Addiction is a disease categorized by the user’s inability to control their use of a psychoactive substance, in spite of the overwhelming disadvantages it poses to their personal and professional lives. Drug addiction is an epidemic that, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, affects over 11 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 and older. Despite this overwhelming statistic, drug addiction still has trouble being accepted as a disease, and there is a stigma that places the bulk of the blame on the users. It may be for this reason that less than one in eight people seek help at a treatment facility, such as drug rehab Austin.
Psychoactive substances achieve their effects by acting on the reward pathways in the brain, affecting the production and reabsorption of dopamine, the neurotransmitter involves in pleasure responses. The dopamine effects produced by drugs are many times stronger than is natural and long-term drug use can permanently change these pathways, affecting an individual’s ability to suppress urges and make rational decisions.
Drugs create a cycle that causes their users to keep taking increasing amounts of the drug. First, tolerance to a drug goes up with repeated exposure. So the longer a person uses a drug, the more they need to take to feel the same desired effects. Secondly, when users go without the drug, they face withdrawal symptoms that are hard to manage without professional help like drug detox Austin.
Drug Use in Children
Drug use in individuals aged under 18 is at a staggering rate. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, nearly half of all teenagers have used marijuana or tobacco at least once by the time they are in their final year of school. Nearly 75 percent of them had used alcohol. There is a jump from the eighth grade to the twelfth grade of nearly 5 percent.
The risk of developing a drug addiction is especially hazardous for children because of the effect it has on the development of their brains. Early exposure to drugs leads to a decreased sensitivity to dopamine in the brain. Additionally, the effect that the drugs have on the reward pathways in the brain is also more pronounced in children. This creates, in the brains of children, a situation that is ideal for drug abuse, when they are introduced to a secondary drug. This is how the initial drug use can function as a gateway drug.
Although most teenagers who use marijuana do not go on to develop an addiction, it is imperative that parents understand how initial drug use can increase the risk of drug use in later life. Therefore, identifying the changes in their behavior might prove to be the difference in catching teenage drug use early. These can include:
- Changes in energy levels
- Changes to speech pattern
- Decreased performance at school or extracurriculars
- Changes in friend groups
- Agitation/ Secretiveness
Make sure to show support and understanding when reaching out to a teenager and offer them a better way to cope with the stresses they are dealing with.
If you or a loved one needs help recovering from an addiction, reaching out for help is both the most important, and difficult step. However, loved ones can make a difference in your chances for recovery. Professional help can also help your chances of making a long-term change.
References
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug
https://addictioneducationsociety.org/gateway-drugs-fact-sheet/
https://drugabusestatistics.org/