Drug Addiction Essay

Drug Addiction An approximate of 208 million people worldwide consume illegal drugs. A 2007 survey in the US showed that 19.9 million Americans (or 8% of the population aged 12 or older) used illegal drugs. (Foundation for a Drug Free World, n.d.) These statistics don’t even include alcohol or nicotine because those drugs are almost legal everywhere. Of how many of these users are addicted? Well it’s a safe bet that most of these individuals are drug addicts because even doing it once can get you hooked. In the most basic sense, drugs give us a good feeling that we want repeatedly, so we take that drug again in hopes of reaching euphoria. Examples of drugs that many people are addicted to are nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, meth, heroin, and much more. All of them are essentially the same because they take us to a new sense of reality, but some are stronger and more dangerous than others. This is because these drugs have strong chemicals in them that affect the brain. Being addicted to drugs like heroin or cocaine can cause brain damage and actually rewire the brain to think differently, making it difficult to quit the drug. To begin with, heroin is a drug …show more content…
These opioid receptors are found in the cortex, amygdala, hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus, and the peripheral sensory neurons. Brain parts like these are affected because they are involved in emotion, memory, hormone production, sensory processes like seeing or smelling, and communication between the brain and the body. When heroin is used, all of these functions are disrupted. Other physical effects include dry mouth and a decrease in heart rate and blood circulation. This would cause less oxygen to enter the brain which could lead up to brain damage. It also depresses the central nervous system which causes drowsiness and decreased mental capabilities. (Narconon International,