Drug Addiction – Chemical Dependency

Drug addiction or chemical dependency involves regular taking of psychoactive drugs to the point where the user does not have any effective choice with him. The addictive nature of drugs varies from substance to substance and from individual to individual. Often drugs like codeine and alcohol typically require more exposures to addict their users than drugs like heroin and cocaine, which create fast addiction.

Types of drugs

Drugs are something that affects your brain and behavior. Often people start taking drugs out of sheer curiosity but this proves to be dangerous.

Following are the types of drugs available in the market:

§Cocaine – a powerfully addictive hydrochloride salt stimulant.

§Ecstasy – an illegal drug often referred to LSD.

§Hallucinogens – drugs that lead to hallucination and severely affects body by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and neurotransmitter serotonin.

§Heroine – a highly addictive drug processed from morphine and appears as white or brown sugar.

§Marijuana – is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, stems, seeds, shredded leaves and flowers of Cannabis Sativa, the hemp plant.

§Methamphetamine – it is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves in water or alcohol to form a powerfully addictive stimulant.

§Prescription drugs – prescription drugs include opioids, CNS depressants, stimulants that are prescribed to treat narcolepsy and obesity.

Signs of drug addiction

If you are wondering how to distinguish drug addiction from normal depression or mental problems, then here are the specific signs and symbols of drug addiction:

§Feeling that drugs should be taken regularly

§Feeling that you need drug to soothe your personal problems and depression

§Suddenly feeling a sense of relaxation and happiness, red eyes, difficulty in concentration, increasing blood pressure and heart rate, paranoid thinking, drowsiness and slurred speech.

The other symptoms common to all include memory impairment, slow breathing, confusion, decreased appetite, insomnia, restlessness and sudden weight loss.

Drug addiction treatments

So drug addiction involves compulsively seeking to use a drug, regardless of the potentially negative, social, physical and psychological consequences. Breaking a drug addiction is not impossible but it is certainly a difficult job. You should support your family; friends and relatives to come out of drug addiction either through psychological counseling or through drug addition treatments.
Following are the variety of drug addiction treatments:
§Withdrawal therapy – help you stop taking drugs by detoxifying the effects. The method includes gradually reducing the dose of the drug or temporarily substituting other substances such as methadone that has much less side effects.
§Counseling – this is more of a psychological treatment that suggest strategies to avoid drugs and prevent relapses, and also offering suggestions on how to deal with relapses if it occurs again.
§Self-help groups – it helps people associated with mild drugs like cocaine, sedatives and narcotics. You are given the disadvantages of drugs and their stimulating effects so you start taking less of it.
§Treatment programs – it includes educational and therapy sessions based on sobriety and preventing relapses.

Almost all these methods offer you instant and permanent recovery from drug addiction.