Drug Profile and Abused Substances - Essay Example

? Abused Substances There are several substances which are abused in different capacities by people in attempt to achieve various luxuries. Most of these substances are addictive and once you start using them, it may need a lot of stress to overcome. Continuous abuse of these substances always leads to negative consequences which can even lead to loss of lives and reputation in social set up. These abused substances fall under different categories due to the nature of their origin and how they affect humans when abused and are discussed below. Stimulants These are drugs that make a person feel more alert and they occur naturally in many plants. Example is caffeine found in tea, coffee and chocolate which are readily available in plants and people consume them almost every day. Continuous use of these substances causes high risk of addiction which is hard to overcome. Stimulants affects a person decision making abilities thus affecting reasoning and this makes a person portray some weird behaviors in his actions. This is due to what the medics say the poisoning of the frontal cortex which results into the production of decision making deficits (Dingfelder, 2011). This makes the addicts become bad gamblers since they always make a person make a bad bet in most of the choices. The stimulants also makes a person performs poorly in the task due to making decisions slowly and making wrong decisions most often. Stimulants are used both individually and clinically for therapeutic purposes for treatment by medical practitioners whenever deemed necessary thus they also have some beneficial effects to humans. They can be used to counteract lethargy and fatigue throughout the day while at work and this makes those who do a lot of energy consuming tasks like sportsmen like them. They are also proven to reduce sleepiness and make a person awake when necessary and thus can be helpful in reducing sleepiness by medical practitioners. Since they can be used to reduce appetite and this enhances weight loss, they can be helpful in reducing obesity in individuals. Cocaine is the one of the most common stimulant used by humans toady even though it’s illegal to use it without doctor’s prescription. It’s made from the leaves of the cocoa plant mostly found in South America, Europe and parts of Asia. Caffeine is also found naturally occurring in the leaves of coffee, tea and cocoa and it’s include in most of the soft drinks and some energy drinks. Withdrawal side effects include restlessness, hallucination and lack of sleep with more serious withdrawal symptoms including body tremors, seizures, blood pressure and increased heart rate (Mayo Clinic staff, 2013). To overcome addictions, a person should attend treatment programs designed by specialist to the end. An addict can also opt to attend a counseling session by a psychologist or a psychiatrist so that he or she can be helped to overcome temptations. Depressants These are substances that slow down the normal functioning of the brain by inhibiting the central nervous system thus lowering the functioning of the body systems when abused. They are the most widely used drugs and their symptoms include drowsiness, relaxation, decreased inhabitation, anesthesia, sleep and coma hence the user is always docile and inactive. Depressant are quite opposite to stimulants because whereas stimulants increase the mental functioning, the depressants lower the mental functioning of the body system. The most common types of depressants include alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabis and opioids with all of them being very addictive when used. They are used medically to relieve anxiety and insomnia and are also used for recreational purposes to boost mood and induce euphoria therefore, a lot of people find comfort in its use. The prolonged used of depressants can result into addiction, impaired sexual function, chronic sleep problems and respiratory problems which can sometimes lead to death if left unchecked. Alcohol is the second most widely used drug in the world after caffeine because it’s legal in most countries and thus its public acceptance is very high. Since it’s a legal drug in most countries, it has a very high potential of being abused and it’s very addictive. It’s also argued by researchers to have very high social costs due to the number of assaults, homicides and accidents reported due to alcohol abuse. The withdrawal symptoms of depressants include lack of sleep, restlessness and anxiety thus it can be painful if not done under the guidance of a professional. The treatment options available include attending counseling sessions with a psychiatrist in order to enable the addict cope with the side effects of withdrawal. Opiates These are drugs that are used for relieving pain and are derived from opium which occurs naturally in poppy plant. The most commonly abused opiate is heroin and it occurs in the form of white or brownish powder which can be injected, sniffed or smoked. When used to relive pain, it’s easy to develop tolerance due to temporary relief which people in pain easily enjoy. People often begin to be obsessed with the pain relief that they begin to double doctor and this encourages addiction at a very high rate. A very high dose of opiates is likely to cause death due to cardiac or respiratory arrest and thus should only be used under doctor’s subscription. It’s easy to develop tolerance for opiates and this makes a person trying to get higher and higher and this can lead to overdose and ultimately lead to dangerous effects. Unlike other drugs, opiate overdose can be reversed in hospital and emergency services should be contacted immediately in case of overdose. Opiate withdrawal is quite uncomfortable and therefore care should be taken during withdrawal to avoid negative side effects. The withdrawal symptoms from opiates include low energy, runny nose, teary eyes, yawning, muscle aches and pain, abdominal cramping, insomnia and agitation hence is equally painful. The treatment programs available include educational and therapy sessions focused on reducing the use and enduring side effects of withdrawal. Hallucinogens These are drugs that cause profound distortions in a person’s perception of reality leading to false notions in images, sound and touch hence leading to lack of reasoning and loss of personality. They lead to rapid mood swings changes in a person therefore a person may not be consistent in his or her actions. Their effects are more unpredictable in a person and they vary from one person to another in both behavior and side effects. Hallucinogens are manufactured chemical compounds and therefore not freely found in nature, and work by disrupting the neurotransmission and interaction of nerve cells thus altering the thinking of a person resulting to a total change in behavior. The effects of hallucinogens include high blood pressure, dizziness, and loss of appetite, dry mouth, sweating and tremors making them very dangerous drugs to abuse. The users of hallucinogens develop easily a high degree of tolerance which easily a lead to addiction with is very hard to reverse if used for long periods of time. The negative effects of hallucinogens include mood disturbances, memory loss for long period of time, hallucinations and disorderly thinking and finally addiction (Fantegrossi, Murnane and Reissig, 2008). The withdrawal side effects include abdominal pains, bone and muscle pains, and sweating, vomiting, runny nose, yawning and drug cravings which call for professional advice. The addicts should attend counseling sessions to enable him of her understand the procedure of withdrawal and to cope with side effects of withdrawal. The addict should also attend help groups for people who are addicted so as to enable him cope with the extent of addiction and get to learn proper ways of withdrawal. Cannabis It’s derived from the cannabis plant (cannabis sativa) which is a plant which can grow naturally or cultivated by man. It’s used in three main forms which are the marijuana, hashish and hash oil with all being very addictive when abused thus should be avoided. The plant is usually smoked when dried into small blocked while other add it to food and be eaten. The hashish oil is very thick and can also be smoked by experienced smokers and it’s very addictive. It is given several names which include marijuana, grass, weed, ganja, Buddha and hydro. The short term effects of using cannabis include feeling of wellbeing, talkativeness, drowsiness, decreased nausea, bloodshot eyes, anxiety, dry mouth, eyes and throat with risk of attracting respiratory diseases in the long run. It affects people mood, and influence how they think and perceive things and the environment and therefore it changes a lot in behavior and actions of an individual. The drug also leads to decreased memory and learning abilities which in turn makes a person to be slow in thinking and often leads to making of wrong judgments. There is various risk of using cannabis which include anxious, suspicious and paranoid and this affects coordination and this can be dangerous while driving. The plant has got chemical which in the long run can lead to lung diseases and sometimes cancer and thus should be avoided. The risk is always higher since it’s always smoked without filters thus it has negative effects to the health of an individual. If the smoker of cannabis has asthma, it makes it worse due to the direct smoking and the chemicals contained in the smoke. Over smoking of cannabis often leads to increased heart rate and this in turn leads to high blood pressure to the addicts. Smoking too much of cannabis can also lead to mental problems such as schizophrenia and increased risk of developing other types of illness. The frequent use of cannabis can also lead to reduced sperm count thereby bringing a lot of family problems due to difficulty in getting children while pregnant mothers give birth to relatively small kids (Beyondblue, 2013). The withdrawal symptoms include hallucinations, anxiety, drug cravings, increased blood pressure and body temperature thus is advisable if done under the directives of a professional. The addict should attend counseling by a psychiatrist or psychologist so as to enable him or her resist learn proper ways of withdrawal and avoid temptations to resume with drug abuse. References Beyondblue. (n.d.). Fact sheet 10: Cannabis and your mental health. Retrieved from http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/factsheets-and-info/fact-sheet-10-cannabis-and-your-mental-health/ Dingfelder, F.D. (2011). The Danger of Stimulants. Monitor Staff. Vol 42, No. 9 Fantegrossi, W.E, Murnane, K.S, and Reissig, C.J. (2008).The behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogens. Biochem Pharmacol 75(1):17-33. Mayo Clinic staff. (2013). Drug addiction: Treatment of drugs. Mayoclinic. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-addiction/DS00183/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs Read More