Chapter 6: Addiction and Drug Abuse

Chapter 6 was all about addiction and drug abuse. Addictions are broken down into substance addictions, involving drugs and alcohol, and process addictions involving gambling, shopping, eating, and sex. Symptoms of addictions are compulsion, loss of control, negative consequences, denial, and inability to abstain. The physiology of addiction concerns neurotransmitters in the body,  changes in tolerance, and the ugly process of withdrawal. Addiction isn’t caused by one single thing. Psychological and biological factors play a strong role in one’s susceptibility to addiction. Environmental influences include cultural expectations, societal attitudes, and social learning theory. If you are constantly around addictive substances and people using them, you are more likely to pick up the habit yourself. It should be the job of friends and family to help those who are dealing with addiction, but other times codependents and enablers only aid addicts.

Addictive behaviors include gambling disorders, compulsive buying disorders, and addiction to technology, work, exercise, or sex.

Drugs, being one of the most addictive substances, contain chemicals that occur naturally in the body and can therefore affect personal functions in many ways. There are many categories of drugs including prescription, over-the-counter, recreational, herbal, and illegal drugs, and commercial preparations. The chapter also outlines the different ways we interact with drugs: polydrug use, synergism, antagonism, inhibition, intolerance, and cross tolerance. It also talks about the difference between drug misuse, which involves using a drug for an unintended purpose, and drug abuse, which is the overuse of a drug. Though the two have different meanings, both can lead to addiction.

Over-the-counter drugs, or OTC’s, are common addictive drugs. When taken over the recommended dosage or combined with other drugs, OTS’s are abused. Those subject to abuse are sleep aids, cold medicines, and diet pills. About 6.4 million Americans over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons, and 5% of college students surveyed in 2015 reported abusing prescription drugs, stimulants being the most common. Stimulants increase brain activity, but also increase anxiety and agitation. Close to 50% have tried illegal drugs at some point. College is a breeding ground for influences including positive expectations, stress, and mental health problems. However, there are also factors that prevent students from engaging in illegal drug use such as parental attitudes, religion, and staying involved on campus. Other illegal substances include cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine and caffeine. As college students, we are almost always exhausted. All-nighters, intense study sessions, all normal parts of being a student drive us to drink coffee. Luckily, I’ve never liked it. However, I don’t think people realize that the headaches some get from not having a coffee are actually a sign of withdrawal from the caffeine.

Marijuana, weed, is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S. It can be smoked, or ingested. THC is the active ingredient that gives you that “high” feeling, which is normally felt ten to thirty minutes after consumption, and usually wears off within three hours. Anxiety is a common side effect of weed, and is the reason why I do not smoke. I, like many, have tried it once. It made me anxious and paranoid to the point of nausea. So, I never did it after. The feelings made me scared, and I realized that people who feel this way could be dangerous. Mixing weed and driving is that dangerous. It reduces the ability to react and make quick decisions, and when mixed with alcohol the effects are even worse. Marijuana is also the most common drug detected in car crash victims. Long term effects of smoking include long conditions, increased risk of testicular cancer, and suppression of immune system. What surprised me the most was reading that marijuana smoke contains fifty to seventy percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke. So, in a sense, weed can be worse than cigarettes. Despite all of this information, weed has several positive medical purposes, which is why it is being legalized state by state.

Depressants and narcotics are other examples of drugs. Depressants have the opposite effect of stimulants by slowing down brain function. Alcohol is the most commonly used depressant. Other depressants mentioned in the chapter are benzodiazepines and barbiturates, GHB, opioids (narcotics), and heroin. Hallucinogens, or psychedelics, create hallucinations and unusual changes in mood, thoughts, and feelings. Common hallucinogens are LSD, or acid, ecstasy, mescaline, psilocybin, PCP, and ketamine, or Special K. The chapter provides a detailed look into each of these drugs, but in the grand scheme of things they all mess with your head in a way that other drugs do not by making you “see things.” Inhalants are drugs that involve chemicals in the form of vapor that, like hallucinogens, cause hallucinations and create a euphoric effect. We’ve all heard the expression “huffing glue”, but glue is a common inhalant. Others described are rubber cement, paint thinner, lighter fluid, gasoline, amyl nitrite, and nitrous oxide. The last two are medical substances, which is why I think it is important for doctors to evaluate their patients’ susceptibility to addiction to administer these drugs responsibly. Anabolic steroids are artificial forms of testosterone that promote muscle growth and strength. They can be injected or consumed through pills. They can give you a high, but when you stop the psychological effects of withdrawal kick in. This can result mood swings, acne, liver tumors, kidney disease, and severe depression that could ultimately result in suicide. Luckily, the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990 makes it illegal to possess or distribute steroids for any nonmedical purpose. Penalties for violating these laws include up to 5 years in jail and fines from $250,000 to $500,000.

Overcoming addiction is a challenge. It is not easy, and it is not pretty. It’s a lifelong process beginning with recognition of a problem. Intervention is a planned and structured confrontation by loved ones. It breaks down the barrier of denial and essentially forces the addict to acknowledge that they have a problem and to take responsibility. Treatments include rehabilitation, abstinence, and detoxification. Finding a treatment program involves considering all options. Consider staff with knowledge of your specific situation, seek medical supervision for a complete detox, and find something with structured aftercare to hold you accountable even after treatment. Despite best efforts, some people may relapse, or fall back into their old addictive habits. Mindfulness-based relapse prevention methods include group-based therapy and focusing on negative emotions and cravings, the two major predictors of relapse.

Overall, illegal drug use is far too prevalent in the United States. It costs about $193 billion per year, which includes health care expenses and prosecution. Although college seems to be the perfect field day for drugs, there are ways drug use can be prevented. Changing student expectations, getting parents involved, identifying the higher risk students, and providing treatment and recovery programs can all contribute to the prevention of on-campus drug use. In the bigger picture, stricter border surveillance, more severe punishment, enforcing antidrug laws and increasing connections between the government and private treatment groups can contribute to decreasing drug abuse in the whole country.

In terms of providing more on-campus services for drug abuse, I am all for prevention presentations. However, every time I see the Narcan boxes on campus I can’t help but think it is only making it seem okay for us to use drugs. It lets people know that there is an out for them if they ever get in trouble with drugs. Maybe that is insensitive or maybe I am biased because I’ve only ever tried marijuana once. However, I am heavily against drugs and engaging in addictive habits. My 16 year old brother has unfortunately gotten very involved in smoking. At first, it was just with friends or at parties, but recently my parents found that he’s been high almost every day for the past few months. It is sad for me to watch because baseball has been a huge part of his life since he was old enough to start T-ball. His current team is the featured image for this post. He’s been losing interest in everything, even his favorite sport. So, though I have never really done drugs, I have seen what their use can do to young users. This is why I don’t think solutions should be so readily available to make people feel “safer” while using. Everyone has their opinions and that is mine. This chapter was very informative and opened my eyes to the fact that addiction is not a choice. There are psychological and scientifically proven factors that make people predisposed to becoming addicts. I hope if any of you are struggling with this, that the chapter opened your eyes to treatment options the way it opened mine to the disease.