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Many people do not understand why individuals become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a social problem and may characterize those who take drugs as morally weak.

Heroin was originally created to help cure people of addiction to morphine. Upon crossing the blood-brain barrier, which occurs soon after introduction of the drug into the bloodstream, heroin is converted into morphine, which mimics the action of endorphins, creating a sense of well-being.

HERO

IN

Heroin injections cause swelling, and cause the veins to clog up.

Heroin is a highly addictive drug and the intensity of the high is greater each time it is used. Chronic users may inject up to four or more times daily.

“Heroin cut me off from the rest of the world. My parents kicked me out. My friends and my brothers didn’t want to see me anymore. I was all alone.”

Cocaine is both a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, and causes a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy.

The use of cocaine affects the way a person thinks, acts and feels. A person who has begun to abuse cocaine , and is becoming addicted to the drug, will focus more and more energy on using it.

The initial signs of stimulation are hyperactivity, restlessness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and euphoria. The euphoria is sometimes followed by feelings of discomfort and depression and a craving to experience the drug again.

“I HAD NO MORE FUTURE. I DID NOT SEE HOW I COULD ESCAPE MY COCAINE DEPENDENCE. I WAS LOST. I WAS ‘EXPLODING’ AND UNABLE TO STOP MYSELF FROM CONTINUING TO SERIOUSLY ABUSE COCAINE. I HAD HALLUCINATIONS THAT ANIMALS WERE CRAWLING UNDER MY SKIN. I FELT THEM EACH TIME I SHOT UP AND SCRAPED MYSELF WITH THE POINT OF MY SYRINGE UNTIL I STARTED BLEEDING IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM LEAVE.”

Ecstasy is much less visual with more stimulant like effects than most all other common “trip”

producing psychedelics.

ECSTASY

The primary effects of ecstasy include an increased awareness of the senses, feelings of openness, euphoria, empathy, love, happiness, heightened self-awareness, feeling of mental clarity and an increased appreciation of music and movement.

“Nikki was like many who went to rave parties. Hoping to escape her problems and have a good time, she planned to party through the night with several friends. One of them had a bottle of liquid Ecstasy in his car, so they all decided to take some. Soon the drug started to take over. Nikki danced and danced and danced, pushing herself well beyond her usual limits. As one of her friends later said in a police report, “Nikki wasn’t feeling anything.” The next morning Nikki was dead. The cause: Ecstasy”

Inhalants starve the body of oxygen and force the heart to beat irregularly and more rapidly. Chronic use can lead to muscle wasting and reduced muscle tone, and the poisonous chemicals gradually damage the lungs and the immune system.

Most inhalants act directly on the nervous system to produce mind-altering effects. Within seconds, the user experiences intoxication and other effects similar to those from alcohol.

“For three days, a friend gave me glue free of cost. On the fourth day he asked for money from me. By then, I was addicted and I had to give him money to get a tube of glue. I needed several tubes of glue daily.”

Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of nor epinephrine, dopamine and serotonin,

causing euphoria and excitement.

METHAMPHETAMINE

Methamphetamine users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as cleaning, hand-washing, or assembling and disassembling objects. Withdrawal is characterized by excessive sleeping, eating and depression-like symptoms, often accompanied by anxiety and drug-craving.

“I started using crystal meth when I was a senior in high school. Before my first semester of college was up, meth became such a big problem that I had to drop out. I looked like I had chicken pox, from hours of staring at myself in the mirror and picking at myself. I spent all my time either doing meth, or trying to get it.”

LSD is one of the most potent, mood-changing chemicals. It is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in the ergot fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste.

Known as “acid” and by many other names, LSD is sold on the street in small tablets (“microdots”), capsules or gelatin squares (“window panes”). It is sometimes added to absorbent paper, which is then divided into small squares decorated with designs or cartoon characters (“loony toons”).

The state of intoxication due to cannabis consumption is known as a “high”.

CANNIBISKNOWN AS MARIJUANA

Each user experiences a different high, and the nature of it may vary upon factors such as potency, dose, chemical composition, and method of consumption.

“I started using on a lark, a dare from a best friend who said that I was too chicken to smoke a joint

and drink a quart of beer. I was fourteen at that

time. After seven years of using and drinking, I

found myself at the end of the road with

addiction. I was no longer using to feel euphoria, I

was just using to feel some semblance of

normality. “

PCP (Phencyclidine) is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects.

PCP has potent effects on the nervous system, altering perceptual functions (hallucinations, delusional ideas,

delirium or confused thinking).

Circuits Involved In Drug Abuse and Addiction

All of these brain regions must be considered in developing strategies to effectively treat addiction.

All drugs lead to drug addiction, and that will get you nowhere in life.

Stay away from drugs and bad influences and you won’t experience the devastation these people have.

DON’T DO DRUGS!