Many people fail to understand how or why those around them have become addicted to drugs. They wrongly believe that those who use them constantly do not have the will to give up or have moral principles. In fact, drug addiction is a complex disease, and giving up requires much more than good intentions or strong will.
What are the drugs?
Drugs are substances that have the property of binding to receptors from different cells, or of inhibiting certain proteins / enzymes involved in the transport of neurotransmitters. The effects of drugs depend on several factors:
- First, the dose is the most important. Narcotics-induced sensation increases in intensity directly proportional to the concentration of the drug in the body;
- Another factor is how to administer. Here is an example of cocaine. Cocaine, if administered by prize, must first pass through the olfactory mucosa, and its effect is lost in the long run. If used intravenously, it will reach the tissues directly within a few seconds.
Categories of consumers
There are several types of narcotic or narcotic consumers:
-Experimental Consumers - It uses drugs for the first time out of curiosity, and after first use it immediately reaches a crossroads. He will have to choose if he enters the next category, the regular consumer, or he will stop here.
-The regular consumer - The behavior of this type of drug addict becomes dangerous for himself as he begins to miss work or school for fear of losing his source of drug procurement.
-Dependent - In this category are people who wake up in the morning with the thought of drugs, and during the day they buy and make their plans for the next day. Family, school or service is no longer of interest to the consumer.
The main types of drugs
The most popular drugs, but most commonly used are:
-Opium;
-Cocaine;
-Heroine;
-Methamphetamine;
-LSD;
-Ecstasy;
-Marijuana.
1. Opium
The earliest reference to the growth and use of opium is from the year 3,400, when opium poppy was cultivated in the lower part of Mesopotamia (South-West Asia). The Sumerians called it Hul Gil or "the plant of joy".
Opium is obtained manually from the poppy (Papaveraceae) poppy species. Harvesting takes place about 12 days after the fall of flower petals by a technique called scarification. The poppy capsules are incised, and through the open space a latex will flow which, after a few days, will drain from the plant.
Opium can be consumed by ingestion as a pill or can be smoked. Its effect depends on the administered dose and on the regular use of this drug.
Opium has an unpleasant effect on first use, especially if it is smoked because it produces a nausea, dizziness and headache. Adaptation to this drug is fast and will give the consumer a sense of euphoria, described as a passive, quiet, contemplative experience of happiness, followed by a sleepy day with beautiful dreams.
Addiction to opium
After repeated administration, opium produces physical and psychological dependence.
-Mental dependence is similar to almost all narcotics and translates into an unswerving desire to get the drug and to feel the state of euphoria.
-Physical dependence is manifested by withdrawal syndrome. This syndrome occurs as a result of imbalances developed in the body following repeated use of a particular drug. In order to restore the body's parameters to normal, the consumer has to stop this addiction completely and wait for a while until his body regains its tolerance for narcotics and no longer sees the drug as a daily necessity.
Overdose of opium
Overdose of this drug will inevitably lead to death by depressing the respiratory centers in the central nervous system.
2. Cocaine
Cocaine is a drug obtained from leaves of the coca plant originating in South America. It is also called the drug of the rich because its price is very high compared to other drugs.
However, there is also a cheap form of cocaine - crack. The difference between them lies in the way they are used, as a rule cocaine is shed, and the crack smokes. The effect is shorter in the case of crack and produces psychic depression, with dependence on the first dose.
Cocaine acts in the body on the balance between serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin is responsible for euphoric feelings, pleasant sensations, and dopamine to the exact opposite of them. Thus, cocaine interferes with the dopamine transport enzyme with the aim of inhibiting this mechanism. A low level of dopamine and a normal serotonin are enough to induce the effects that define this drug.
In addition to interfering with dopamine transport, cocaine acts on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). He is responsible for the body's response to stress, known as "fight or flight". As a result of this stimulation, an adrenaline release will occur with direct effects throughout the body, especially on the heart. Tachycardia, an increase in myocardial contraction and blood pressure will give the consumer the impression that nothing can stop him and can do a great deal of trouble without trouble.
The death of cocaine
Death in the case of cocaine users occurs through bulbar inhibition, and direct inhibition of the myocardium, the latter being best reflected by arrhythmias. Chronic consumers develop psychiatric personality disorders such as paranoid psychosis, or due to the mechanism of administration, produce ulcerations of the nasal mucosa.
3. Heroin
Heroin was first synthesized by Bayer, which used it as a calming or antitussive. His name comes from the German word "heroisch" which means hero.
Heroin is probably the drug that produces the most tragedies, both moral and human. It's an opiate drug extracted by synthesizing morphine. It is in the form of white or brown powder, or even black, under the name "black tar heroin". It can be smoked or administered intravenously.
Administered intravenously heroin gives a feeling of euphoria, with dry mouth, a feeling of weight of hands and feet and heat waves. The user stops hungry or sexual intercourse, feels protected, uninhibited and immune to the environment.
Heroin is a highly dangerous drug for health if used in the long term. He adds addiction after a few doses, and as a rule, consumers share the drug with each other together with the administration tool, that is, the syringe.
Long-term effects of heroin
- Bacterial infections;
-Abscesses;
-HIV / AIDS infections, hepatitis B or C;
-Arthritis;
-Deposits on heart valves.
Symptoms of heroin abuse
-Fatigue followed by energy states;
-Breathing weights;
-Nausea;
-Vomiting;
-Dyslexia;
-Orientation difficulties
The role of heroin in social life
One important thing to say is that besides the symptoms of chronic heroin consumption, this drug has an important social role on the addict. Heroin addicts live the 24 hours a day just for the drug. The morning when they wake up, they are in a slight withdrawal because they have had 6-8 hours of sleeping and not taking the dose. For the rest of the day they try to buy the dose that gives them daily happiness and practically the only sense of fulfillment in their lives. They move away from family and friends, borrow money to get their drug, some of them get prostitutes or steal for this dust.
Overdose of heroin
Death occurs after overdose. Often, overdose is a mistake in the market of this drug. Let's take as an example a chronically consuming person who, every day, gets his drug from the same man. That distributor puts a certain concentration of this drug in the heroin dose. Usually it is about 10%, the rest is made up of additives that help weight. As the consumer is accustomed to a 10% heroin concentration per dose, he will not have one day to buy because his regular distributor has been arrested and forced to take another place. Overdosing may occur here, because another distributor to have more customers will use a 45% heroin per dose dose, which is not to the advantage of our consumer.
Death from overdose occurs through depression of central nervous system respiratory centers or acute pulmonary edema.
4. Methamphetamine
It is known that methamphetamine was used by the German army in the Second World War to produce a sustained effort of soldiers in the hope of victories on the front. What they probably omitted the leaders of those soldiers is that medicine has certain limits that can not be overcome.
Methamphetamine, also known as "speed" or "meth", is a psychostimulant that affects through neurotransmitters cardiac activity, body temperature, sensation and appetite. The drug is in the form of a white, odorless, bitter-crystalline powder and can be dissolved in water, injected, snuffed or smoked.
Short-term effects of methamphetamine
-Insomnia;
-Lack of appetite;
-Seizures;
-Behavioral changes;
-Anxiety;
-Thoughts of suicide;
Symptoms and signs of chronic methamphetamine use
-Breathing problems, infections of the upper airways;
-Footprints on hands and feet;
-Ulceration of limbs;
-Hallucinations;
-Dermatological infections;
-Aggressivity;
-Tooth loss;
Methamphetamine addiction
Physical dependence on methamphetamines produces irreversible long-term changes. Consumers have a high risk of stroke or myocardial infarction, psychiatric disorders such as paranoid psychosis, depression or hallucinations.
The death of these consumers arises from the complications caused by the long-term use of the drug.
5. LSD
LSD was synthesized for the first time in 1938 by Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman in an attempt to discover a headache treatment. Trafficking and LSD consumption increased in the '60s when the flower power phenomenon, the so-called ideology that promotes non-violence, took place.
LSD is part of a particular drug category and has the property of inducing hallucinations. LSD is an amide, the lysergic acid amide (Diethylamide Lysergic Acid). This drug is obtained from a fungus that parasites rye and is in the form of stamps soaked in LSD or pills.
Effects of LSD
-Distorting the perception of reality;
-Simultaneous living of contradictory emotions;
-The appearance of imaginary objects, lights, no sensations;
-Loss of the notion of time;
Symptoms of LSD use
-Dry mouth;
-Mydriasis;
-Tingling in limbs;
-Changes in behavior;
-dizziness;
-Tachycardia;
-Hypertension.
Dependence on LSD
LSD does not cause physical dependence, but because it produces strong hallucinations, the consumer will develop psychological addiction over time, and psychiatric illnesses will occur over the years such as:
-Depression;
-Paranoid psychosis;
-Schizophrenia;
-Repeated panic attacks;
Even if it does not seem dangerous at first sight, LSD should be taken into account as a drug that changes the perception of reality and can lead to many tragic accidents.
6. Ecstasy
Ecstasy was synthesized in 1914 by the Merck pharmaceutical company as anorexic, but was used by psychiatrists to help patients who had difficulty expressing.
Ecstasy or MDMA is a chemical extracted from sassafras oil. They are in the form of pills, capsules or dust, and the pills have different symbols on their surface: from superman to smiley face. Ecstasy can also be found under the name "Molly".
Ecstasy interferes with the activity of neurons that use serotonin as the neurotransmitter. The role of serotonin is extremely complex, ranging from mood regulation to appetite and sleep, and ecstasy is a potent stimulator for this neurotransmitter. He basically whips up the mechanism of serotonin release and at the same time inhibits its recovery and resonates. But after a few hours the effect disappears because the neurons are virtually empty of serotonin.
The effects of ecstasy
-Feeling invincible;
-High availability to effort;
-Hyperthermia, even up to 43 degrees Celsius;
-Cerebral vasodilatation;
Dependence on ecstasy
Long-term consumption of ecstasy produces degeneration of serotoninergic neurons, liver failure, disorder of the thermoregulation mechanism, and in combination with alcohol, ecstasy produces violent arrhythmias.
An important detail to relate is that this drug, if consumed in the long run, produces very serious depressions with a tendency to suicide.
7. Marijuana
Marijuana has been used as an "agent" to achieve the euphoria of ancient times - this has been described in a Chinese medical reference that is supposed to date back to 2737 BC.
Marijuana or Cannabis is one of the most used drugs in the world. It is made from Indian hemp in the form of tetrahydrocarbinol and can be consumed by ingestion or smoking. It's an easy drug used to relax. It does not produce physical dependence, but a slight mental dependence. Among its effects are the feeling of dreamy dreams, the disturbance of space and time, the printing of a state of well-being.
The benefits of this drug are related to its psychoactive effects. It is very effective against stress and has proven useful in reducing anxiety.
The disadvantages of this drug are its association with a brain area called the cingulate cortex. In this area there are the neurons responsible for concentration and storage of a part of the memory, so in the long run, consumers will signal difficulties in maintaining attention but also in the short-term memory.
To conclude, drug use is dangerous to individual health but also to the health of others. Drug addiction changes human behavior from the ground, and to impart good mood or well-being we do not need to consume drugs. If you are ever in a drug addiction, all you need to do to help is to communicate.