Drug Abuse in the Community

Drug addiction- Karol Baeza



When I was young I always wondered why is it that people die or get into car accidents. As I grew older I realized that one of the causes was being under the influence of drugs. Drugs could lead people to do harmful hings to society but not only to society, but their family and friends. I always wondered why is it that people to drugs. As we were going to Tijuana, Mexico, my mom asked that question and she said that people choose to to do drugs because the people that are at the border don't have a place to stay, they stay under bridges. Many people don't have money to buy themselves food. That is why they decide to do drugs, to not suffer during the cold and go through starvation.Drug addiction could lead someone to homelessness because once someone has a certain drug in their system, they don't want to have any responsibilities. Everyone wants to forget about whatever it is they might be going through, but it doesn't only affect that person but their family and friends.

Types of Drug Addiction
 Individuals can become addicted to a wide variety of substances including

• illegal drugs,
• Marijuana
  Hashish
  Heroin
  Opium
  Cocaine
  Amphetamine
  Methamphetamine
  Methylenedioxymetham Phetamine
  Flunitrazepam***
  GHB***
  Ketamine
  PCP and Analogs
  Salvia Divinorum
  Dextromethorphan
  LSD
  Mescaline
  Psilocybin
  Anabolic Steroids
  Inhalants
  
• Prescription drugs that are commonly abused 
• Opioids used to treat pain
• Central nervous system (CNS) depressants, such as benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, Ativan, ), used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders
• Stimulants, such as amphetamine and  (Adderall) or  (Concerta, Daytrana, Methylin, Ritalin), used to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder).

        Over the counter drugs that are abused

• 
  • Cough and cold medicines (dextromethorphan)
  • Pain relievers (acetaminophen and ibuprofen)
  • Nasal decongestants (pseudoephedrine)
  • Motion sickness pills (dimenhydrinate and diphenhydramine)
  • Caffeine pills
  • Laxatives
  • Diet pills (ephedra)
  
  
  
  
   What could drug addiction cause
  People could overdose on a drugs, it could be a prescription drug or an illegal drug. Many people do not think of the consequences that they could cause when driving intoxicated. Many fatalities happen because people are in intoxicated. When a car accident happens it cause someone their life or it could cause the person who is intoxicated their life and the person who they hit.
  

  

  
  

Why this matters to me
This matters to me because,  there are a lot of homeless people out in the world. One of the reason why those people are homeless is because they are addicted to drugs and the drugs begin to isolate them.









Interviews

When a person is introduced to drugs in the community. This person that got introduced to the drugs will start to use them to forget about his or her problems.  Then the person will begin to abuse that drug every day, and will slowly begin to isolate him or herself. This person will start doing bad in order to satisfy his or her addiction. He or she will steal from loved ones, commit crime and worse of all that person will introduce the drugs to other people in the community and the cycle starts again.

How addiction affects the community is, usually communities that have a lot of people that have a lot of drug addiction are the low income communities. So, when you think of California, you will think of Compton, Boyle Heights, and South Central. People would rather spend more money on something that could give them instant gratification than invest in going to school or getting a job. It affects the community because you see these people who are already addicted to drugs and violence rise, crime rates rise, there are more break ins, prostitution, illegal activity happening that is also paired with drug addiction.


What we can do 
Not all individuals want to be helped with their addiction. The only thing that an individual could do is talk to them, they might listen or might not. We could offer them support, offering support in a way to help them have a roof under their head and slowly remove the drugs from them. If humanity was emotionless, because then they wouldn't relie on emotions to consume the drugs that will make them forget.


References
Prescription Drug Abuse: Addiction, Types, and Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/abuse-of-prescription-drugs#1


Types of Drug Addicts and How to Recognize Them. (2018, November 19). Retrieved from https://www.projectknow.com/drug-addiction/types-addicts/

Commonly used illegal drugs. (2017, April 14). Retrieved from http://www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction/commonly-used-illegal-drugs

The Most Commonly Abused Prescription Medications. (2019, January 14). Retrieved from http://www.therecoveryvillage.com/prescription-drug-addiction/16-abused-prescription-drugs/#gref