Drug Addiction

Drug addiction is the uncontrollable use of a drug. It can be a prescription drug or an illegal substance that produces a change in the mind or body. For example, a person in constant pain can become addicted to pain medication. Eventually the body becomes used to the drug and a person needs more and more of it to produce the same effect. The addiction results in a physical and psychological craving for the drug.

Most addicts begin by occasionally using a drug. It can be in pill form or taken as an inhalant or injection. Some people realize the error of their ways and stop altogether, but others have to continue because they like the feeling the drug produces in the body. Some addicts have an emotional need, whether they find the pressures of school, work or life too demanding and once they start using the drug, they cannot stop. Some motivating factors leading to drug addiction among young people include pressure from their friends, boredom, curiosity and rebellion.

When a person first takes the drug, the effect that it has on the mind and body is a welcome relief. This causes him/her to turn to using drugs on a regular basis. After a while, the user becomes dependent an emotional and physical dependence, not being able to function without it.

In drug addition, the user cannot go about his/her normal day without a hit of some kind. The body too, becomes dependent, because without it withdrawal symptoms start to set in.

One of the characteristics of drug addiction is tolerance. This means that a person has to take larger and larger doses in order to achieve the same effect. This is because the body develops a tolerance to the drug and there is a decrease in the way the body responds to each dose.

The intensity of withdrawal symptoms in drug addiction varies according to the strength of the drug. It also depends on how long the person has been addicted and on how suddenly he/she stopped using.