Drug abuse is characterized by taking more than the recommended dose of prescription drugs, such as barbiturates without medical supervision, or using government controlled substance such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other illegal substances.
Legal substance such as alcohol and nicotine are also abused by many people. Abuse of drug and other substance can lead to physical and psychological dependance.
Drug abuse can cause wide range of adverse physical reactions.Long term dose use may damage the heart, liver and brain. Drug abusers may suffer from malnutrition if they habitually forget to eat, most of time they cannot afford to buy food or eat food that contains the proper vitamins and minerals.
Individuals who abuse injectable drugs risk contracting infection such as hepatitis and HIV from dirty needles and needles shared with others infected user.One of the most dangerous effect of illegal drug is taking too large or too strong dose for body system to handle.
A drug overdosed may cause an individual to lose consciousness and to breath inadequately without treatment, an individual may die from a drug overdose.
Drug addiction is marked by a compulsive craving for a substance ,successful treatment method vary and include psychological counselling or psychotherapy and detoxification program, medical supervised program that gradually wean an individual from a drug over a period of days or weeks. Detoxification and psychotherapy are often used together.
The illegal use of drugs was once considered a problem common to residents of poor urban neighborhoods .Today, however, people from all economic levels in both cities and suburban abuse drugs to relieve stress and to forget about their problems.
Genetic factors may predisposed other individuals to drug addiction. Environmental factors such as peer pressure, especially in young people and the availability of drugs also influenced people to abuse drug.
