The nature and stages of drug use – Drug Addiction

Whatever the reason may be this young children must not suffer because of your choice to use drugs

The problem of substance abuse and drug addiction is such a big issue of concern to all the stakeholders. Everybody is looking at this problem will wonder as to where is the point of disconnect because it appears that all that needs to be done is not being done either by the authorities or the individual addicts. For instance who doesn’t know the consequences of drug use! Yet we are still seeing the number of people being addicted to drugs increasing. I believe that you are equally wondering what it is, that we are missing. We will be looking at certain factors relating to the nature of drug use in this article to unlock the riddle behind this great concern.

The nature of drug use

For us to have a better understanding why people use drugs it will be necessary that we look at some three identical factors explaining the nature of drug use. These factors include:

• The individuals personality
• The type of drug you take
• The context of your drug use

These factors are related and can’t be disconnected. They influence your reasons for using a drug and the effects it will have on you. We need to understand that there are different levels of drug use with different types of problems. Users may move between the different levels of drug use, for example one may have started using drugs heavily but along the way stops and begins to recover from the effects of drugs use. But then again in the process of recovery they may relapse and return to the same old habit of drug use. It is important noting that it is not automatic that when using drugs then this behavior will definitely lead to drug abuse, this is not always the case because drug use is totally different from drug abuse. Now let us look at some of the stages of drug use as follows:

Experimental use

In the holy book the author begins with these words “in the beginning God …” and so in everything we do there must be the starting point. The same with drugs one must have started from somewhere. Normally young people will try using drugs for the first time as an experiment and this is what we call the experimental stage. In the desire of wanting to feel accepted and belong to certain category of friends they try drugs to have the feelings their friend have. This stage greatly depends on various factors like the accessibility of the drug, the kind of friends you keep and often the current trend or fashion. Because one is testing the feelings you may continue using drugs or may stop along the way once your curiosity is satisfied. However this type of drug use is very risky for young people because many of them are not aware of the dangerous effects of indulgence into drugs.

Recreational drug use

This is another stage of drugs use where users indulges into drugs for marry making and having fun periodically like weekly and especially during the weekends doing this regularly makes it becomes part of your social life. Users of this stage often feel that they are in full control over their drug use and so even if they consume more they do not feel that this can lead them into being addicted to the drugs they use. This type of drug use only applies to certain drugs and contexts, for example ecstasy and dance culture. Most people who take recreational drugs see it as a ‘normal’ activity in their social circle.

Dependent drug use

Drugs has way of containing their users, you may think that you are on top of everything but this may not be so using drugs over period of time heavily you may not be able to control your usage. When you reach this point where you can’t control we call this dependence or addiction which may either be physical or psychological. Where physical dependence means that your body systems craves for drugs and psychological dependence is when you feel that you cannot cope without the drug you are using. It is important to know that this level of drug use usually happens on your own or in a small group. As well as making you sick, it often causes emotional, psychological and social problems.

Abstainers

These are those individuals who have chosen not to use any kind of drugs completely or if they ever used then they have stopped and have not only used them for a very long time but does not ever want to use drugs again.

These are therefore some of the stages of drug use and having discussed them we are now left wondering actually why do people use drugs?

Why people take drugs

There are many reasons why people take drugs and here are some of the factor which can influence them:

• Risk taking – people are drawn to risk taking differently. They may use drugs to fit in with their social group or to help them cope, for a sense of release or individual transformation, or for the thrill.
• Predisposition – it may be because of your genetic or psychological characteristics meaning you are more likely to take drugs.
• Experimentation – some people try drugs for the first time as an experiment and out of curiosity or because their friends are doing it. They want to explore to see how it affects them and talk about their experiences with their friends afterwards.

• Gender and age – the age you are when you first try drugs can influence how you will go on to use them. For example, the younger you are when you start drinking alcohol, the more likely you are to try hard drugs later on. Young men are more likely to experiment with drugs than women. However, heavy drug use can cause more damage to young women.
• Peer group – this can cause one into drugs in two different ways like the group of people you relate with can pressure you into taking drugs or you may choose to hung out with people who are into the same things as they are.
• Availability – the easier it is to get drugs, the more likely you are to use them. This will also influence the type of drugs you use.
• Family, social and environmental factors – people who live in a ‘deprived’ state, where the risk factors are high and the protective factors low, have a higher risk of using drugs. In terms of family, the important factor is how happy and stable your family life is, rather than whether you have two parents or not.

Finally dear reader drugs are not good for your health or anyone for that matter doctor Akoury the chief executive of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center founded this facility to help people with addiction related problem, if you are one she will be of great help and care for you in the most natural way to have your life back. Call on her and get the best because she will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE.

The nature and stages of drug use – Drug Addiction