.

There are a number of different signs to signify withdrawal symptoms depending on the drug of abuse. More noticeable signs are associated to certain drugs. However, there are some withdrawal symptoms that are associated with all drug use.

If you are dependent on alcohol or drugs and are experiencing symptoms of withdrawal, you may need a visit to your health professional to help you manage your symptoms.

Further Information Regarding Drug Addiction

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Nicotine Patch Plus Lozenge Best for Quitting Smoking
Megan E. Piper, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, Madison, and colleagues conducted a randomized clinical trial of smoking cessation therapies involving 1,504 adults. All had smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day during the previous six months and were motivated to quit.

Cocaine Vaccine May Help Limit Drug Use
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Research Agenda for Substance Abuse Outline
With substance abuse now accounting for one in 14 hospital admissions and generating billions in health care costs, leading scientists held a briefing on Capitol Hill today to present the evidence that we already have and the evidence we need in treating and preventing the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

Mentally Ill Should Quit Smoking
People with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are the heaviest smokers in the country, but their doctors are afraid to ask them to quit. They assume that if their patients try to quit smoking, their mental disorders will get worse.

Meth Addiction and Consequences
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Baclofen - A Pill to Stop Alcohol Cravings
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Methadone Addiction and Detox Treatment
Most people associate methadone with opioid treatment, to help addicts get off heroin, for example, and ease them into recovery, free of any drugs or pharmacological intervention. By design it works, but as with anything, there are times when the use of the drug is abused.

Addiction to Prescription Painkillers by Patients and Physicians
Opioid medications are chemicals that work by binding to specific receptors, particularly in the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract; decrease perception of pain and reaction to pain; and increase pain tolerance. Side effects include sedation, respiratory depression and constipation. When opioid consumption is ongoing, physical dependence can and will develop.

Ways to End Drug Addiction
This article is written for those who want to quit drugs, but haven't been able to for whatever reason. The methods written here could apply to most addictions, not just drugs. I will not be discussing the reasons why you should quit drugs.

Intervention for an Alcoholic
If you are a friend or a family member of someone who is either abusing alcohol or already addicted, you're probably wondering what you can do to help. The biggest problem you face is that the abuser or addict thinks this is YOUR problem, or you're making a fuss over nothing. "I can handle it." The last one in the room to know there is a problem is the one who has it.

Study Shows 1 in 25 Deaths Attributable to Alcohol
Research from Canada's own Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) featured in this week's edition of the Lancet shows that worldwide, 1 in 25 deaths are directly attributable to alcohol consumption. This rise since 2000 is mainly due to increases in the number of women drinking.

Acetaldehyde in Alcohol
Acetaldehyde in alcohol -- no longer just the chemical that causes a hangover. A new study published today in the journal Addiction shows that drinking alcohol is the greatest risk factor for acetaldehyde-related cancer. Heavy drinkers may be at increased risk due to exposure from multiple sources.

Men Admit they Consume Drugs to Increase Sexual Pleasure
A study carried out at the University of Granada has analyzed the connection between drug consumption and sexual performance by means of a survey of 120 drug addict characters.

Adolescents Undertreated for Drug Addiction
Only about 10 percent of adolescents needing help for substance abuse problems actually enter treatment, partly because of the lack of adolescent-only services in the nation's treatment system, according to a new study released today. The study also found that very few of the available addiction programs for teens received high marks for quality.

Pain Killer Addiction
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