The Positive Consequences Of Drug Use And Drug Abuse

Despite the common conception that drug use and drug abuse is only a recent phenomenon, history proves that drugs have been used since 5000 B.C. both for pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical purposes. As time progressed, new drugs were developed, discovered, and used by people for a variety of different reasons all around the world. In most cases, especially in earlier times, when new drugs were developed or discovered, the possible risks that they posed remained unknown because all that was tested or known was the positive outcome of the drug. For example, according to Dr. Robert N. Proctor, a professor at Stanford University, there were no conclusions established regarding the harmful effects of tobacco until the early 1940s (Proctor, Tobacco …show more content…
It is also important to understand how an individual becomes addicted to a drug. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, commonly referred to as NIDA, states that it is impossible to accurately predict how many times a person has to take a drug before they become addicted and how much of the drug they need to take to become addicted. This is simply due to the fact that everyone has a different tolerance and physical body build. The way someone becomes addicted to a drug is rather simple: drugs cause an overwhelming feeling of pleasure that triggers the reward circuitry in the brain, which is transmitted through dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Figure 1.1 shows the commonly used drug addiction cycle to emphasize the idea that drug addiction is not a disease that is easy to overcome; in fact, it is one of the hardest diseases to overcome and it has no cure. More often than not, drug addiction is a long-term disease that, according to NIDA, has two main treatments: behavior change and medications. This is what raises the question of whether or not drug addiction is a cycle that can end …show more content…
It is important to note that having genetics with a history of drug abuse does not guarantee that a person will partake in drug abuse but these genetics will definitely increase one’s risk as opposed to someone who does not have a family history of drug abuse. Another significant piece to keep in mind is that the other factors such as one’s home lifestyle, social environment, peers, etc. pose just as much of a risk for addiction compared to the biological make up. The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence highlights the fact that genetics make up 50% of risk factors while everything else contributes to the other 50% (NCADD,