National Anti-Drug Addiction Day: Know More About Drug Addiction

National anti-drug addiction day is celebrated in India on 2 October every year in order to raise awareness about drug addiction and drug abuse in India.

Young children and teenagers fall prey to the problem of drug addiction because of their sense of curiosity, for their experimental, recreational purposes or just because their friends are doing so.

IBBS researchers are still finding the root cause and affects of the drugs that cause the brain to function in such a way that the person becomes addicted to them.

What is Drug Addiction?

Drug Addiction is a condition characterised by patterned or over use of a legal, illegal drug or medicine. The condition affects the person's brain and behaviour such that they are unable to avoid the usage of the drug to the point that it interferes with their ability to function normally.

Some of the commonly used drugs are:

• cocaine

• Alcohol

• Opioids

• Benzodiazepines

• Cannabis

• Barbiturates

• Inhalants and club drugs

190 million people are addicted to drug around the world and the problem is that the number keeps increasing at an alarming rate. Moreover the addicts are generally teenagers or young adults under the age of 30.

Effects of Drug Addiction

• Addiction causes many serious affects on the person's well being, physical health and professional life.

• Addiction can also cause exacerbate mental health problem such as depression to psychosis.

• Drug addiction can cause long term damage to the body. Drug addicts who use needles are at a higher risk of getting HIV, hepatitis B and C infections.

• Legal consequences may lead to prison sentences that may not be less than 10 years, but can extend up to 20 years.

• Financial consequences may include loss of a job, foreclosure, vehicle repossession or getting into a debt.

• Drug addiction also causes problems between relationships, friends and family.

Types of Drugs

Drugs have been categorised under these groups by a review study by International Journal of preventive Medicine.

• Stimulant drugs increase activity in the Central Nervous System. This leads to an increase in the activities of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) which results in increase in heart rate, perspiration, breathing and alertness. This may cause paranoia, psychosis, repetitive behaviour, delusion of insects crawling under the skin etc.

• Depressant drugs may include sleeping pills, alcohol or anxiety medication. They are related to the decrease in the activities of the Central Nervous System. They cause reduction in alertness, environmental awareness, cognitive functioning and physical activity. They are prescribed to help a person become calmer, relaxed and promote better sleeping patterns, but overdose may result in loss of control and death at times.

• Hallucinogenic drugs are the psychoactive substances that cause hallucinations. These may include LSD, PCP and marijuana. These drugs cause major auditory or visionary hallucinations, de-personalization, psychosis, flashbacks and anxiety.