Does anybody ever actually set out to deliberately abuse drugs? That is a subject for debate, with the answer probably being as individual as the numbers of people who take drugs. What is known, however, is that drug abuse causes physical changes in the brain and alters a person’s response to perceptions of pain level. The result of this is a vicious circle with the drug user becoming more and more dependent on additionally stronger doses of their chosen drug to retain the same level of effect. At this point realization often comes that they are hooked: addicted to drugs and open to drug abuse. It is not just illicit drugs that people become addicted to. It is just as possible to become addicted to prescription drugs as the result of having them prescribed for a certain illness and then finding your body requires stronger and stronger doses just to maintain the same level of pain relief.
From here it is just a small step for these prescription drugs to start to be used for illicit purposes – the so-called pleasure aspect of drug taking. Each drug produces a different response by the body, providing an altered experience and an alternative reaction. All the drugs which tend to be misused react on the pleasure centers of the brain. With some drugs you could undergo a concentrated ‘rush’, providing you with preliminary feelings of having limitless energy. These properties are experienced from methamphetamine and cocaine. You may experience overwhelming feelings of deep peace and relaxation, suffused with a wash of calm. These feelings are experienced as the result of taking benzodiazepines, Oxycontin or heroin. Regardless of which drug is being abused, as time goes on, the physical chemistry of the brain alters and, when this occurs, withholding the drug becomes distressing or even painful.
It is open to question as to why some people are prone to addiction and others are not. Many have attempted answers, with some people being less able to cope without the prop that drug abuse is perceived as. Some people are more self-reliant than others while a family history of addiction or history of mental illness, make some people more prone to developing an addiction. Regardless of the causes of drug abuse, it is insidious and, once it gets you in its clutches, it is very difficult to become fully free without considerable medical intervention and professional detox help from appropriate sources.
Posted in 
Tags: 