A drug is any substances that when used, can modify one or more of our body functions. Doctors use drugs as medicine to cure diseases and to improve health.
Drug abuse means taking drugs not under a doctor's advice,
taking more drugs than instructed by a doctor and taking drugs
for fun.
The essential mindset of drug abuses is to change the state of
mind of a person, whether to provide pleasure, or to give relief
from anxiety, tension or pain.
Drug abuse will lead to drug addiction or dependence. When addicted to a drug, the person depends on the drug for his daily functioning. He is no longer in control of his own life. The addict is only obsessed for his next dose. If he does not have the money, he is likely to lie, cheat or rob to get the money to buy drugs. This will cause many problems and difficulties.
Drug addiction or dependence may take 2 forms:
Physical dependence
The addict must take the drug regularly, if not he will suffer
from great pain or discomfort. Symptoms like restlessness,
sleeplessness, runny nose, abdominal cramps and so forth will
occur depending on the drug consumed. Very often the addicts
continue to take to drug to avoid these discomfort.
Psychological dependence
Addiction will also cause mental craving for drugs. The craving
will cause the addict to do almost anything just to obtain the
drug. A person can be psychologically dependence without being
physically dependence. It is more difficult to cure this form of
addiction. Many ex-addicts take drugs even though they are no
longer physically dependent on the drug because of this craving.
Addiction can also lead to tolerance of the drugs. This means
that a person who abuses a drug regularly for his pleasure has to
gradually increase his dosage in order to get the desired
effects.
If the addict stop taking the drug for some time, he will lose
this tolerance and later if he were to take a dose which he
formerly do, he might die of overdose.
For more information on preventive drug education and frequently asked question, please go to Central Narcotics Bureau homepage.
