Can drug addiction be cured?
drug addiction cannot be cured. positive realizations and a change in behavior help in the treatment for it . it can only be treated in relation to each individuals behavior , based on how the treatment has impacted that particular individuals life and whether or not he/she accepts the given treatment .long term behavioral treatment is the only process which has been practically effective against drug addiction. addiction lasts in the brain longer than the treatment itself and has to be counselled upon keeping the individuals mental priority in mind. due to addiction being a chronic disease the institute providing the treatment has to make sure that it does not re-appear in the form of past behavior or any sort of craving in the individuals personality. if any stranger is inclined to come upon the definition of “chronic disease” , one might think that for every disease there is a cure .but addiction is different and does not completely work under the guidelines of medication and therapy but requires a change in behavior which forms a new thought process for the individual to help him/her recover.
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How do drugs affect the body ?
any drug will have different effects on a human body depending on size , health and the concentration or quantity of the drug consumed. different drugs have different affects on the human body. drugs can be consumed by an injection,inhalation or ingestion. when taken the drugs can induce a dependency which can be long term or short term , and some can cause a long lasting mental or physical side effect. in general drugs cause a change in two main areas of the human body – physical or mental/psychological.
physically over a duration of time consuming any drug will weaken the immune system and the individual will be susceptible to illness or infection , and a variety of ailments ranging from respiratory abnormalities to nausea , increased strain on the liver to cardiac damage.there will be problems with decision making , memory which make living more difficult and adds to the dependency of the drug.
psychologically depending on the drug consumed which mainly consist of these categories depressants, hallucinogens and stimulants.
- depressants – slow down the processes of the nervous system .the messages going to and from your brain have a delayed response. mainly affecting concentration and coordination of the body
- hallucinogens – they will distort your sense of reality and right or wrong and you may see or hear things that or not actually present. side effects are panic, paranoia and nausea
- stimulants – increase the speed of the messages passing along the nervous system . they make you feel more confident and this can increase the heart rate , body temperature , blood pressure etc .
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What causes addiction to drugs ?
Drug addiction most likely starts with a social interaction with friends for recreation. as time passes the occasional drug use becomes a habit and increases dependency. there is a reward process in the brain which releases dopamine and makes you feel good that can be initiated by doing simple things like going to the gym , being with family or eating delicious food while sober . drugs trigger a release of large amounts of dopamine in the brain responsible for the feeling of a reward. excessive dopamine release which is caused by using drugs replaces the values of sober activities as mentioned above and causes a feeling of euphoria.as the human body becomes more used to drugs , the quantities of drugs consumed also increases to reach those levels of euphoria and also increases dependency. habitual drug use eventually no longer causes the same rewarding feelings that it once caused.
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What is drug abuse ?
After experiencing any feeling of euphoria/pleasure which is a result of drugs, the urge to use drugs is very strong , even if it is harmful to the body. once when you start using drugs you may think that you are in control of the amount of consumption but over time drugs change your thought process and make you loose self-control which makes you act in damaging ways to yourself and others. after drugs have been used a few times for recreational activities the urge to do them in large amounts or when unnecessary to release dopamine that induces a pleasure/euphoria leads to drug abuse which increases dependency towards drugs. drug abuse develops as a starting stage for long term dependency. it may be caused if a person wants to avoid reality or depression , guilt , neglect or due to emotional instability regarding any situation in the individuals life.
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How does self pity impact drug addiction ?
A victim personality , self pity provides a justification to the addicted individual to use drugs repeatedly. instead of using disappointments to improve life , people addicted to drugs use self pity often to blame other people or situations for their downfall . feeling sorry for yourself deepens the feeling of hopelessness which acts as a trigger towards self destructive and suicidal thoughts or tendencies. overwhelming stress which almost all people feel at some point in their life , but an addict will see these problems as impossible tasks. alcohol and drugs provide a temporarily relief from self pity.self pity reduces the individuals self esteem and makes people feel powerless to any kind of stress in life. the incapability to take charge of ones own life causes lack of self esteem which mostly leads to self pity and people experiencing this often turn towards alcohol and drugs to relieve themselves from their own presumed helplessness which over time makes them addicted. self pity is a habitual through process which resides in the mind of an addict and stays there even after the treatment has been completed. a change from self pity behavior into positive thinking takes time and needs constant counselling from experienced people which does not happen overnight. over a prolonged period self pity will make people stick in their comfort zone and be manipulative and say how difficult their life has been because of feeling weak and dis-empowered.
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