1. YES TO FREEDOM FROM A LIFE
OF VICES
AN ANTI DRUG CAMPAIGN
2. Many people don't understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs.
They may mistakenly think that those who use drugs lack moral principles or willpower
and that they could stop their drug use simply by choosing to. In reality, drug addiction
is a complex disease, and quitting usually takes more than good intentions or a strong will.
Drugs change the brain in ways that make quitting hard, even for those who want to.
Fortunately, researchers know more than ever about how drugs affect the brain and have
found treatments that can help people recover from drug addiction and lead productive lives.
3. What Is drug addiction?
Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by
drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or
difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.
The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for
most people, but repeated drug use can lead to
brain changes that challenge an addicted person’s
self-control and interfere with their ability to resist
intense urges to take drugs. These brain changes
can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is
considered a "relapsing" disease—people in
recovery from drug use disorders are at increased
risk for returning to drug use even after years of
not taking the drug.
17. IMPACTS OF DRUF ABUSE TO LIFE
QUALITY
A Golden Rule to Yourself
18. How Does Addiction
Affect the Quality of
One’s Life?
Addiction to a drug can negatively affect a person’s
quality of life in several ways. First of all, there is the
chemical side. All drugs have some kind of negative
effect on the body’s chemistry. Next, there is the social
aspect. Drug use tends to damage a person’s social
connections and network. Finally, there is the financial
aspect. Reliance on a drug is severely disruptive to a
person’s financial status. Treating drug addiction in an
inpatient setting can alleviate these effects.
19. BiologicalThe addictive nature of drugs, paired with an effect called tolerance, is at the root of the biological
consequences of drug use. Tolerance is the effect of the body building a resistance to a given drug.
The longer a person uses the drug, the more tolerant their body becomes. This means that to feel
the effects of the drug, the person needs to take progressively larger and larger doses. At the doses
when people first begin to take a drug, the effects on the body are generally not harmful enough to
be lethal. However, after a significant amount of time passes, the addict needs to take larger doses
to achieve the results they want. The larger doses pose a significant threat to the body’s function.
Like any other chemical, taking too much at one time can have potentially lethal effects on the heart
and other organs. This means that the longer a person takes drugs, the larger the risk of an
accidental lethal overdose. Aside from the risk of overdose, the increased use of the drug over time
takes a toll on the organs. Depending on the drug category and specific ingredients, a drug can
damage the heart, alter brain chemistry, and damage the liver and kidneys. This is not the result of
overdose, but of simply forcing the body to absorb the drug over and over again.
20. Social
Drug addicts have a tendency to drive away their friends. Drug addiction causes
people to do things that they would normally avoid, like asking their friends for large
amounts of money or requesting friends to lie and cover for them. The drug addict
uses their friends to further their addiction. Few people will be happy being friends
and accomplices with a drug addict for fear they might get in legal trouble, become
annoyed, or be upset that they cannot help their friend overcome their addiction. As a
result, the drug addict can push away old friends and will find it difficult to make new
ones. It is often possible for addicts to create a new social network centered around
drug use to find associates who consume the same or similar drugs. This is a
dangerous step. Friendships based on substance abuse are not true friendships, and
friends found in this way might turn on each other for the sake of the drug. They also
will not help each other attempt to stop taking the substance. The drug addict needs
friends who can help them out of the addiction, but they wind up with friends who
only reinforce the addiction instead. This deadly cycle can accelerate an addict’s
decline.
21. FinancialDrugs are expensive. This is due to how difficult they are to produce and the fact that they are legally
restricted substances. The effect of tolerance means that drug addicts need larger doses over time
which requires spending more and more money on the drug. However, the social and biological
effects make it harder for addicts to have money. Addicts may lose friends, families, and jobs, leaving
them without income or a support network. This leaves them with few alternatives to obtain the
money they need for their addiction. Many turn to theft, prostitution, or similar means to get enough
money for their substance. Being a drug addict makes it hard to hold down a job as many employers
test for drug use, and significant drug use is difficult to conceal, especially at work. The problem of
cash flow also means that drug addicts have difficulty maintaining permanent residence. They could
lose their homes or apartments due to lack of funds. Being on the streets makes it even harder to find
a job or get help.
22. CombinationsEach of these factors alone is significant, but when combined they can be very dangerous. A drug addict with
health problems needs medical care, but being without a job or friends makes that care hard to obtain. The addict
starts to lose the things they need for safe recovery just as their health problems start to become worse. The
social, biological, and financial aspects of the consequences of drug use feed into each other and accelerate
each other, so that the user is more and more in need of money, medical care, and social support as they
become more addicted and less able to obtain those things. It is a slippery slope and the deeper an addict gets
into addiction, the harder it is to break free.
23. HOW TO STOP DOING DRUGS
Many drug addicts believe they can stop using any time they want to. They feel like they are in complete
control over their drug use and their lives. The truth is that once you become addicted to a drug, it alters
your brain. This change in the brain causes you to think and behave differently than you did before
becoming an addict, and the result is that quitting drugs becomes increasingly difficult. “The truth is that
once you become addicted to a drug, it alters your brain.” The problem of drug use is widespread in
America. According to the 2010 Household Survey on Drug Abuse, an estimated 22.8 million Americans
used illicit drugs in the month preceding their involvement in the survey. The same survey also reports that
4.1 million people received treatment for their addiction to drugs or alcohol.
24. ADMIT YOU ARE NOT IN
CONTROL
The most important step in breaking a drug abuse is
admitting you aren’t in control of it. As you become
addicted to a drug, your body becomes used to its
presence. Eventually, your body requires the presence of
the drug to function normally. Once you are ready to stop
using drugs, you must admit that you can’t control your
dependency and seek the help of others. You must have
an open mind and a willingness to follow the advice that
others give you.
FACTOID:
Illicit drug use costs the economy an estimated $181
million per year.
25. FIND ATREATMENT PROGRAM
After you decide to seek help, you must find a rehab
program. Addiction often occurs in people with a mental
disorder such as depression. However, according to the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, only 7.4 percent of people with both a
mental disorder and an addiction get treatment for both,
and 55.8 percent receive no treatment for either condition.
If you have a mental disorder and an addiction, it is
important to find a treatment facility that can treat both
conditions.
26. FOLLOW MEDICAL ADVICE FOR
DETOX AND WITHDRAWAL
When you decide to quit drugs, you must remove all the
chemicals from the drug that are present in your body
through a process called detox. Drug treatment centers
offer medical expertise that will make this process go as
smoothly as possible. They will offer you the nutritious
meals, medication and rest that are required to get off the
drug in a healthy way. Following your doctor’s instructions
during and after detox helps get your body off to the right
start when you are quitting drugs.
FACTOID:
In 2009, around 4.5 million emergency room visits were
related to drug use.
27. COMMITTO ATREATMENT PROGRAM
“Finding a program that fits your needs will decrease
chances of relapse.” No matter what program you choose,
it is important to fully commit to it. Twelve-step programs
and group therapy are popular options. Whatever you
choose, it is important you find something that works for
you. If you are religious, there are faith-based treatment
programs that may work for you. There are programs like
Narcotics Anonymous that offer support for people
addicted to a certain type of drug. Finding a program that
fits your needs will decrease chances of relapse.
28. LOOKTO FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR
SUPPORT
Family and friends can provide a lot of support for
recovering addicts. Asking your family to come to
treatment or counseling sessions can help them learn
more about your addiction and how to help you overcome
it. The more your family is involved in your treatment, the
more supportive they will be when you need them later
on.
FACTOID:
An estimated 37,485 people died from a overdose or
symptoms of long-term drug use in 2009.
