Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Introduction

High usage and abuse of drugs and alcohol are quite common among teenagers these days, which leads to catastrophic repercussions on their health and their families. In the 15-24 age group, alcohol or drug misuse is involved in 50% of deaths (accidents, homicides, and suicides). Physical and sexual aggressiveness, such as assault or rape, are also exacerbated by drugs and alcohol.

Abstinence (non-use), experimentation, regular use (both recreational and compensatory for other difficulties), misuse, and reliance are all stages of a teen’s drug and alcohol abuse. Repeated and regular recreational usage can lead to anxiety and depression, among other issues.

Some kids use drugs or alcohol to cope with anxiety, despair, or a daily lack of positive social skills. However, tobacco and alcohol use should be discouraged among teenagers because they can serve as “gateway drugs” for other substances (marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin).

It’s difficult for kids to say no because of their curiosity, risk-taking behaviour, and peer pressure. Most youngsters then ask themselves, “Will it hurt to try one?”

Substance abuse is described as a habit of hazardous substance use to alter the mood. Drug and alcohol abuse (whether legal or not) are examples of “substances,” as some substances aren’t drugs at all.

Symptoms

Symptoms or behaviours associated with drug and alcohol abuse addiction include, but are not limited to:

• Feeling compelled to use the substance regularly – every day or even many times a day 
• Having intense cravings for the drug that prevents you from thinking about anything else
• Over time, you’ll require more drug to achieve the same result
• Taking more of the substance than you expected for a more extended period
• Ensuring that you have a steady supply of the medicine
• Spending money on a medication that you can’t afford
• Due to drug use, people fail to satisfy their obligations and work responsibilities and cut back on social and leisure activities.
• Continuing to consume the substance despite knowing that it is giving you problems or harming your physical or mental health
• Doing things you wouldn’t ordinarily do to get the drug, such as stealing
• You shouldn’t drive or engage in other potentially dangerous activities when you’re high on the drug.
• Investing a considerable amount of time in obtaining the drug, taking the drug, or recovering from the drug’s effects
• You’ve tried but failed to quit using the substance.
• When you stop taking medicine, you may have withdrawal symptoms.

Types of Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Abuse

1. Treatments for Behavioural issues

Counselling is used in behavioural treatments to help people change their drinking habits. They’re led by health professionals and backed up by research that shows they’re beneficial. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a useful therapy strategy since it may be used to treat a variety of addictions, including but not limited to food, alcohol, and prescription medication addiction. CBT can help you not just detect undesirable behavioural patterns, but also learn to recognise triggers and create coping strategies. CBT can also be used in conjunction with other treatment methods.

2. Prescription drugs

In the United States, three drugs have been licensed to assist people in stopping or limiting their drinking and avoiding relapse. They are given by a primary care physician or another health care provider and can be taken alone or in conjunction with counselling. Medication plays a significant part in many addiction treatment regimens when paired with counselling and behavioural therapy to aid in a patient’s recovery. To assist lessen cravings and manage withdrawal from benzodiazepines, alcohol, opioids, and other sedatives, a variety of drugs may be utilised.

3. Mutual-Support Organisations

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-step organisations offer peer support to persons who are quitting or reducing their alcohol consumption. When combined with professional treatment, mutual-support groups can provide a valuable additional layer of support. Because mutual-support groups are anonymous, researchers find it difficult to compare their success rates to those led by health professionals.

4. Detoxification

Detoxification with medical assistance helps you to safely clear your body of addicted chemicals. This is advantageous since drug withdrawal can occasionally result in unpleasant or even life-threatening bodily effects. Detox is usually used in conjunction with other therapies since it does not address the underlying behavioural reasons of addiction.

5. Outpatient Rehab & Intensive Outpatient Programs

Patients are not required to be on-site or reside at the facility for outpatient programmes, so they can attend therapy and get treatment on their own time. Treatment might take place at a drug addiction treatment centre, a community health clinic, a hospital-affiliated clinic, or another setting with regular meetings. Some outpatient programmes also provide night and weekend services, making them a popular choice for people with personal, familial, and/or professional obligations that preclude them from attending an inpatient treatment.

Risk

When you use drug and alcohol abuse, your inhibitions are significantly reduced. They do this by flooding the brain’s reward region with dopamine, sometimes known as “the feel-good chemical.” Decision-making abilities are significantly weakened when the brain is saturated with dopamine. Risky behaviour results from poor judgement, and it can put you in significant danger.

A single wrong judgement made while under the influence of drug and alcohol abuse can devastate the rest of your life. According to the National Institute of Health, over one million emergency room visits every year involve using an illegal drug, and nearly five million involve the use of drug and alcohol abuse. Accidents, injuries, physical disease, and even death are among the reasons for these visits, and almost all of them might have been avoided.

Effects of Alcohol and Drug Abuse 

1. Your well-being: drug and alcohol abuse can harm your internal organs, such as your heart, liver, and brain, and leave them permanently damaged. Stroke and life-threatening infection are also significantly increased.
2. Your sanity: Addiction causes major behavioural issues, including paranoia, anger, and impulsivity, among other things. It can also cause long-term alterations in your brain’s function, affecting your brain chemistry and impairing memory.
3. Your relationships– Consistently making poor decisions can harm your relationships, separating you from friends and family.
4. Your economic situation: Addiction usually interferes with work performance, and many addicts lose jobs due to their inability to focus and complete responsibilities. Constantly battling to pay for drugs and alcohol can lead to financial disaster.

Substance Use Disorders are Available in Multitude Forms

Drug addiction, also known as substance use disorder, is an illness that affects a person’s brain and behaviour, resulting in an inability to manage the use of any drug or prescription, whether legal or illicit. Drugs include substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine. When you’re hooked to a substance, you may continue to use it even if it causes you damage.

Substance abuse problems progressively worsen. The sooner you begin therapy, the higher your prospects of a long-term recovery. Many families are taught incorrectly that they must “wait until rock bottom” before seeking therapy, and that their loved one must be ready to seek treatment in order for it to succeed. It is harmful to believe that we should wait until the sickness has progressed before seeking therapy. Consider what would happen if we didn’t treat cancer until it had progressed to the fourth stage. Decades of study has shown that the earlier someone gets treated, the better their outcomes—and that therapy works just as well for patients who are forced to start treatment by outside pressures as it does for those who are self-motivated.

Given below are the different types of Substance Use Disorders:

1. Opioid Addiction
2. Marijuana Addiction
3. Nicotine Addiction
4. Stimulant Addiction
5. Sedative Addiction
6. Hallucinogen Addiction
7. Alcoholism/Alcoholism

Conclusion

Although illegal drug use is unlawful, it does not automatically imply the presence of a substance use disorder. Legal substances, such as alcohol and prescription medicines (and, in a rising number of states in the United States, marijuana) may, on the other hand, be engaged in a substance use problem. The problems produced by the use of prescribed and illicit drugs affect people from all walks of life.

People who use drugs recreationally may do so in tiny amounts on a regular basis, generally without harming themselves. That is, consumers do not experience drug withdrawal and the substance does not affect them physically (at least in the short term). Opium, alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, caffeine, hallucinogenic mushrooms (see also Mushroom [Toadstool] Poisoning), and cocaine are all often used recreationally. Many recreational drugs are referred to as “natural” since they are derived from plants. Rather than an individual, highly concentrated psychoactive substance, they include a blend of low-concentration hallucinogenic compounds.

When people seek treatment from a health care provider to quit using a drug, they may be diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Others try to conceal their drug use, and doctors may only suspect drug abuse when they see changes in a person’s mood or behaviour.