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Addictions

There are many types of addictions that exist. An individual can be addicted to food, work, gambling, the Internet, drugs, etc. These addictions tend to be the downfall of many who are unable to control their impulses for instant gratification. Addiction can be defined as ones habitual reach toward an immediate pleasure that is detrimental for their long term survival. This web page is dedicated to drug addiction. Drug addiction is when an individual looses control over their impulse to use drugs. It is the point when the drugs the individual abuses control them and they in turn become a slave to their drug of choice.

The difference between an individual who develops an addiction to drugs or alcohol and one who does not is the ability to control ones natural impulses. At some point in everyone's life they experience an impulse to do something that will bring them pleasure at that very moment, such as using drugs. Where the difference falls is those who take a step back and think of how their actions will affect them later on. Those who do not look at the long term picture and only at their immediate gratification find that they end up destroying their long term goals.

Individuals who become addicted to drugs or alcohol have begun to accept that it is ok to habitually abuse these substances for the immediate high they get, never mind the long term consequences that are involved; loosing their homes, families, friends, wealth, positions, the list goes on and on. What needs to be changed is how the individual views their abuse of drugs or alcohol. Once they realize the consequences of their actions many find that treatment is a viable option that significantly helps in returning them to their former state.

It is at this point that getting clean and remaining clean from drugs or alcohol is important. After completing a substance abuse program and accumulating time free from drugs and alcohol, many find that the idea of returning to their old ways is no longer an option. They no longer look to drugs or alcohol to solve their problems. Now, equipped with all the tools needed they are able to work things out on their own and remain sober through it all. Sobriety becomes second nature and drugs or alcohol are not given a second thought as being a solution.

Listed below are several drugs of addiction and information regarding each one.

Cocaine: The effects of cocaine are immediate, extremely pleasurable, and brief. Cocaine produces an intense but short-lived euphoria and can make users feel more energetic. Like caffeine, cocaine produces wakefulness and reduces hunger. Psychological effects include feelings of well-being and a grandiose sense of power and ability mixed with anxiety and restlessness. As the drug wears off, these temporary sensations of mastery are replaced by an intense depression, and the drug abuser will then "crash", becoming lethargic and typically sleeping for several days.

Crack Cocaine: Crack is made from cocaine in a process called freebasing, in which cocaine powder is cooked with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to create rocks, chips, or chunks that can be smoked. The term crack refers to the crackling sound that is heard when the mixture is smoked. Crack is usually smoked in a pipe. Because it's smoked, crack cocaine effects are felt more quickly and they are more intense than those of powder cocaine. However, the effects of smoked crack are shorter lived than the effects of snorted powder cocaine.

Ecstasy: Ecstasy users may encounter problems similar to those experienced by amphetamine and cocaine users, including addiction. In addition to its seemingly rewarding effects, ecstasy's psychological effects can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia during, and sometimes weeks after, taking the drug. Physical effects can include muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. Increases in heart rate and blood pressure are a special risk for people with circulatory or heart disease. Ecstasy-related fatalities at raves have been reported. The stimulant effects of the drug, which enable the user to dance for extended periods, combined with the hot, crowded conditions usually found at raves can lead to dehydration, hypothermia, and heart or kidney failure. Ecstasy use damages brain serotonin neurons. Serotonin is thought to play a role in regulating mood, memory, sleep, and appetite. Recent research indicates heavy ecstasy use causes persistent memory problems in humans.

Heroin: Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive opiate drug. Its abuse is more widespread than any other opiate. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as "black tar heroin." Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is "cut" with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Street heroin can also be cut with strychnine or other poisons. Because heroin abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. Heroin also poses special problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment.

Marijuana: Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). It is the most often used illegal drug in this country. All forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs; they all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana. There are about 400 chemicals in a cannabis plant, but THC is the one that affects the brain the most.
There are many different names for marijuana. Slang terms for drugs change quickly, and they vary from one part of the country to another. They may even differ across sections of a large city. Terms from years ago, such as pot, herb, grass, weed, Mary Jane, and reefer, are still used. You might also hear the names skunk, boom, gangster, kif, or ganja. There are also street names for different strains or "brands" of marijuana, such as "Texas tea," "Maui wowie," and "Chronic." A recent book of American slang lists more than 200 terms for various kinds of marijuana.

Methamphetamine: Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug chemically related to amphetamine but with stronger effects on the central nervous system. Street names for the drug include "speed," "meth," "crystal," and "crank." Methamphetamine is used in pill form, or in powdered form by snorting or injecting. Crystallized methamphetamine known as "ice," "crystal," or "glass," is a smokable and more powerful form of the drug.

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