Wikipedia defines drug as a substance which may have medicinal, intoxicating, performance enhancing or other effects when taken or put into a human body or the body of another animal and is not considered a food or exclusively a food.
In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
A layman’s definition is that drug is a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
We have two types of drugs, the legal drugs (over-the-counter drugs sold in Pharmacies) and the illegal (illicit/illegitimate drugs sold on the streets).
What is Drug Abuse?
Drug abuse is the recurrent use of illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs with negative consequences. Drug abuse is the misuse or overuse of any medication or drug, including alcohol.
These consequences may involve problems at work, school, home or in interpersonal relationships; problems with the law; or physical risks that come with using drugs in dangerous situations.
There are several stages of drug abuse that may lead to dependence.
It starts from the experimental use which typically involves peers, done for recreational use, the user may enjoy defying parents or other authority figures.
The next is regular use where the user misses more and more school or work, worries about losing drug source, uses drugs to fix negative feelings, begins to stay away from friends and family, may change friends to those who are regular users, shows increased tolerance and ability to handle the drug.
The final stage is dependence where the user cannot face daily life without drugs, denies problem, physical condition gets worse, loss of control over use, may become suicidal, financial and legal problems get worse, may have broken ties with family members or friends.
The National body charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, purchasing, selling, importing, exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs (illicit drugs) as well as tackling the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs is the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Its administrative head is The Director General, while the Chairman is its operative head.
Commonly Abused Substance and Effects
Marijuana very famous, has numerous street names such as; grass, pot, joint, cannabis, igbo, weed, kush, Mary Jane etc., comes from a plant called hemp (Cannabis sativa). The main, active ingredient in marijuana is THC (short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). This and other ingredients, called cannabinoids, are found in the leaves and flowering parts of the marijuana plant. Hashish is a substance taken from the tops of female marijuana plants. It contains the highest amount of THC.
Marijuana acts on your central nervous system. Low to moderate amounts of the drug may cause; increased appetite, feeling of joy (euphoria), relaxed feeling, increased sensations of sight, hearing, and taste as short term effects. Long time effects can include; possibly weakening of the immune system, Trouble concentrating and paying attention, which can interfere with learning, Increased heart rate and blood pressure, bloodshot eyes, sore throat, Infections such as sinusitis, bronchitis, and asthma in heavy users.
Regular users may have withdrawal effects when they stop marijuana use. These may include: Agitation, Anxiety, Insomnia, Irritability etc
Codeine is an opioid pain medication. An opioid is sometimes called a narcotic.
Because heroin is commonly injected into a vein (used intravenously), there are health concerns about sharing contaminated needles among drug users. Complications of sharing contaminated needles include hepatitis, HIV infection, and AIDS.
Effects of Narcotic use include; pneumonia, respiratory depression (collapsed veins, liver disease and infections in the heart and valves), coma and death in high doses.
Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants include amphetamines, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, and methylphenidate (Ritalin). These drugs have a stimulating effect, and people can start needing higher amounts of these drugs to feel the same effect (tolerance). They give you an increased amount of energy. Caffeine is one of the major ingredients in energy drink. A typical energy drink can contain up to 80 milligrams of caffeine (about the same amount as a cup of coffee). Energy drinks are also used as mixers with alcohol. This combination carries a number of potential dangers. Since energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant, the combination of effects may be dangerous. The stimulant effects can mask how intoxicated you are and prevent you from realizing how much alcohol you have consumed. Fatigue is one of the ways the body normally tells someone that they've had enough to drink. Once the stimulant effect wears off, the depressant effects of the alcohol will remain and could cause vomiting in your sleep or respiratory depression. Research has found that people drink more and have higher BACs (blood alcohol concentration) when they combine alcohol and caffeine. Repeated use of stimulants can cause violent behavior, panic attacks, psychosis and mood swings. People who abuse stimulants also have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Central nervous system depressants include alcohol, tobacco, barbiturates (amobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital), benzodiazepines (Valium, Ativan, Xanax), chloral hydrate, and paraldehyde. These substances produce sedating and anxiety-reducing effects, which may be therapeutic in some cases and lead to abuse or dependence in others.
Tobacco is considered to be both a stimulant and depressant. It is first a stimulant because it increases the heart rate. It is then a depressant because it causes fatigue.
Cigarette contains tobacco, and effects of smoking tobacco include heart disease, stroke, lung damage, cancer, damaged blood vessel, harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.
Effects of excessive alcohol or other depressant use include; decreased attention span, impaired judgment, Lack of coordination, slurred speech, as well as damages to the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and the immune system.
Hallucinogens include LSD, mescaline, psilocybin ("mushrooms"), and phencyclidine (PCP or "angel dust"). They can cause people to see things that aren't there (hallucinations) and can lead to psychological dependence. Hallucinogenic can have psychological and physical effects on your body. Users can become paranoid, have mood swings, have outbursts of violence or develop extreme depression.
Inhalants are volatile substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive or mind-altering effect. Although other abused substances can be inhaled, the term "inhalants" is used to describe a variety of substances whose main common characteristic is that they are rarely, if ever, taken by any route other than inhalation.
Commonly abused inhalants include: Aerosols for deodorants or hair sprays, cleaning fluids, fuel, correction fluid, glues, nail polish, mentholated spirit, also inhaling air from septic tanks/soakaways. Negative effects of inhalant abuse include; brain damage, convulsions, liver or kidney damage, nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) and sudden death.
Conclusion
My conclusion on drug abuse is that, like any form of abuse, it is not good for you. While the vast majority of people use drugs and alcohol safely, there will always be those percentages that are unable to control themselves. Drug and alcohol abuse will be around as long as there are people, drugs and alcohol. One must make a proactive choice to educate and understand these addictions so that early intervention can be made as soon as abusers are identified. Ideally, education and training would decline the statistics on addictive behaviour, but personal pleasure and the masking of personal problems through addiction remain prevalent today.
Codeine is used to treat mild to moderately severe pain. It works by binding to certain receptors (called opioid receptors) in your brain, which reduces the pain that you feel. Codeine is also sometimes used to help ease a dry cough. It may also be prescribed to help control short episodes of diarrhoea.
Codeine has a long list of possible side effects, which can be divided into two main categories; long term effects and short term effects of codeine use. Long term side effects are ones that typically only surface after prolonged, chronic use and abuse of the substance.
The long term effects of codeine use on the mind can include a myriad of mental health problems, ranging from mild to severely debilitating. These effects can even include cognitive and mental conditions like difficulty concentrating, depression, disorientation, and insomnia.
The most dangerous long term side effect of codeine use is respiratory depression. This is the most potentially fatal of all of the long term effects. This is because it can cause difficulty breathing, a slowed heart rate, and low blood pressure.
Codeine has a long list of possible side effects, which can be divided into two main categories; long term effects and short term effects of codeine use. Long term side effects are ones that typically only surface after prolonged, chronic use and abuse of the substance.
The long term effects of codeine use on the mind can include a myriad of mental health problems, ranging from mild to severely debilitating. These effects can even include cognitive and mental conditions like difficulty concentrating, depression, disorientation, and insomnia.
The most dangerous long term side effect of codeine use is respiratory depression. This is the most potentially fatal of all of the long term effects. This is because it can cause difficulty breathing, a slowed heart rate, and low blood pressure.
Effects of Narcotic use include; pneumonia, respiratory depression (collapsed veins, liver disease and infections in the heart and valves), coma and death in high doses.
Central nervous system (CNS) stimulants include amphetamines, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, and methylphenidate (Ritalin). These drugs have a stimulating effect, and people can start needing higher amounts of these drugs to feel the same effect (tolerance). They give you an increased amount of energy. Caffeine is one of the major ingredients in energy drink. A typical energy drink can contain up to 80 milligrams of caffeine (about the same amount as a cup of coffee). Energy drinks are also used as mixers with alcohol. This combination carries a number of potential dangers. Since energy drinks are stimulants and alcohol is a depressant, the combination of effects may be dangerous. The stimulant effects can mask how intoxicated you are and prevent you from realizing how much alcohol you have consumed. Fatigue is one of the ways the body normally tells someone that they've had enough to drink. Once the stimulant effect wears off, the depressant effects of the alcohol will remain and could cause vomiting in your sleep or respiratory depression. Research has found that people drink more and have higher BACs (blood alcohol concentration) when they combine alcohol and caffeine. Repeated use of stimulants can cause violent behavior, panic attacks, psychosis and mood swings. People who abuse stimulants also have an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Central nervous system depressants include alcohol, tobacco, barbiturates (amobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital), benzodiazepines (Valium, Ativan, Xanax), chloral hydrate, and paraldehyde. These substances produce sedating and anxiety-reducing effects, which may be therapeutic in some cases and lead to abuse or dependence in others.
Cigarette contains tobacco, and effects of smoking tobacco include heart disease, stroke, lung damage, cancer, damaged blood vessel, harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general.
Effects of excessive alcohol or other depressant use include; decreased attention span, impaired judgment, Lack of coordination, slurred speech, as well as damages to the brain, heart, liver, pancreas, and the immune system.
Hallucinogens include LSD, mescaline, psilocybin ("mushrooms"), and phencyclidine (PCP or "angel dust"). They can cause people to see things that aren't there (hallucinations) and can lead to psychological dependence. Hallucinogenic can have psychological and physical effects on your body. Users can become paranoid, have mood swings, have outbursts of violence or develop extreme depression.
Inhalants are volatile substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive or mind-altering effect. Although other abused substances can be inhaled, the term "inhalants" is used to describe a variety of substances whose main common characteristic is that they are rarely, if ever, taken by any route other than inhalation.
Commonly abused inhalants include: Aerosols for deodorants or hair sprays, cleaning fluids, fuel, correction fluid, glues, nail polish, mentholated spirit, also inhaling air from septic tanks/soakaways. Negative effects of inhalant abuse include; brain damage, convulsions, liver or kidney damage, nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy) and sudden death.
Conclusion
My conclusion on drug abuse is that, like any form of abuse, it is not good for you. While the vast majority of people use drugs and alcohol safely, there will always be those percentages that are unable to control themselves. Drug and alcohol abuse will be around as long as there are people, drugs and alcohol. One must make a proactive choice to educate and understand these addictions so that early intervention can be made as soon as abusers are identified. Ideally, education and training would decline the statistics on addictive behaviour, but personal pleasure and the masking of personal problems through addiction remain prevalent today.
Written by Ifiok 'Flex' Umoren
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