Most people take drugs only when they are prescribed by a doctor when necessary, but it has become a habit of people misusing drugs both legal and illegal in ways that should not be used. Using someone else’s prescription or taking more than the required dosage is also another way of what is drug abuse. Many abuse drugs for various reasons such as;
- To change their lives
- To ease stress
- To feel good
- To avoid reality
- To have fun
The abused drugs eventually become a problem as they have been misunderstood and misused; this slowly turns into an addiction hence, becoming a problem that gets worse by the day. The more you take drugs the more poisonous they become. If taken in small amounts drugs may act as stimulants and if taken in large amounts they act as a sedative which may poison your body or cause death. Some drugs may directly cause confusion on the mind by distorting the user’s thinking ability making them become unaware of what is happening around them making the user misbehave or even become destructive. According to a Houston criminal defense lawyer, David Breston, drug abuse can also increase your chances of being arrested for a DWI.
Medicines should be used as required since they are also a type of drug as they can still stimulate or sedate and too much will definitely kill you.
Drugs affect people in different ways depending on the period used or the amount taken over a certain period;
- They affect a person’s mind and way of thinking it becomes difficult for a drug abuser’s mind to think fast or absorb information unlike a drug free mind which remembers information very fast, this is because drugs blur memory, causing confusion and blank spots. A person will be unable to remember anything as the mind becomes foggy hence making the victim feel slow and stupid causing problems, you will end up feeling useless and a failure in life as it gets harder the urge to use drugs becomes frequent as you will feel that, that is the only way to get help.
- Drugs destroy creativity or talent- most people think that drugs help them become creative by nourishing their talent, unfortunately this is normally not the case. They can only make you feel good about yourself which is a fake feeling because as soon as the drug wears off the feeling of sadness come back, eventually destroying any kind of talent the user had.
Commonly abuse drugs are; alcohol, nicotine which is found mostly in cigarettes, heroin, over the counter medication, marijuana, cocaine among others. Substance abuse is also another way of misusing drugs like doctor’s prescription medicine, alcohol or other legal substances too much. Though this is different from the common way of drug abuse, many people may be able to quit their unhealthy behavior unlike addiction to drugs which is a disease as you cannot stop using even when it gets worse.
Drug abuse and addiction can cause problems both in the family and the community. This can spread and weaken or destroy a relationship if it is not dealt with on time. Addiction can become a barrier to relationships even if a person truly loves his or her family members. Some behaviors of a substance or drug abuse that can cause problems by driving away other people include:
- Lying about use of drugs and even hiding it from loved ones
- A tendency to avoid friends and family who have confronted them about their drug abuse o Keeping to themselves
- Stealing from family and friends to be able to buy more drugs
- Being moody always, angry or feeling paranoia when not using drugs
The community and loved ones may try to understand that the behavior displayed by the addict is not of their own making but the drug abused, it brings out a feeling of hurt, betrayal and loss which in the end become difficult to manage therefore, breaking up families and relationships.