Drug Abuse and Addiction
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use and Addiction
People from all walks of life can experience
problems with their drug use, regardless of age, race, or background. While
some are able to use recreational or prescription drugs without experiencing
negative effects, others find that substance use takes a serious toll on their
health and well-being. Abusing drugs can leave you feeling helpless, isolated,
or ashamed. If you’re worried about your own or a loved one’s drug use,
learning how drug abuse and addiction develops—and why it can have such a
powerful hold—will give you a better understanding of how to best deal with the
problem and regain control of your life.
When does drug use become drug abuse or addiction?
People start using drugs for many different
reasons. Some experiment with recreational drugs out of curiosity, to have a
good time, because friends are doing it, or to ease problems such as stress,
anxiety, or depression. However, it’s not just illegal drugs, such as cocaine
or heroin that can lead to abuse and addiction. Prescription medications such as
painkillers, sleeping pills, and tranquilizers can cause similar problems. In
fact, next to marijuana, prescription painkillers are the most abused drugs in
the U.S. and more people die from overdosing powerful opioid painkillers each
day than from traffic accidents and gun deaths combined. And addiction to
opioid painkillers can be so powerful it has become the major risk factor for
heroin abuse.
Of course, drug use—either illegal or
prescription—doesn’t automatically lead to abuse, and there is no specific
point at which drug use moves from casual to problematic. Drug abuse and
addiction is less about the type or amount of the substance consumed or the
frequency of your drug use, and more about the consequences of that drug use.
If your drug use is causing problems in your life—at work, school, home, or in
your relationships—you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem.
Recognizing that you have a problem is the
first step on the road to recovery, one that takes tremendous courage and
strength. Facing your problem without minimizing the issue or making excuses
can feel frightening and overwhelming, but recovery is within reach. If you’re
ready to seek help, you can overcome your addiction and build a satisfying,
drug-free life for yourself.
Risk factors for drug addiction
While anyone can develop problems from using
drugs, vulnerability to substance addiction differs from person to person.
While your genes, mental health, family and social environment all play a role,
risk factors that increase your vulnerability include:
• Family
history of addiction
• Abuse,
neglect, or other traumatic experiences
• Mental
disorders such as depression and anxiety
• Early
use of drugs
• Method
of administration—smoking or injecting a drug may increase its addictive potential
Drug addiction and the brain
While each drug produces different physical
effects, all abused substances share one thing in common: repeated use can
alter the way the brain functions. This includes commonly abused prescription
medications as well as recreational drugs.
• Taking
the drug causes a rush of the hormone dopamine in your brain, which triggers
feelings of pleasure. Your brain remembers these feelings and wants them
repeated.
• When
you become addicted, the substance takes on the same significance as other
survival behaviors, such as eating and drinking.
• Changes
in your brain interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good
judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs.
• No
matter which drug you’re addicted to, the uncontrollable craving to use grows
more important than anything else, including family, friends, career, and even
your own health and happiness.
• The
urge to use is so strong that your mind finds many ways to deny or rationalize
the addiction. You may drastically underestimate the quantity of drugs you’re
taking, how much it impacts your life, and the level of control you have over
your drug use.
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