Thursday, August 7, 2014

Drugs

Drugs are very addictive and produce an intense craving and longing for the use of a particular drug. Those are who addicted to drugs feel very overwhelmed and anxious and suffer from an uncontrollable urge for their particular drug. The more you do a drug, the more your body gets used to it therefore your body becomes dependent on it. So when you stop taking the drug you begin to feel unpleasant feelings because your body is not used to the feeling without the drug. This is known as withdrawal syndrome, due to the absence of the drug. And as a result, an addiction is formed because people do not want to feel these unpleasant withdrawal effects, and they enjoy the euphoric relief the drug brings them. Many people would not consider caffeine or alcohol to necessarily be a drug, but when you think about it, they both have have certain effects on your body and can be highly addictive. I know that many people become addicted to alcohol, however I have never heard of naltrexone, and that if you take it for six consecutive days it will reduce the urge of alcohol. I thought that was great, I never knew this existed but I think it would be great for addicts to try in hopes to reduce their urge and ultimately reduce their consumption of alcohol. You can also be addicted to something healthy, such as exercising, but it was upsetting to read that abstinence from exercise also had negative withdrawal symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and irritableness.

2 comments:

  1. Hey Alexandra,

    It is actually sad how dependent people become on a drug. I work at a jail so I come in contact with drug addicts day in and day out. People do not give drug addicts any sympathy which is sad. Although yes, it is their fault they did the drug in the first place, it still doesn't escape the fact that addiction is serious and is more of a disorder than anything else. I think people need to be more sensitive to drug addicts because it is not easy getting off a drug.

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  2. Alexandra,
    I completely agree with you that caffeine is a strong drug, even though it is legal to consume. Coffee can have many negative affects such as withdrawal symptoms if it is abused and people can definitely become dependent on it. Another drug which is publicly used is nicotine. I do not personally smoke, but I know so many people addicted to Cigarettes. It is such a powerful drug that people are aware of the health risks and still cannot stop. Similar to the Naltrexone option that you brought up, I believe that people who want to quit cigarettes should utilize their options. There are pills, patches and even electronic cigarettes which do not contain the harmful tar found in cigarettes. Drugs are extremely powerful and I truly support all of these methods to help people stop.

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