Drug addiction occurs when an individual uses a legal or illegal drug and develops an inability to stop using the drug. A wide variety of drugs are capable of causing the brain changes that lead to addiction. Treatment programs can be effective, but prevention of drug addiction in the first place is a more desirable goal in most communities.
Symptoms
Someone who is addicted to a drug cannot stop using it, explains MayoClinic.com. He will feel the need to use the drug frequently, whether that means daily or multiple times a day. Withdrawal symptoms may make life miserable if he goes without the drug for a while. The addicted individual may try to stop using, but will be unsuccessful.
Types
According to Medline Plus, people can become addicted to illegal, prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Common illegal drugs that can cause an addiction include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, PCP and ecstasy. Prescription drugs such as oxycodone, codeine and benzodiazepines are also frequently abused and can cause addiction. Even some over-the-counter medications can become addictive to susceptible individuals if they are overused.
Causes
Social pressures often lead to the first drug experience for many people, but while some can stop after trying a drug just once, others become addicted after only one or a few experiences, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Some drugs, like heroin and cocaine, are more highly addictive than other drugs and typically addict users after a small number of exposures, explains MayoClinic.com. After the initial use, drugs cause neurobiological changes that make the brain crave more of the drug, causing a physical addiction. There may be a genetic factor involved in susceptibility to addiction, according to MayoClinic.com, since individuals with family members who are addicted to drugs or alcohol are more likely to become addicts themselves.
Treatment
Medline Plus explains that treatment for drug addiction may include a detoxification program, either in a hospital setting or treatment center. For less severe addictions, treatment on an outpatient basis may work. Support groups and psychotherapy are other helpful options for someone trying to overcome a drug addiction.
Prevention
Prevention programs are often initiated by community groups, schools, churches or social organizations and aim to reduce the levels of drug addiction in the community by keeping people from taking drugs in the first place. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, successful drug prevention programs both educate the community on the negative aspects of drug abuse and provide healthy alternatives and social circumstances that reduce the opportunities for drug use and abuse to take hold.
Complications
Drug addiction often leads to other problems, including relationship difficulties, problems holding down a job or trouble doing well in school, according to MayoClinic.com. People who are addicted to drugs may also engage in criminal activity, often as a way to acquire the money needed to buy their drugs. Medline Plus explains that the risk of health problems increases with addiction as well, including the possibilities of catching sexually transmitted diseases, health problems such as liver disease and respiratory infections that are associated with the drug use itself, and the risk of death or disability resulting from an accidental overdose.
