Nature of drug abuse or addiction

Before explaining the nature of drug addiction, we should first understand how the drug is
being misused. For instance if opium were the only drug and they are being misused or abused and if
the only kind of abuse were one of habitual compulsive use. But opium isn't the only drug abuse
which leads to many other kinds of abuse or maybe there are people who abuse these types of
drugs.

These type of drugs are used by various people in different ways by so many people for so
many purposes. It can be defined as a medical, psychiatric, psychological, sociological, cultural,
religious, ethical and legal consideration that can have an important bearing an addiction.
Ignorance and prejudice have led to the labeling of all use of nonessential drugs as addiction and of
all drugs, when misused as narcotics drug. The following may explain the nature of drug abuse or
addiction ;

 Popular misconception; This has caused a lot of people bewildered whenever serious
attempts were were made to differentiate the state of addiction or degree of abuse. For
decades, popular misconceptions was the stereotype that a drug user is a socially
unacceptable criminal. Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are clearly drugs and the habitual,
excessive use of coffee, tobacco, or alcoholic drink clearly drug dependence if not addiction,
same as tea, chocolate, or powdered sugar, if a community use them and consider them
that way. The task of distinguishing opium and powdered sugar while at the same time being
able embrace the fact that both can be subjected abuse. It requires a frame of reference
that recognizes that almost any substance can be considered a drug and that any drug is
capable of abuse.
 Physiological effects of addiction ; These are closely associated with the heavy use opium
and its derivatives that they have to come to be considered as the factor of addiction in
general. These physiological effects is necessary in order to appreciate the difficulties that
are encountered in trying to include all drugs under single take as it model opium. Tolerance
is physiological phenomenon that requires the individual to use more and more drug in
repeat efforts so as they could achieve the same effect. At a rapid cellular this is
characterized by diminishing (downgrading response to a foreign substance drug) as a result
of adaptation. Opium derivatives rapidly produce a high level of tolerance, alcohol and the
barbiturates a very low level of tolerance. Tolerance is characterized for morphine and
heroin, and consequently, is considered a cardinal characteristic of narcotics Addiction
Humans or people can almost tolerate at 5000 mg of morphine per day even if a normal
clinically effective dosage for relief of pain can fall to the range of 5-20mg. An addict an
archive a daily level that is 200 times the dose which would be dangerous for normal pain
free people.
 Addiction, habituation and dependence; This distinguish centers an the ability of a drug to
produce tolerance and physical dependence. This clearly possess the potential to massively
challenge the body’s resources, and if challenged, the body will make the corresponding
biochemical, physiological and psychological readjustment to stress. Drugs such as caffeine,
nicotine, bromide, cocaine, amphetamine, and other stimulants are normally not taken in
sufficient amounts to present the challenge. They don’t necessarily induce strong need or
craving emotionally without producing the physical dependence that can associate with
“hard” addiction. As a result, in 1964 the World health organization(WHO) have
recommended a new standard that replaces both the term drug addiction and drug
habituation with drug dependence, which can be seen as a more commonplace in describing
 the need to use a substance to survive. Drug dependence is a state arising from the repeated
admiration of a drug on a periodic basis.
 Psychological dependence; this is where a drug use can represent a primitive search for
euphoria, to relief pain, relief anxiety, an expression of prohibited infinite cravings, or the
release of hostility and contempt.