Drug Use and Addiction: Reasons, History, and Prevalence

This document explores the reasons, history, and prevalence of drug use and addiction. It discusses the various factors that contribute to drug addiction, including genetic legacy, family background, psychosomatic elements, and social customs. The history of drug addiction is also examined, along with the reasons why people use drugs, such as experimentation, self-medication, loneliness, and peer pressure. The prevalence of drug addiction is also discussed, with statistics on the number of people who suffer from drug addiction and the number of deaths caused by drug use.

Running head: ESSAY 0
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE (DEGREE)
AUGUST 16, 2019
STUDENT DETAILS:

ESSAY 1
People from all lifestyles can experience problems with their drug use, regardless of age, race,
background, or the reason they started using drugs in the first place. There are various reasons to
take drugs. Some persons experience recreational drugs because of the inquisitiveness for having
good time. They use the drugs because their friends are using this. They also use the drugs
because of the issues like tension, apprehension, or sadness. The people use drugs because they
desire to have some changes in relation to their lives. There are various reasons to take drugs.
Some individuals are at the risk for the substance abuse as well as for establishing the addiction
disorders. Their vulnerability may create from the various elements, such as the genetic legacy,
the background of the family, psychosomatic elements, as well as the social customs.
Generally, these elements create the people value drug use extremely, even supposing the
decisions may in against of the long run interest. Please note that a risk factor for one person may
not be the same for another. Most individuals at risk for the drug abuse do not become addicted.
In the following parts, the meaning of drug use, history of drugs, reason of taking drugs,
prevailing role of drugs, increasing use in cocaine, as well as reasons of taking drugs by youth is
discussed and critically examined.
The drugs are considered as the chemicals that change the manner of the bodywork of people.
The addiction is described as the long-lasting, deteriorating disorder featured by the obsessive
drug looking for, continued utilise in spite of injurious significances, and enduring modifications
in the brain. The addiction is the substance use disorder at severe end of range. It is categorised
by the incapability of a person for controlling the impulse to utilise the drugs even when there
are adverse concerns. These behavioural modifications are also complemented by the
modifications in the functions of brain, particularly in natural embarrassment of mind as well as

ESSAY 2
reward centres. It is considered as the critical brain disorder as well as the mental sickness
(Carvalho, et. al, 2016). In addition, the addiction is considered as the most severe form of the
complete range of substance use disorder. It is medical sickness caused by the recurrent
mistreatment of the substances. The use of drugs means the scope of the utilisation of the illegal
drugs such as the cocaine use, tobacco use and heroin use. The drug misuse is useful for
distinguishing the inappropriate or unwholesome utilisation from the use of the medication as
recommended or the liquor in control. It involves the frequent utilisation of the drugs to make the
will, lessen anxiety, tension, and ignore the facts. This also involves the utilising prescription
drugs in the manners excluding recommended or utilising the prescription of someone else
(World health organisation, 2016).
In a history of the drug addiction, the society considers the addiction of drug as the ethical
choice, which had made the flaw of people. In addition, in the history of addiction of drugs, the
treatment involved the detention, church-directed wish, as well as sending the people to asylum.
The treatment was not amazingly the unproductive manner to recovery. In history of the drug
addiction, this has the issue from the opening foundation of nation. Prior to nineteenth century,
the drugs that were normally utilised as well as abused were related to the plant that helped
decrease the spirits of pain. In the present world, the people have harmful synthetic drugs, but
even the original ways of the drugs abused in the past were hazardous. Even while the usual
substances are abused, human body can experience addiction. The history of drug abuse also
ranges to early use of alcohol as well as opium. Various actions have been taken for the
treatment solutions as well as the regulations for public. It is stated by the history of drugs use
that opium as well as alcohol were utilised to dismiss the pain at the time of some surgical
operations and medical operations. Prior to the civil war, the effects of drugs and their addictive

ESSAY 3
qualities were not completely assumed. In eighteenth centaury, the morphine, cocaine, as well as
codeine were established and unregulated. The wider obtainability of new established drugs
created it easy for the various individuals for trying, and become addicted. Various laws as well
as regulations have been made while this became clear that drugs was the severe issue amongst
the public (Albsoul-Younes, et. al, 2016).
Further, the reasons of using the drugs by people differ at great level for all the individuals.
Usually, the individuals are trying for fixing the problem within the life as well as they take the
drugs as a solution (Tenca, et. al, 2016). The young persons can be making efforts to fit in with
the peers and views utilising or alcohol drugs as the sources of feelings “the part of.” On the
other hand, various people utilise the drugs as the manner to self-medicate. From long-lasting
pain to psychological health disorder, various individuals take the drugs to ease the signs of the
sickness. The first reason of taking the drugs is experiment. This is not common for the addiction
to stop from the individual being enquiring as well as investigating with the drugs (Friese, et. al,
2017). This is scenario often begins with the youth utilising the marijuana due to curiosity. While
it seems inoffensive, the teenagers that conduct experimentation with the drugs are more likely to
establish the substance use disorder as per the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The history of
family is also the purpose. In a case when the person has the history of family of the addiction of
drugs, then a person can have the genetic tendency to establish the addiction to the drugs. This is
clear that approximately thirty per cent to seventy per cent of the risk of people for addiction is
connected to the genetic factors they are born together with some other social elements (Brune
and Patrignani, 2015).
Furthermore, there is the general misconception that any medication suggested by the doctor is
secure. Regrettably, it does not always work. The medication suggested by the doctor is not

ESSAY 4
always good for health. The doctor prescribes the medication to ease the signs of the problems of
mental health along with physical health. However, various people are not correctly educated on
a risk that the prescriptions can carry (Nowotka, et. al, 2016). The chronic pain is often regulated
by the opioid medications that are extremely addictive. The dependents on the amount utilised
and other elements, someone can need the medical detox only to end using opioids. Similarly,
the people suffering from worry and sadness can be recommended addictive medication to ease
signs. The non-addictive medication as well as the discomfort recovery facilities are often
obtainable. Next, the loneliness is one of the main reason of use of the drugs. The addiction may
take place while the person feels the loneliness or when the person is separated from the groups
and families. They start to take the drugs to fill the loneliness of their life. The individuals
lacking positive daily interaction can select to utilise the substance to feel happiness. As well, the
operators begin to disaffect themselves further if they have fear of becoming judged or that help
is not accessible (Davies, Rae and Montagu, 2017).
Furthermore, the other reason is peer pressure. Normally, the peer pressure implements to the
teenagers or youths. The requirement to fit in, on certain levels, is made in each one of all.
Certain individuals can have the requirement for taking participation in possibly damaging
actions to do subsequently. A pressure of being around other people who are ill-treating the
drugs may push somebody for following suit. Additionally, the drugs may make the person feel
good. According to the famous quote in big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, ‘the males and
females drink fundamentally because they like the effect made by alcohol.” When it appears
understandable, certain persons like the effect so much that they are not able to stop. This can be
critical to see the harms in somewhat that makes a person realize better. In addition, the
hopelessness, apprehension, and PTSD may place the people at high risk of establishing the

ESSAY 5
addiction. Utilising substance to manage the complex feelings can appear alike the easy way for
some. The non-narcotic medication is often obtainable for most psychological health disorder.
This is worth investigating with the doctors to see if there are the alternatives to addictive
medication.
The recreation is also a reason to use drugs. Various individuals take the drugs publically with
groups for the longer day. They frequently see matters as the manner to ease or clear the mind.
The recreational drug user is still at risks for becoming the addicted if the utilisation becomes
more repeated or they utilise greatly addictive substances. In addition, the individuals struggling
with any of the gathering of sicknesses can turn to the drugs to reduce the pain. The
psychological health disorder as well as chronic pain leave some great resolutions on the own. In
this way, there are various reasons of taking the drugs by the people. It can say that having the
knowledge of the risks of utilising the alcohol and other drugs is half battle. While the people
educated about these problems, they are more likely to create good decisions in the upcoming
period (Carfora, et. al, 2018).
Internationally, certain thirty five million individuals are anticipated to suffer from the use of
drugs and who need facilities of the treatment. The prevalence in common inhabitants is lower
now in comparison of the earlier ten years, with cannabis being a major driver of the lessening.
However, there have been little changes in the present time. It is suggested by the seizures data
that herbal cannabis has come to control marketplace. Utilising the definition of European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction that means to the death caused unswervingly
by the ingestion of at minimum one illegal drug, the whole numbers of the deaths because of use
of drugs in United Kingdom during the year 2014 was 2,655 (Chen, et. al, 2016). It was 5%
increment from year 2013 and greatest number stated to date. Over the previous periods, the

ESSAY 6
average age of death has enhanced from 37.6 years in year 2004 to 41.6 in year 2014. The
biggest proportion of the death in the United Kingdom in year 2014 was in forty to forty-four
years age group. Additionally, in year 2015, there were about 124,234 treatment performances in
United Kingdom (Saha, et. al, 2016). For the first time, it involves the data from people
representing to treatment facilities in the prison in England. There were fifty more diagnoses of
HIV a)mongst the persons, who inject the drugs reported from Scotland. On the other hand, it
was seventeen in year 2014. This increase was due to an outbreak of HIV in people who inject
drugs in Glasgow. Further, in England and Wales, there were 2,593 registered deaths in 2016,
due to the misuse of the drugs. It is the increase of five percent on year 2015 as well as fifty eight
percent higher than year 2006. The deaths because of the use of drugs are at the higher level
since similar records started in year 1993 (Mental and Office of the Surgeon General, 2016).
In addition, there are 3 models of why individuals used the drugs, or involve in the substance
abuse for utilising the new terminologies: the physical dependency model, the positive
reinforcement model and disease model (Skorpen, et. al, 2018). As with other drugs, the frequent
utilisation of the cocaine may cause longer run modifications in a reward circuit of brain and
different brain system that can lead to the drugs addiction. The reward circuit finally follows to
extra dopamine caused by drug, becoming steadily less sensitive to this. As the outcome, the
individuals take solider as well as more repeated dose to realize the similar high they did firstly
and to get reliefs from removal. The overdose takes place while the individual uses sufficient of
the drug to make severe negative effects, the life-frightening signs, or death. The
overconsumption may be purposeful or accidental. The death because of the overdose may take
place on the first utilisation of cocaine or unpredictably afterwards. Various individuals who take
cocaine also drink alcohol at a similar period that is specifically risky as well as may lead to

ESSAY 7
overconsumption. Other people make the mixture of cocaine with heroin, another dangerous and
toxic combination (Cao, et. al, 2018).

ESSAY 8
In the present world, the young persons are using the drugs in increasing manner. They are using
the drugs because other people are using this or they think that other people are doing this. The
young people have fear that they will not be accepted in the society or among the group of
people. In addition, the young people use the drugs for having good feelings. The abused drugs
communicate with the neurochemistry of a mind to generate the feelings of preference. The
strength of the excitement varies by a kind of drugs as well as its utilisation (Ali, et. al, 2017).
There are some teenagers who suffer from unhappiness, social concern; pressure related disorder,
as well as bodily pain, use the drugs for feeling good. Utilising the drugs can be considered as
the efforts to diminish the feelings of pain. Particularly, the anxiety has the important role in
initiating as well as continuing the drugs use and returning to use of drugs for the persons
recovering from the addiction. The young people also use the drugs to do something better. In
the present world, there is very competitive society, where the burden to do actions powerfully
and intellectually may be intense. Certain teenagers can turn to some drugs such as prohibited or
drug stimulants because they think those substances would increase or enhance the
performances. In addition, the teenagers are often encouraged to look for the new experience,
specifically the people who are exciting or daring (Ettorre, 2016).
As per the above discussion, it can be concluded that as drugs have been abused for hundreds of
years everywhere in the world, the effects have realized for just as longer. The drug abuse has
very significant role in various main social issues, like drugged driving, fierceness, anxiety, as
well as the children abuse. The drugs abuse may lead to rootlessness, corruption, and misused
work or issues with retaining the job. The drugs use can be harmful for the unborn babies and
ends the family. There are various kinds of treatment for drug abuse. In this way, it can say that
the treatment of drug is very useful for helping the addicted individuals to not to use the drugs.

ESSAY 9
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ESSAY 10
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ESSAY 11
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