DRUG ADDICTION

Introduction

                We live in a world where drugs are increasingly accessible. In times of old it was said that drug addiction was a problem that only attacked low social classes, today it has been proven that this is far from being true. We live in an age where there are many characters of high socioeconomic level who suffer from some drug addiction. The advancement of technology will make it easier to expand this epidemic.

                Modern technologies especially the social media has completely rewritten the means through which the world communicates, with human connections and contact being boiled down to jargons and logarithms from mobile phone and other hand held devices. While the old generations experienced the advent of the television as well as the internet, the rapid evolution of technology over the last several decades has profoundly affected the way people live. Online platforms have given rise to new concerns about drug exposure to users. Drug use on social media has resulted to a two-way street - one of recovery and the other of temptation.

               The intersection between drug use and social media is a double whammy according to Bloomberg. It is a place where illegal substances are glamorized and normalized in high definition videos and pictures. In such platforms, drug use in the modern times is no longer something that is limited to the people in low socio-economic status, but it affects the famous, rich celebrities and friends and family of those in high social-economic status. These social media platform users can share pictures in a joint of marijuana or pictures of a row of shot glasses, even much dangerous and harder drugs with thousand of contacts in just a click of a button. Such an instantaneous means of connection allows social media users and drug dealers to get in touch through programs of instant messaging that are part of the social media platforms.

Generalities

                The National Center on Drug Abuse, at the Columbia University, conducted a survey in 2011 involving teenagers who use the social media outlets such as Casebook. The study found out that these teenagers were most likely to use drugs, drink alcohol and buy tobacco those adolescents who use less or do not use the social media. The study also established that the influence of social media users into attempting drug use is not necessarily from friends, but it could be friends with their friends or complete strangers. Also, the shared pictures on drug use may not be limited to vacations and weekends but could be shared any other day of the week, and anytime. The effect is that it creates a constant reinforcement that the idea of smoking pot or excessive alcohol consumption is desirable normal and trendy. Adding to the message are the status and captions messages that glamorize activities depicted in the pictures and videos  (Babor, 2011).

                            Development of the topic

Different types of drugs based on scientific sources

                Content posted by young adults and adolescents is always seen by other peers and also younger users of the social media platforms. Popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Face book in several studies have illustrated how adolescents and young adults display their drug abuse behavior on social media which include health risks behaviors related to alcohol m other illegal substances and sexual behaviors ( Moreno et al., 2009; McGee and Begg, 2008).

 Displays related to alcohol use include messages and texts such “Matt was so drunk last night that is accompanied by photographs depicting the person consuming alcoholic drinks

 Marijuana or cannabis is another commonly abused illegal drug. It is a drug that impairs learning and short -term memory, his ability to coordinate and focus. Research shows that when a person uses marijuana on a daily basis, it is most likely that it is a behavior that started in teen years. Frequent use of this drug is associated with the decline in IQ score in adulthood.

 Another drug commonly abused by young adults and teenagers is the “spice” or “K2”. It is formed through a wide range of Herbal mixtures and has the same effect as marijuana. High school seniors commonly use this illicit drug. Users have the common misperceived claim that the spice product has a “natural” psychoactive material derived from a variety of plants. However this drug is considered poisonous and can lead to agitation, rapid heart rate concussion, vomiting, raised blood pressure and reduced blood supply (Leon-Guerrero, 2011).

                Another drug accessible by teenagers and young adults are the opioids which are mainly prescribed for relieving pain. However, most teenagers abuse them, and overdose can result in death. Stimulants can range from the amphetamines to the Methylphenidate. These are stimulants prescribed for individuals suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and can be misused by tenders. Finally, depressants which are prescribed to reduce anxiety and promote can be misused by young people. Some of the commonly abused depressants are the Xanax and Valium. There is also the syrups or lean or purple drank which is a mixture of the prescribed cough syrup that contains promethazine and codeine with soda. Drinking this mixture is common among celebrities and youths of the upper social-economic status. Codeine is a type of opioid that produces euphoria and relaxation when consumed in the right quantities (Abuse, 2013). 

Effects and motives of a person to become a drug addict

               Addiction comes about with repeated use of a drug that changes the way the brain of a person function over time. The transition from voluntary to the compulsive state of drug use depicts the changes taking place in the natural inhibition of the brain and the reward that comes with what keeps a person from taking control over his or her impulse to the use of drugs even with the negative consequences that show the symptoms of addiction. Other people can be more vulnerable to the process of addiction than others mostly because of various possible risk factors. Early life experiences which are extremely stressful such as suffering, abandonment as well as abuse can form trauma that becomes a significant risk factor. Adolescents who have a history of sexual abuse, or physical abuse are likely to be diagnosed with disorders of substance use. Other risk factors include prenatal exposure, genetic vulnerability, lack of adult or parent monitoring and supervision, exposure to drug and alcohol from parents. Association with other peers who use the drug and also the fact that illicit drugs/ substances and alcohol are glamorized and praised in social media platforms thus it encourages teenagers to perceive them as part of normal teenage and young adult’s lives (Falkowski, 2003).

Brief history of a Michael Jackson as testimony according to a reliable means of communication

               Dr. Petros Levounis, a psychiatrist, informed the jurors determining the cause of death of the late pop star Michael Jackson that he exhibited signs of substance abuse. However, he did in so in a highly covert manner that executives lacked a way of knowing that the performer was placing his health at risks especially in preparation for his comeback tour of 2009. Also, the lawyer of Jacksons' family agreed that the drug addiction problem of the singer had been known for a while and pointed out that Jackson had entered a rehab after ending his 19993 Dangerous our early as means of treating his painkiller dependency problem. Jackson was known to uses opioids that were prescribed by his doctor for treating head injuries after cosmetic surgeries and sustaining a fire incident. However, opioids did not contribute to Jackson’s death. However, Los Angeles County coroner concluded that Jackson death was a result of propofol overdoses that is used as a surgical anesthetic. Dr. Conrad Murray has administered Jackson Propofol for consecutive sixty nights for combating his patient’s insomnia.

Consequences of drug addiction

               Drug use can have a wide range of long and short term indirect and direct effect. The effects depend on the type of drug used, how they are taken, the quantity taken and the health of a person among other factors. Short term effects include changes in moods, blood pressure, wakefulness, appetite, heart rate, heart attack, psychosis m stroke, overdose, and death. Long term effects include cancer, lung diseases, mental illness, heart diseases, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. Drug addiction is a brain disorder since it affects the way some brain circuits work. The changes in the brain interfere with the way a person experiences the usual pressures of life such as the ability to control stress level, food, sex, decision making and ability to remember and learn. Such changes make it difficult for a person to stop taking the drugs even when they know it has a negative impact on their lives and that they have to quit (Branch, 2011).

               Does this disease cure?

                Drug treatment is possible. Various evidence-based interventions have been proposed to assist people to quit abusing drugs and regaining their productive lives. Medications are available for treating withdrawal, for preventing relapse and ensuring that a person remains in treatment. Other forms of interventions are through motivational enhancement therapy, contingency management, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational enhancement therapy and family therapy (Branch, 2011).

Conclusion

               Drug addiction affects us all in one way or another and the only way to combat it is by taking advantage of all the information that innovative advances in science give us. We can seek a solution to the problem only when we fully understand it.

 Bibliographies.

Falkowski, Carol L. Dangerous drugs: an easy-to-use reference for parents and professionals. 2nd. Minnesota: Hazelden, 2003. Print.

Leon-Guerrero, Anna. Social problems: community, policy, and social action. 3rd. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Pine Forge Press, 2011. Print.

Branch, M. N. (2011). Drug Addiction. Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 95(2), 263-267.

 Abuse, S. (2013). Results from the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of national findings. In n5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Rockville, MD.

 Babor, T. F., McRee, B. G., Kassebaum, P. A., Grimaldi, P. L., Ahmed, K., & Bray, J. (2007).  (SBIRT) To public health approach for management of substance abuse.  Abuse, 28(3), 7-30.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in urgent custom research papers. If you need a similar paper you can place your order from nursing school papers services.