Substance abuse is the dangerous over dependent use of drugs or other psychoactive substances that in the end become harmful to the person’s physical or mental health.
This over dependence are usually behavioral, cognitive and psychosomatic that gives an individual very strong craving to take the substance, have difficulties in controlling its use, the person persists in using it despite having obvious consequences, the individual ends up neglecting his responsibilities and obligations just to put precedence on the substance use, an individual develops very high lenience to the substance and also the individual tends to have a state of physical withdrawal from time to time (McDowell, 1999).
Substances such as alcohol, drugs and cigarettes are abused by people for a number of intricate reasons. These abuses have in the long run made the society as a whole to pay for them highly. The escalating abuse of substances is evident in hospitals and emergency rooms. This is because, the abuse leads to health damage caused by substance abuse that in the long run causes trauma. The jail is another place that suffers from drugs use and abuse escalation. There is a strong bond between crime and drug use and abuse.
People under the influence of illegal; drugs such as heroin can commit a lot of crime because they are not in their normal and sober state. Substance abuse is not only rampant in America but throughout the world. A case study estimate 8. 1% of the population aged from 12 and above are users of illicit drugs. Alcohol is the worst substance used because almost half of the American population takes alcohol, some being binge drinkers and other alcohol dependent. Alcohol though legal in most parts of the world, has quite a number of negative consequences.
Just like many abused substances, alcohol produces some form of intoxication that alters judgment, discernment, concentration and even bodily control that leads to staggering of many drunkards. As a smoker and drinker of alcohol, I have a lot of reasons for doing that. For instance I smoke cigarettes mainly because it helps ease stress that accompanies my studies and for the pleasure I get after I smoke. Cigarettes are very addictive because of the substance nicotine. The worst part is the fact that the smoke that emanates from cigarettes has lots of chemical that are harmful to a person’s health.
Cigarettes’ smoking is responsible for primarily lung cancer. Among other ails that it brings include heart disease, peptic cancer and even stroke. These diseases tend to get worse when smoking continues (McDowell, 1999). That is why I am quitting smoking this summer vacation. This is because quitting has far much more benefits as compared to smoking. This way, I will have very low chances of heart attack in just 24hrs of my quitting. At the moment, am not so good at smelling and tasting stuff. But the good news is quitting smoking will improve my smell and taste sense remarkably in just 48hrs.
Other health improvement that I am anticipating after quitting include being able to walk easily, improvement in blood circulation and lung functions. Though these results come slowly and periodically, they are worth a try because in a month or so, the constant coughing am having, sinus congestion, fatigue and short breathing will decrease. As a smoker, am aware that am much more at risk of heart attack as compared to a non-smoker. Quitting is guarantee that the risk will be reduced by half after a year of not smoking. That risk is reduced to that of a non smoker in 5-10 years.
I am also assured if I do not regress to smoking habits; I will be of the same level with a non-smoker in 10 years time as far as dying from lung cancer is concerned. Smoking does not only affect me as the smoker but also the people around me because they en up being secondary user as a result of the smoke they inhale as I smoke. Hence it is important to enjoy the benefits of quitting than suffer the consequences of the abuse. Most people assume that just because alcohol is legal, one can take it as much as they want. Many do not know that alcohol consumption actually leads to depression of the brain.
It also leads to slurring verbal communication, decreases movement control and harmonization. Trying to quit alcohol is not so easy in itself because it can lead to nervousness, tremor, seizures and delusion especially for the alcoholics. If a malnutritioned alcoholic tries to withdraw from alcohol the results can be life threatening and even fatal to some point. These conditions are called delirium tremens. Alcohol though assumed to be the least dangerous of the available drugs; it can cause malfunction of the liver, swelling of the heart, cancer of the stomach, pancreas and esophagus.
Apart from being harmful to the alcoholics’ health, alcohol abuse is responsible for most of the fatal motor vehicle accidents on the roads. People use and abuse these substances for reasons. Many start using illegal substances during childhood or in their teens. Chaotic home environment, ineffective parenting and lack of nurturing and parent attachment are some of the reasons that lead to substance abuse within a family. It is very hard for someone who is an addict or abuses substances to admit it. Most of them are on denial about that fact and often claim to be doing it for fun and they can stop any time they wish.
This is not usually the case and if you realize you are abusing a substance and are willing to quit, it is important to see a doctor who will advice you on what best to do such as referring you to a community resource center. This is in addition to medication the doctor is likely to prescribe that controls cravings and withdrawal and help in managing complications that are brought about by substance abuse. The most essential component of treatment is controlling of relapses which are very common with people recovering from addiction and abuse of substance (McDowell, 1999). Substance abuse is very dangerous.
Many of the abusers know this for a fact but many of the substances that are being abused are addictive and once they get into it is very hard to quit. Blaming a person with a drug or substance abuse problem is no use because all that the person needs is help to stop that use completely. It is a hard and painful road but quitting is the best thing that can happen to an abuser, his family and the society at large. Apart from being healthy, the person will be much more productive in his field of work.
Reference
McDowell, D. , & Henry, S. (1999). Substance abuse: from principles to practice Psychology Press, p. 1-72.