Drug Abuse

Drugs

Drugs fall into one of three categories: legal or licit, prescription, and illicit. They include, but are not limited to, the following substances: alcohol, cannabinoids (e.g., marijuana, hashish), cocaine, hallucinogens (e.g., LSD, mescaline), inhalants (e.g., toluene, acetone), opioids (e.g., heroin, morphine, methadone), sedative hypnotics (e.g., barbiturates, nonbarbiturate sedatives, benzodiazepines), stimulants (e.g., amphetamines, anorectic agents, preparations of Catha edulis, ecstasy), and tobacco. All drugs are characterized by the ability to change the consciousness, mood, senses, or thinking patterns of the user. Legal or licit drugs, like alcohol, cigarettes, and even caffeine, do not induce harmful effects when use is limited; however, when such drugs are taken in excess, they have potentially psychoactive and addictive effects. Prescription drugs are considered helpful, not harmful, when taken under the guidance of a licensed medical practitioner; however, when abused, they are considered detrimental to individual health and well-being. Substances deemed illicit either by international standards or local legislature are generally deemed more problematic with the potential to greatly inhibit the welfare of individuals and their communities.

There is much debate about the distinction between drug use, drug abuse, addiction, and dependence. The terms are often interchangeable, although they have subtly different implications in the realms of public health, mental health, law, and the mass media. Here, drug use indicates neither the problematic nor habit-forming use of any substance. Drug abuse results from the complex physiological and psychological interactions of the substance, the individual, and social and environmental factors. It refers to a pattern of self-destructive behavior of repeated use of drugs that fall outside the realm of accepted medical or social norms, despite negative health and social consequences.

Drugs may elicit either physical or psychological dependence or both. Drug dependence is a physical phenomenon caused by the biochemical activity of repeated use of the drug in the body and is characterized by marked physical disturbances when the drug is withdrawn. The dependence potential of a substance is determined by its pharmacological properties, mode of administration, and frequency of use. Psychological dependence, labeled addiction, describes the overwhelming craving or compulsion a [Page 561]user feels to use the drug(s) to function or survive. The attainment and use of the drug often override the individual's other personal, social, and/or occupational responsibilities, leading to a pattern of self-destructive and socially destructive behavior. Drug addiction tends to evolve during periods of abuse and may or may not involve a chemical dependency. Like drug abuse, drug addiction is regarded as a chronic mental health disorder that is precipitated by a complex combination of genetic, environmental, biological, and pharmacological factors.

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