Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is a common problem in the 21 st century society. There are many terms associated with this problem, such as substance abuse. Although drug abuse is a major problem, it is not the same as drug addiction. Many of the people who abuse the use of drugs are not addicts, but a large percentage of them are. It really depends on the type of drug you are using.

Drug abuse is defined as “using any over the counter or prescription drug in a manner other than what was originally intended”. It also refers to using street drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine and many others. Some of the substances used as mood altering drugs are not drugs at all, but rather they are inhalants and solvents. Some do not have any effect on the mind, but are more for strengthening the body, such as anabolic steroids.

Generally people refer to drug abuse as meaning illegal drugs, but prescription medication, such as Oxycontin, is one of the newer drugs that people are abusing. The medication used to treat ADD is another one is quite common on the streets of our cities. Drugs so not have to be illegal to be the subject of drug abuse – they are addictive and have harmful side effects on the body.

Drug abuse tears apart families, causes financial problems and often leads to suicide. Once a person is hooked on drugs, he/she needs more and more and to get these drugs on the street, it costs a lot of money. Quite often, a person abusing drugs resorts to crime, such as armed robbery, to get the money needed to buy the drugs.

The debate continues over whether or not recreational use of drugs constitutes drug abuse. Since marijuana is not addictive, people think that smoking a joint every now and then is not abusing drugs. However, when you look at the harmful effects that this drug has on the body and mind over time, it is almost as bad as the “hard core” drugs.