Drug addiction has become quite common in our society these days. People often start to use use them to escape their realities and go into a world far away from the real world.
Drug addiction is not only about taking illegal drugs such as heroin or cocaine etc. People can even become addicts using legal drugs like alcohol, opioid, or nicotine medicines.
Drug addiction affects a person’s health and life massively. It not only becomes a slow poison for their body but also loses their place within the society.
Effects of Drug Addiction:
Among many consequences, some of the most common include:
1. Impact on Brain
A person’s brain is designed to make us want to repeat practices and experiences that make us feel happy and good. Therefore, once you begin, you want to do it again.
Addictive drugs target a person’s brain’s reward system. They overflow your mind with a chemical known as dopamine. This chemical triggers a sense of extreme pleasure. Hence, you keep consuming the drug to get that feeling.
With time, your brain becomes accustomed to that extra chemical. So you would want to take more drugs to get the same sense of pleasure. While the other things, such as food or hanging out with your family and friends, may feel less fun.
When you start taking drugs for a long time, it causes changes in other chemical systems of the brain and circuits also. These changes include:
- Memory
- Judgment
- Ability to learn
- Decision making
2. Effects on Behavior
Drug addiction can lead to a lot of behavioral problems. These can be short-termed issues or long-term. Some of the main effects on behavior include:
- Hallucinations
- Paranoia
- Impulsiveness
- Addiction
- Loss of self-control
- Impaired judgment
- Aggressiveness
3. Effects on Health
Along with a person’s psychological and mental issues, drug addiction has a lot of effects on a person’s health also. Some of the most common health-related problems include:
- Insomnia or sleeplessness
- Increase in heart rate
- A temporary feeling of euphoria
- Changes in appetite
- Slurred speech
- The difference in cognitive ability
- Poor coordination.
How Society Views Drug Addicts
People have considerably negative attitudes and opinions towards those going through drug addiction. Society has a very pessimistic and pessimistic view of people that are addicted to drugs.
People choose to stay away and keep their distance from a drug addict. Instead of helping the person, a lot of people cut them off.
Some families have punished their children or other family member when they find out about them using drugs. The thought of supporting these people and getting them the treatment they need barely ever crosses the minds of people.
The Stigma of Society
Society has a powerful stigma towards drug addicts. There have been countless public statements that drug addiction is a disease; despite that, a lot of people perceive it as a moralistic view towards addiction.
They view drug addicts as weak-willed, immoral, or point out defects in their character that require punishment.
This stigma is so strong that there are a lot of people who might not ever do drugs just out of fear of it. But then, some people hide this disease out of fear and end up getting worse day by day.
The stereotype that exists of drug addicts could have changed their behavior had they been sufficiently influenced and motivated is inconsistent when people understand the complicated factors that are involved in drug addiction.
The policymakers think of drug addicts as undeserving of support from the public, coverage of insurance, treatment programs, and training and research programs.
Due to this stigma, the society has a harsh opinion about drug addicts. They don’t like associating themselves with them or accept them as part of the culture. Here are some of the most common characteristics of :
How Society Views Drug Addicts
1. A dysfunctional part of society
People that have become a drug addict are seen and viewed as a dysfunctional part of society that nobody want to be associated with.
These people are considered ‘dangerous’ and ‘threatening.’ Society does not like to accept them or believe that they need help instead of negligence.
Drug addicts are thought to be one of the primary causes of a dysfunctional and criminal society. People are even seen to be fearing them because they feel these are aggressive people that can do any harm.
2. Immoral
Instead of recognizing drug addiction and drug abuse as a disease that it is, society targets their moral and character value.
For some reason, even after all the researches and awareness programs, drug addicts are viewed as immoral people who have no value towards their society, family, or religion.
The characters of these people are brought into question, and quite often, their upbringing is also targeted. People assume that these people are impure and sinful.
This stigma has been coming down for centuries. Drug addiction is seen as a personal choice of someone that has ‘immoral values’ instead of understanding why an individual has gone to such extreme lengths to avoid reality for some time.
Society has failed to empathize and try to help these people out. Instead, they have distanced and disassociated themselves with drug addicts.
3. Aggressive And Criminal-minded:
One of the most common perceptions of the society towards drug addicts is that these people are hazardous to be around and can cause any criminal activity.
Drug addicts are thought to be ‘criminals.’ People usually expect the extreme worse attitude and behaviour towards them and are generally frightened to be around them.
The idea that these people are criminals, threatening and dangerous comes from the fact that one of the significant effects of drug addiction is a behavioral change that includes aggressiveness and impatience.
Drug addicts get angry relatively fast than other people; therefore, the idea that these people are dangerous rises in society’s mind.
4. A Disgrace Towards The Society
Many people in society look down upon people that have become drug addicts. They think that these addicts are a disgrace towards the society and people.
Drug addicts are treated disrespectfully and impolitely. Many people could even go as far as trying to demean them by calling them names and treating them like dirt.
These people are not seen as someone who is going through a hard time, or their addiction is not viewed as a disease; rather, it is seen as a morality and character issue.
Instead of trying to help the drug abusers out, society pushes them further away by disassociating themselves with such people.
Unfortunately, even after many attempts at proper research and many awareness programs about drug addiction, the stigma of the society is still as rigid and firm as ever.
Drug addicts are people that are going through callous times, maybe these times are the reason they became an addict, but the society fails to understand them, empathize with them and help them.
These people need professional treatment just as necessary as a person with heart issues would. Instead of pushing them away by targeting their values and characters, help them recover this disease by getting them into proper treatment.
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