Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is a serious problem in the United States and the rest of the world– a problem that can devastate individual users, families, and even entire communities.
What is Substance Abuse?
Substance abuse is the ingestion of any chemical substance in a way or for a purpose for which it was not intended. A person doesn’t have to be addicted to a substance – or even frequently use it — to abuse it. Substance abuse can be as simple as one person using another person’s prescription medication to self-treat pain from an injury.
Commonly Abused Substances
Any substance that alters a person’s mood, mental state or physical state can be abused. The most commonly abused substances include:
- Illicit drugs, including marijuana, methamphetamines, heroin and LSD.
- Recreational Drugs, including alcohol, marijuana and cocaine
- Prescription ADHD Medications such as Adderall
- Prescription Pain Medications such as Vicodin
- Prescription Anxiety Medications, such as Xanax
- Prescription Sleep Medications such as Ambien
History of Substance Abuse
Prevalent drug abuse in the U.S. got its start in the late 1800’s, when Chinese migrant railroad workers brought opium to America. Opium dens eventually became commonplace. Eventually, so many people became addicted to the drug that its recreational use was outlawed.
Though it was largely successful in its efforts to rid the railroads and surrounding communities of opium, the government proved unable to completely eradicate drug abuse. Heroin was used clandestinely throughout the early 1900s, and the use of powerful drugs — such as cocaine and morphine – by physicians to treat common ailments was also common at the time.
The drug culture as we know it today had its beginnings in the 1960s. Heroin use became prevalent at this time and the use of hallucinogens became widespread and even mainstream among America’s youth. Users of these drugs and others like them saw substance abuse as means of “freeing their minds” and proving that they weren’t part of the “establishment” – a reference to those in authority at the time.
In the 1970’s, the use of methamphetamines, or “uppers,” and barbiturates, or “downers,” took root in the United States. Then, in the 1980s, the use of cocaine became prevalent – mostly among upper-class people who could afford the expensive drug. A cheaper and more potent version, known as “crack,” became widespread in America’s poorer areas in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. In the 2000s, a variety of methamphetamines called “crystal meth” became one of the most prevalent and pervasive drugs.
Throughout the first years of the 2000s, the use of illicit drugs has declined. However, the abuse of prescription drugs has widely increased. According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more Americans now abuse prescription drugs than those that abuse cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined.
Substance Abuse Causes
People abuse substances for a variety of reasons, including:
- Self-Medication. People suffering emotionally or physically sometimes use chemical substances to numb their pain or to mentally escape their problems.
- Experimentation. Teenagers and young adults often use chemical substances to experience a new sensation, or to intensify an otherwise ordinary experience.
- Peer Pressure. Young people whose friends use drugs or alcohol are often pressured to do so themselves in order to be accepted as part of a group or subculture.
- Misinformation. Some people abuse substances because they have incorrect assumptions about their safety, their proper use, or their potential side effects. This is especially true of prescription drugs, which — because they are legal and have a legitimate medical purpose — are often wrongly assumed to be safer than illicit drugs. It’s also true of recreational drugs, such as marijuana and alcohol. The wide use of these substances, combined with their glorification in popular culture, can make the risk of potential harm seem far less than it really is.
- Dependence Due to Extended Use. Some people become dependent on prescription medications after a long period of legitimate use due to an injury, mental disorder, or emotional problem.
Understanding Addiction
Extended substance abuse can lead to physical and emotional dependence, also known as addiction. A person’s body can become accustomed to the presence of a substance and undergo an intensely negative physical reaction (known as withdrawal) without it. In addition, someone who consistently uses a substance to cope with feelings of sadness, anger, or stress may become unable to deal with these emotions on his or her own.
There is no clear-cut line between the recreational or self-medicating use of a substance and addiction. Generally, a person is considered to be addicted if he or she continues to abuse a substance in spite of serious negative consequences such as the loss of employment, financial stability and personal relationship. Or, if a person becomes willing to do whatever it takes to continue abusing that substance, including lying, stealing and other criminal acts, they are roundly regarded as an addict.
Not everyone who abuses a substance becomes dependent. Not every substance has a chemical predisposition towards causing physical addiction. Some people may experiment with highly addictive drugs and never engage in addictive behavior. Others may exhibit compulsive, addiction-like behavior with substances that have no withdrawal effects but that users show strong attachment towards. Scientists and doctors are unsure as to why some users become addicted while others do not, but factors appear to include a combination of a person’s personality, biological makeup and specific circumstances.
Substance Abuse Risks
The risks of substance abuse are serious. Depending on the substance, abuse can lead to moderate to severe neurological problems, seizures, heart damage, liver damage, and death. Those who use hypodermic needles to shoot drugs are at an additional risk for blood-borne illnesses such as hepatitis and HIV. Beyond the physical consequences, substance abuse can lead to the alienation of friends and family, the loss of employment, separation from children by the state, and even incarceration.
